Seasonal sweet lineup is a compelling reason to have triple desserts at your cherry blossom viewing party.

We’ve been happily sipping our way through Starbucks Japan’s cherry blossom Frappuccinos over the past few weeks, but the coffeehouse chain doesn’t just offer special dessert drinks at this time of year. They’ve also get a series of seasonal sakura sweets for those who want their desserts in edible form instead of drinkable, and seeing how they’re drawing inspiration from Japan’s most beloved flowers, they’re all beautiful to look at too.

Starting things off is the Sakura Chiffon Cake. Since both the flowers and leaves of the sakura tree are edible, each slice of the moist, airy cake comes topped with an actual salt-preserved cherry blossom, and powdered sakura leaf goes into the cake batter itself before baking. The result is a sweet dessert with a salty punctuation point, creating a clean finish and a flavor that remains consistently sakura-satisfying from the first bite to the last.

Next up is the Sakura Donut, with a sakura glaze that Starbucks promises melts away into decadent bliss as you chew. Two different types of sakura powder go into the coating, giving it a captivating speckled appearance and little dash of complexity to an otherwise straightforwardly appealing sweet snack.

And finally, there’s the Sakura Ball Cookie set. This are spherical almond powder sweets enhanced with powdered cherry blossom in their dough, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.

The Sakura Donut is priced at 310 yen (US$2.10) and the Sakura Chiffon Cake at 460 yen per slice. The Sakura Ball Cookies are the priciest option at 2,000 yen, but they come in a tin covered in beautiful sakura illustrations which is your to keep, and looks like it’d be great for storing small items or even just as an interior decoration. You also get 16 cookies in the set, so really you’re not just buying cookies, but also the glory you’ll be able to bask in when you show up to a cherry blossom viewing party with friends during this year’s extra-long sakura season bearing a box of these special treats, assuming, of course, you resist the urge to scarf them all down on the way (and if you do an need to order a quick refill, the Sakura Ball Cookies are also available through Starbucks Japan’s online store here).

Source: Starbucks
Top image: Starbucks
Insert images: Starbucks (1, 2, 3)
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