Raindrop cake paired with kinako powder and brown sugar syrup is a translucent, low-calorie Japanese dessert that is sweet and nutty. This cute water droplet-shaped dessert is typically available in Japan during the spring and summer months as it is light and refreshing.
If you've ever played out in the rain as a kid, you've probably also tried eating raindrops. Or was that just us? This fun dessert will take you back to childhood and make you feel like you're eating raindrops. It is light, refreshing, and melts in your mouth.
Here's our Japanese raindrop cake recipe to recreate it at home. We'll show you how to change the consistency if you like it more firm or softer. Then, different ways to level up our classic recipe with toppings and filling ideas. Here's how you can make this timeless traditional Japanese dessert.
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What Is A Raindrop Cake?
A raindrop cake is a transparent, crystal-looking sphere made with kanten or agar-agar instead of glutinous rice flour.
The earliest form of this delicacy is a Japanese mochi called Shingen mochi. Traditionally, these are famous rice cakes from Japan's Yamanashi Prefecture made from glutinous rice flour and sugar. It has a soft texture and chewy consistency.
Shingen Takeda, a Sengoku Daimyo, initially made them as emergency food. This became a festive food to eat during Obon in Japan. As time passed, locals in Hakushu-cho, Hokuto City, decided to incorporate the region's fresh spring water into this dessert.
It is also known as mizu shingen mochi, which means water cake. We will use these names interchangeably in this article. What has stayed the same are the typical toppings served with this dessert: a sprinkling of kinako powder and a drizzle of kuromitsu.
Ingredients
You'll only need water, kanten powder, or agar-agar to make raindrop cake.
We're using agar agar powder rather than kanten powder for our recipe as it is cheaper and easier to find. The results will be very similar as both are fibre derived from red algae seaweed. The only subtle difference is that using kanten powder will give you a softer, less gelatin-like texture. However, this is not too noticeable to us.
As agar is odourless and tasteless, the flavours will come from the toppings. For the toppings, you'll need kinako powder and kuromitsu.
Water
We recommend using mineral water for our recipe. It will result in a crystal-clear water cake. Filtered water can also be used but might result in a cloudy-looking cake.
If you live in Japan and have access to water from the Akaishi Mountains (otherwise known as the Southern Alps of Japan), that's perfect. The dessert shop uses exactly this water. What's special about this water is its naturally slightly sweet taste, which can be tasted in the Japanese raindrop cake.
Agar-Agar
Agar powder makes the raindrop cake semi-translucent and firm. It comes in different forms—powder, bar, and strips. It is widely used in Asia to make various desserts such as puddings or custards. Some bubble tea shops also use agar jelly as a low-calorie boba topping.
This amount of agar-agar powder we use results in a relatively medium-hard texture for the mizu shingen mochi. However, if you prefer a softer raindrop cake, you can put as little as 2 grams of agar-agar powder. However, please note that the cake will be quite soft and delicate. Be extra careful and gentle when handling it.
Kinako Powder
Kinako powder is a Japanese roasted soybean powder and a standard topping for Japanese sweets like mochi. It is also used in baking bread, cookies, or cakes. It can even be added to fruit smoothies as a substitute for peanut butter.
As to its taste, it is somewhat similar to peanut powder as it has a nutty flavour.
Kuromitsu
Kuromitsu, when literally translated, means black honey. Commercial bottles of kuromitsu are made from a Japanese brown sugar called kurozato mixed with honey.
It is essentially dark brown sugar syrup that you can easily make at home using muscovado and water.
Raindrop Cake | Japanese Mizu Shingen Mochi
Ingredients
- 5 g agar-agar powder
- 3 tablespoon kinako powder roasted soy bean powder
- 3 tablespoon kuromitsu brown sugar syrup
- 350 ml mineral water
Equipment
Instructions
- Add the agar-agar powder and water to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Once the water comes to a boil, continue simmering on low heat until the agar-agar powder dissolves completely into the water. This will take about five minutes.
- Pour the mixture into a small round bowl. Let it cool at room temperature for 10 minutes before placing it in the fridge. Let it chill and set for at least 1-2 hours.
- Once set, carefully remove it from your bowl and serve your Japanese raindrop cake with a sprinkle of kinako powder and a drizzle of kuromitsu.
Notes
- You can also add the agar agar powder directly into hot water (ensure the temperature is about 80-100 degrees Celsius) and mix them together until the agar agar powder dissolves completely. You may also use this method if you prefer not to cook directly on the stovetop.
- If you want to add fruits or dried flowers, pour the mixture into the mould until half full. Then, add the fillings and pour the mixture until you fill the mould.
- The number of calories from this cake depends on the number of toppings or fillings that you add.
- As the Japanese raindrop cake does not taste anything, the amount of kinako powder and kuromitsu you use is up to you. Remember not to go overboard, though, as the amount you use will increase the caloric content of this dessert.
- To fully enjoy this dessert, we recommend consuming it within 30 minutes of taking the cake out of the fridge, as the dessert is best enjoyed cold.
- You may prepare it in advance and store it in the fridge. However, it is best to consume it within 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimate.
Substitutes For Key Ingredients
If you want to achieve the perfect texture and consistency of an authentic raindrop cake, we recommend using agar—it is still the best way to go.
An alternative to agar would be gelatin, but remember that there will be differences in consistency and texture. Agar would result in a firmer texture, which is crucial for the mizu shingen mochi to hold its form.
As we have also previously mentioned, gelatin comes from animal sources. If you prefer something vegetarian, it is better to use agar.
Different brands of agar-agar powder can create different transparency levels. Sometimes, you can get a slightly cloudy outcome, so it may require some experimenting with the brand you use.
Tools
When making this dessert treat, you either use a small round bowl or use a mould in the shape of a half-sphere. In our recipe, we simply use a rice bowl.
However, a mould might be better if you're looking for different sizes or making a large batch. We find that round silicone ice cube trays have the perfect shape and size for shingen mizu mochi.
If you're thinking of making a filled cake such as the strawberry or cherry blossom raindrop cake, we also recommend having tongs. They will help you handle and place the delicate flowers or fruits inside the mould.
How Many Calories Does It Contain?
You might be surprised to hear that raindrop cake itself contains almost zero calories. Its calories come from the toppings or fillings you choose to add.
Popular Variations
A common question regarding this dessert recipe is whether there are other versions that you can try or make. YES. Different flavours have cropped up since the Japanese raindrop cake has been around for some time.
Some of the more intriguing flavours that have caught our eyes are the rose and matcha from Melbourne's Cafe Lafayette and Hong Kong's Whatever Bar & Restaurant's mizu shingen mochi with sake and berries (blueberry) sauce.
Other variations are ones that are filled with sakura cherry blossoms or fruits such as strawberries, oranges, or peaches. Not only are they popular, but they're also visually pleasing.
Have you tried making raindrop cake at home? Share your photos and tag us on Instagram @honestfoodtalks. We'd love to see your creations.
Julio
Love how jiggly and fun this was to eat! Instead of keeping it clear, I added some food coloring and it turned out gorgeous!
Trey
found this on r/veganrecipes - great stuff, didnt know it before
Qing
Reminds me of a chinese dessert i used to have - but this is much more aesthetically pleasing! love the sakura especially
Qi
Found this on reddit - first time finding out about this "cake"
Lovely idea for dinner party when we actually can have one!
Equie
Amy