SUNDAY DESSERT #66: Raindrop Cake (Mizu Shingen Mochi)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Japan 🇯🇵
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Easy with the correct recipe
INSPIRATION: April showers bring May flowers! I wanted to make a rain-themed dessert. 🌧
RECEPTION/COMMENTARY: This "cake" is just a mix of water and agar powder. Getting the perfect ratio is kind of a pain (and you can see my failed ratio attempts from the pictures) but once it is done right, it really does look just like a raindrop! The taste, however, isn't anything special. It's like water-flavored Jell-O. The gel instantly breaks apart in your mouth and dissolves. It's the weirdest thing to be eating water, but that's exactly what you're doing with this!
Because of the lack of flavor, the Japanese serve this with a side of Kinako (roasted soybean powder) and Kuromitsu (a syrup made from Japanese black sugar). I was way too lazy this weekend to drop by a specialty Asian market and pick these items up so I just used what I had in my pantry as substitutes. The Kinako powder is supposed to have a sweet and nutty flavor so I mixed vanilla custard powder with some almond flour and toasted it in a pan. For the Kuromitsu, I made a simple syrup by reducing dark brown sugar with a little water. Both tasted pretty great and definitely amped up the dessert level of this so-called confection. But even with the sides, this raindrop is only a 2/10. I'd rather just drink water and eat the side servings by themselves.
WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN? No. Not unless I had an unnatural craving for gelatinous water.
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