Spring into the Season with Sakura Mochi Layer Cake

Hadley?Hauser talks about her new cake with the Japanese Culture Center:

This cake is inspired by sakura mochi, a wagashi treat that is served during the springtime in Japan. ?It is typically sweet rice covering a dollop of red bean paste, then wrapped in a pickled sakura leaf or topped with a pickled sakura blossom. ?I incorporated these elements and gave them an American layer cake twist.

Three layers of sakura cake are covered with ethereal sakura frosting; not too much of it, as I wanted the flavor of the cake to really shine through and buttercream can often dominate. ?In between the cake layers are two layers of sweet red bean paste (koshian), and bits of chewy homemade mochi. The cake is dotted with pickled sakura blossoms. You can preserve the sakura flowers yourself if you have access to cherry blossoms, or you can buy small packages of them on Amazon.

Last year, I went to the sakura matsuri at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and was blown away by the number of people. ?I don?t think I had seen so many New Yorkers in one place before! The people watching proved to be just as delightful as the petal watching. ?I went to the festival alone, lending it a similar feel to the days I wandered Kyoto?s streets alone as an exchange student.

This cake reminds me of the beauty of wandering alone in a strange place. ?When you?re alone, you can absorb the little details without being distracted or rushed. ?I hope that you can make and eat this cake in a similar fashion ? leisurely and with the luxury of noticing every deliberate detail.

Scroll down for the recipe!

Sakura Mochi Layer Cake

For the Cake

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
? teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
6 egg yolks
2 teaspoons sakura extract
1 1/2 cup whole milk
Pink gel food coloring

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.? Prepare two 6 inch circular baking pans with cooking spray and parchment.
Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Incorporate the egg yolks one at a time, and add the sakura extract.
Add pink food coloring, if desired.
Alternate adding the milk and the dry ingredients until just incorporated.
Evenly distribute the batter in your pans.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the Frosting

Ingredients:

12 tbsp butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tbsp heavy cream
1.5 teaspoon sakura extract
Pinch of kosher salt

Instructions:

Beat the butter in a stand mixer until light and fluffy.
Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar.
Incorporate other ingredients and mix until all are combined.

For the Mochi

Ingredients:

3/4 cup mochiko flour
3/4 cup water
1/4 granulated sugar
corn starch, as needed

Instructions:

Mix the mochiko with the granulated sugar.
Add the water to the mixture and mix until a paste forms.
In a microwave, heat mixture for 2 and a half minutes.
Using corn starch to prevent the mochi from sticking to the table or your hands, roll the mochi into small balls.

Additional notes:

Add store bought packaged red bean paste in between the cake layers.

When working with pickled sakura, be sure to soak the blossoms before use, as they are preserved in salt.? I soaked the blossoms for about 30 minutes and sprinkled sugar on them after laying them out to dry on a paper towel.