New range mimics traditional Japanese sakura mochi sweets.

For the past couple of years, Mister Donut has been heralding the start of cherry blossom season in Japan with a special range of doughnuts called “Sakura Mochitto“. Notable for their “mochitto” (“chewy”) texture, these are some of the most beautiful doughnuts you’ll find in Japan, and this year they’ve dialed up the chewiness to better resemble the texture of sakura mochi, a pink rice cake confection wrapped in a pickled sakura leaf.

▼ Sakura mochi, as it appears in the Kanto region in and around Tokyo (left) and the Kansai region in and around Osaka (right).

Photo©SoraNews24

The new doughnuts capture the texture of the above sweets in doughnut form, and there are four different types to choose from.

▼ The first product in the lineup is the Sakura Mochitto Kurosu Kinako (194 yen [US$1.30] takeout; 198 yen eat-in)

Kinako is roasted soybean flour, but this doughnut uses a special variety called “kurosu kinako“, which is thicker and less fine than the regular variety. This adds to the chewy mouthfeel and amps up the deliciously nutty, toasted flavours, which pair well with the sakura-flavoured doughnut.

▼ Next up, we have the Sakura Mochitto Salted Azuki (205 yen takeout; 209 yen eat-in)

This beautiful sakura doughnut is filled with salted azuki bean paste and finished with white chocolate and cherry blossom-flavoured chocolate flakes. The salty notes help to bring out the sakura mochi-like flavour.

▼ Sakura Mochitto Strawberry Daifuku Style (205 yen takeout; 209 yen eat-in)

Made with a subtly flavoured sakura dough, this sweet contains a bean paste infused with strawberry puree, with strawberry chocolate and icing sugar on top. This combination of ingredients is said to be reminiscent of a strawberry daifuku (sweet rice cake with a strawberry and bean paste filling) in both taste and appearance.

▼ Finally, we have the Sakura Mochitto Strawberry Custard (205 yen takeout; 209 yen eat-in)

Sandwiched inside this beautiful sakura doughnut is a layer of custard cream atop a layer of strawberry bean paste, with a strawberry chocolate coating and sakura chocolate flakes to finish.

Mister Donut says the range allows you to “see, eat, and feel the spring” and we can’t wait to try them all when they’re released for a limited time from 5 March.

Source, images: PR Times (unless otherwise stated)
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