Studio Ghibli-themed bakery puts a tasty spin on Japan’s Christmas cake tradition.

With December here, it’s time to not only get serious about Christmas shopping, but also Christmas cakes. In Japan, the typical Christmas Eve/party dessert is a strawberry shortcake, but if you want something that keeps that tradition going while still feeling a little more special than the ultra-orthodox versions, a Totoro Christmas cake might be just what you need this holiday season.

Pictured above is this year’s Christmas Strawberry Shortcake from Shiro Hige’s Cream Puff Factory, a two-branch Tokyo bakery. Shiro Hige, as we’ll call it for short, is run by relatives of Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, and so it regularly bakes up sweet treats themed after the studio’s anime films, with Totoro-shaped cream puffs being their most popular creation. So yes, while their Strawberry Shortcake would be a beautifully prepared dessert even without the forest spirit’s presence, the fact that it’s topped with a Totoro cream puff makes it even more visually, and gastronomically, appealing.

Ah, but what if you’re of the very sensible mindset that all the best cakes should include chocolate? If so, Shiro Hige also has a Chocolate Banana Shortcake in this year’s Christmas lineup.

From the outside, this might look like a simple swapping of chocolate cream for plain whipped cream in the Strawberry Shortcake recipe, since you still do get strawberries on top. However, inside, between the layers of sponge cake are ones of chocolate cream with banana slices, as shown in the charming cross-section illustration.

Want even more chocolate? Then how about the Totoro Buche de Noel, a Yule log/Swiss roll cake that also creates a scene of a pair of Totoros frolicking in the forest.

The tree’s “bark” is actually almond-flavored butter cream, and inside are two swirling layers each of soft chocolate sponge cake and chocolate cream with almond and hazelnut accents.

Another petite Totoro, and a Soot Sprite too, show up on the Mango Mountain Christmas cake.

This one is a mix of sweet, sour, and rich sensations, starting with a brownie base made with couverture chocolate. Spread atop that is a thin covering of mango and passionfruit gelée, followed by a layer of passionfruit chocolate mousse and another of mango mousse. A sheet of clear gelatin with mango slices completes the stack, and you also get a few more mango pieces on top of that tropical topography.

▼ There’s a lot going on with this cake, but that also means there’s a lot to love if these are among your favorite flavors.

The biggest variety of fruit flavors, though, is found in the Berry Tart. The Totoro cream puff sits in the center of a ring of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, with whipped cream, custard, and almond cream below.

And last, though certainly not least, if you just want some of Shiro Hige’s Cream Puff Factory cream puffs, those are being offered in special Christmas versions too, for either custard or strawberry cream-filled versions, with little chocolate holly leaves on their heads.

Prices for the cakes range from 2,000 yen (US$13.35) for the Mango Mountain to 4,800 yen for the Buche de Noel, 5,800 yen for the Berry Tart, and 6,500 yen each for the Strawberry and Chocolate Banana Shortcakes. The Totoro cream puffs are 640 yen for custard cream filling or 680 for strawberry.

As Christmas desserts, you’ve probably already guessed that these are limited-time items, but they’re especially limited, as they’ll only be available for purchase on December 20, 21, 22, 24, and 25 (Shiro Hige is closed on December 23). Advance reservations are highly recommended and can be made by contacting the bakery’s Daita branch in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward, with a cutoff date of 6 p.m. on December 18.

Cafe information
Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory (Daita branch) / 白髭のシュークリーム工房（代田店）
Address: Tokyo-to, Setagaya-ku, Daita 5-3-1
東京都世田谷区代田５-３-１
Open 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Closed Tuesdays (or Wednesday if Tuesday is a holiday)
Website

Source, images: Shiro Hige’s Cream Puff Factory
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