Sakura Cake: Cherry Blossom

The Sakura Cake, or Cherry Blossom Cake, is a lovely dessert that perfectly captures the feeling of spring. It has a light, sweet, and slightly floral taste from the Sakura essence used in the cake and the frosting. The inside of the cake is designed to look like cherry blossom branches, with layers of white cake batter mixed with pink sprinkles and chocolate batter. When you cut into the cake, you see a pattern that resembles blooming trees. This pretty look and gentle flavor make the Sakura Cake great for springtime celebrations.

Making the Sakura Cake is simple, so even beginners can do it well. First, you make the white cake batter using cake flour, coconut oil, buttermilk, Sakura, and vanilla extracts. Pink sprinkles are added to make it look festive. Then, you make a small amount of chocolate batter to create the branch-like patterns. The key to the cake’s special look is in how you layer the batter. You alternate layers of pink-speckled batter and chocolate squiggles in the cake pans. Bake the cake until it’s golden, then let it cool and frost it with smooth Sakura vanilla buttercream. This cake not only tastes delicious but also reveals a beautiful surprise inside with every slice.

Cheery Blossom Cake Recipe

The Cherry Blossom Cake is a stunning and delicious way to celebrate spring. With its delicate sakura flavor and beautiful branch-like design inside, this cake is sure to impress both in taste and appearance. Here’s how you can make this delightful cake at home.

Ingredients:

Component	Ingredient	Amount
Sakura White Cake	Cake flour	360g
	Unsalted butter, softened	226g
	Coconut oil	75g
	Fine granulated sugar	400g
	Fine sea salt	1 tsp
	Pure vanilla extract	1 tsp
	Sakura extract (or rose/orange blossom)	1 tsp
	Baking powder	2 tsps
	Large egg whites	4
	Buttermilk or kefir	240g
	Pink sprinkles (homemade or store-bought)	½ – ⅔ cup
Chocolate Squiggles	Unsalted butter	30g
	Fine granulated sugar	50g
	Egg yolk	1
	Cake flour	32g
	Baking soda	¼ tsp
	Dutch cocoa powder	2 tablespoons
	Buttermilk or kefir	60g
Sakura Vanilla Buttercream	Unsalted butter, at room temperature	226g
	Organic powdered sugar	325g
	Heavy whipping cream or milk	1 tablespoon
	Sakura essence	¼ teaspoon
	Pure vanilla extract	½ teaspoon
	Fine sea salt	¼ teaspoon

Method:

Prepare the Chocolate Batter:

• Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Add the egg yolk, baking soda, and vanilla, and beat for a few more minutes.
• Sift in the flour and cocoa, then add the buttermilk and stir until just combined.
• Set aside. When it’s time to build the cake, put the batter in a small piping bag.

Prepare the White Cake Batter:

• Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans.
• Beat the butter, sugar, and coconut oil together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Add egg whites one at a time, beating for a good 2 minutes after each addition. Scrape down the bowl.
• Add the salt, vanilla, sakura extract, and baking powder, and beat well. Scrape down the bowl.
• Sift in the flour and fold a bit with a spatula. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in buttermilk. Mix until just combined.
• Fold in pink sprinkles and ensure the batter is homogeneous by scraping the bottom of the bowl.

Layer the Batter:

• Add some of the white batter to the bottom of each pan and smooth it down to make a 1/2-inch layer.
• Grab the piping bag with the chocolate batter and snip off just a bit to make a small opening. Squiggle it around the batter, overlapping to create a branch-like effect.
• Add more white batter, smooth the top gently, and pipe more chocolate squiggles.
• Repeat until all the batter is equally distributed between the two pans.

Bake the Cakes:

• Bake the cakes for 40-50 minutes until golden. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a cooling rack.

Make the Buttercream:

• Beat the butter until very light in color, about 7 minutes.
• Add the vanilla, sakura essence, and salt, and beat to combine.
• Sift in powdered sugar and beat until combined and fluffy. Add cream or milk and beat to combine.

Assemble the Cake:

• Once the cakes are completely cool, frost them with the sakura vanilla buttercream.

Enjoy your beautiful and delicious Cherry Blossom Cake.

Sakura Rice Cake

Sakura Rice Cake, also known as Sakura Mochi, is a special Japanese sweet that reminds people of springtime. It’s popular during cherry blossom season and often enjoyed during Hanami, a fun flower-viewing activity. To make Sakura Mochi, you need sticky rice, sweet red bean paste, and salty pickled cherry blossom leaves. The rice dough is colored pink to look like cherry blossoms and is filled with sweet bean paste called koshian. The mochi is then wrapped in a cherry blossom leaf, which you can eat. This leaf gives the mochi a unique mix of sweet and salty flavors, making it smell and taste special.

Conclusion

Both Sakura Cake and Sakura Rice Cake (Mochi) capture the spirit of spring with their delightful flavors and beautiful looks. With its light, sweet, and slightly floral taste, the Sakura Cake features a pretty design inside that looks like cherry blossom branches. It’s easy to make and perfect for spring celebrations. A traditional Japanese sweet, Sakura Mochi combines chewy pink rice, sweet red bean paste, and salty pickled cherry blossom leaves. Enjoyed during Hanami (flower-viewing), it offers a unique mix of sweet and salty flavors. Both treats celebrate cherry blossoms and bring the joy of spring to any event.

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