All About Japan

Our 8 Favorite Sakura Sweets from 7-Eleven

Food & Drink Sweets Cherry Blossoms

7-Eleven released their lineup of pink treats last month, just before the early-blooming Kawazu sakura (cherry trees) unfurled their petals around the country. SoraNews24 headed down to Kawazu in Shizuoka Prefecture for their first hanami flower-viewing picnic of the year, with the 7-Eleven sweet treats in their picnic basket!

1. 'Haru no Gohobi Parfait' (Springtime Reward Parfait, ¥298)

1. 'Haru no Gohobi Parfait' (Springtime Reward Parfait, ¥298)

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On top we have two bite-sized pieces of chocolate gateau, or chocolate cake, which are placed neatly next to some beautiful swirls of plain and strawberry-flavored whipped cream. Underneath the fancy topping is a layer of custard, followed by a layer of strawberry mousse, and then a layer of strawberry sauce. Buried in the middle of it all is a delicate sponge, which adds a crumbly texture to each mouthful.

This treat is absolutely delicious, and the small servings of each flavor add up to give you a mouthful of different tastes and textures throughout. Though it doesn’t actually contain any sakura ingredients, this one makes the list for its pretty pink hue, and because it’s a great option for those who aren’t so keen on the flavor of sakura but still want to join in with the sweet pink springtime celebrations.

2. Sakura Milk (¥100)

2. Sakura Milk (¥100)

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This delicate sweet is so small you could pop the whole thing in your mouth without any problem, but delving into it with a spoon reveals the goodness that lies within. The quality of this sweet is really remarkable, far exceeding anything you’d expect to find at a convenience store. With a well-rounded balance of salty sweet sakura and smooth whipped cream in every mouthful, this is hands-down our favorite item in the whole collection.

3. Sakura Moko (¥140)

3. Sakura Moko (¥140)

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This is the newest flavor to join 7-Eleven’s Moko range of oversized cream puff sweets, and this one comes in pale purple packaging with a gorgeous flurry of sakura petals spread out across the front and sides. Inside, the cream puff pastry has an orangey pink hue to it, due to the addition of sakura flavor in the dough.

Breaking this one apart reveals the pale pink rare cheese filling inside, which melts on your tongue with hints of salty sakura flavor. If you love the taste of cheese and sakura, this is definitely the sweet for you.

4. 'Sakura Mont Blanc & Uji Matcha Japanese Parfait' (¥298)

4. 'Sakura Mont Blanc & Uji Matcha Japanese Parfait'  (¥298)

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On top is a serving of sakura whipped cream, matcha whipped cream, and adzuki red bean paste, alongside a candied cherry and a dango sticky rice ball. Inside is a generous serving of matcha mousse, which comes with bite-sized pieces of chocolate cake to create a sweet counterpart to the bitter green-tea flavor.

The pièce de résistance here is definitely the salted sakura flower, which sits atop the swirls of sakura-flavored whipped cream. Each tiny petal hits your tongue with salty floral flavors that will have cherry blossom fans swooning with delight.

5. Strawberry Ganache Chocolate Gateau (¥180)

5. Strawberry Ganache Chocolate Gateau (¥180)

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This is another treat that uses strawberry instead of cherry blossoms to create its sakura-like springtime appeal. The white chocolate sauce decoration on top represents a flurry of petals falling on the breeze. Chocolate-loving guests at any hanami picnic will go weak at the knees for this sweet, with its rich, brownie-like flavor standing strong against the sweet strawberry topping.

6. Sakura Mochi (¥130)

6. Sakura Mochi (¥130)

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Containing red beans sourced from Tokachi in Hokkaido, this type of sweet is very popular around Japan at this time of year. Containing pink sakura-flavored sticky rice, this particular treat comes filled with adzuki red bean paste, which acts as a sweet counterpart to the bitter sakura flavors.

This one also comes topped with a salted sakura flower, which gives you an extra-strong hit of cherry blossom, making this a good choice for fans of salty sweet flavors.

7. Strawberry & Chocolate Flower Cake (¥328)

7. Strawberry & Chocolate Flower Cake (¥328)

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This gorgeous treat looks too good to eat, with its decorations depicting a moonlit cherry blossom scene. Its beautifully glossy appearance comes from a thin coating of fruit glaze, which sits upon a layer of strawberry cream. Inside is a mound of chocolate cream and a couple of bite-sized brownie pieces, which will send chocolate lovers to heaven and back again with every bite!

8. Softened Sakura Muretto (¥160)

8.  Softened Sakura Muretto (¥160)

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This treat is based on the traditional dorayaki, a Japanese confection that comes with a sweet red bean filling sandwiched between two round pancake-like pieces. Here we have a soft and fluffy sakura-flavored pancake wrapped around a serving of sweet red bean paste and whipped cream, which gives it an extra richness. The addition of a pickled sakura blossom to the mix packs a big sakura punch on first bite, mellowing out to give you a more rounded balance of sweet cream flavors.

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With sakura season now officially underway in the capital, now’s the time to stock up on the limited-edition collection of sweets for your upcoming hanami cherry blossom-viewing parties.

For more mouthwatering pictures from Oona McGee and the folks over at SoraNews24, be sure to click on the full story below!

Read full story: soranews24.com

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