Starbucks Japan’s cherry blossom powder donuts, sakura-topped cakes bloom onto the menu

http://bit.ly/2tpKvXk Casey Baseel

Four new Sakuraful Food desserts are here to get spring started early.

With February half-way over, we’re almost done with winter. Spring is so tantalizingly close that we can taste it.

And no, we’re not speaking metaphorically. As of February 15, Starbucks has added four new food items to its menu in Japan, and all of them make use of the country’s beautiful symbol of spring: the sakura cherry blossom.

Starting things off is the sakura donut (250 yen [US$2.25]), and no, that’s not sugar sprinkled on top. It’s powdered cherry blossoms, adding a refreshingly salty element to this sweet treat.

On the other hand, if you prefer your desserts to be of the fancier eat-with-a-fork variety, the sakura chiffon cake (380 yen) is a limited-time addition to Starbucks’ stalwart chiffon cake lineup. You get a double-dose of cherry blossom ingredients here, with sakura leaf mixed into the dough before baking, and a salted sakura flower on top.

Dusted with sakura powder and sugar, the sakura roll pie (270 yen) looks like t’s diner’s choice as to whether to eat it with your hand or not, but either way Starbucks promises a crisp crust and moist sakura cream filling.

Finally, the sakura milk pudding (320 yen) is a cherry blossom triple team, with sakura sauce, sakura flower puree, and sakura leaf powder combining for a dessert that’s not only delicious on the taste buds, but also has an enticing springtime scent.

▼ There’s also a three-pudding pack which comes in a special bag available for 1,360 yen, which Starbucks says makes a great gift (though honestly we’d be happy if someone gave us any of the sweets seen here).

Collectively, the four new menu items are known as the Sakuraful Food collection, and like the cherry blossoms themselves, they’ll be around for a limited, though undetermined, amount of time. Oh, and should you find yourself thirsty after eating one of them (or, if you think like we do, all of them), don’t forget that there are also Sakuraful Starbucks beverages, or, if you’re looking for a stronger drink, that the Sakura Chil Bar s about to open in Tokyo.

Source: Starbucks via Entabe
Top image: Starbucks
Insert images: Starbucks (1, 2, 3, 4)