"Sit down with a cup of coffee and lemon cake from Kurasu."
Today's talk is on our cute, sweet and refreshing lemon cake. Since it's been lined up on our snacks shelf in our cafes, it has been a popular choice for our customers. We're thrilled to walk you through behind the scenes of its production and interview with our pastry chef, Natsuko.
Get your coffee ready and sit back - let's get started!
Why lemon cake?
Natsuko: Summer is approaching here in Kyoto. It gets so hot here that some people find themselves losing appetite. That's why I wanted to make something refreshing that would still be nice to have on a hot day.
It was about spring when I started thinking about ideas for summer snacks. At that time, lemon was in season. It has sufficient refreshing notes and perfect to be served as baked goods. Turns out the round, plump shape is just adorable!
[Gently brushing the surface of each cake to let it absorb the juicy lemon juice.]
[The pleasant and fun texture of lemon peels blended with soft sponge is simply a delight. Lemon peels are shaved fresh each time to maintain the refreshing aroma.]
Which coffee best pairs with lemon cake?
Natsuko: For light roast coffee, I recommend Indonesia Frinsa Collective. It has rich sweetness and balanced body, which accompanies the pleasant acidity of lemon. Escape the summer heat and cool down with iced coffee and lemon cake!
Delicious and healthy choice of ingredients
Natsuko: Here at Kurasu, customers from diverse backgrounds and preferences visit us and we want to offer something unique for everyone.
For this occasion, we decided to produce "gluten-free" and "dairy-free" snacks. That's why I picked rice flour and soy lait beurre (soy cream based butter).
Rice flour has different texture to wheat flour; it's soft and doughy (mocchiri in Japanese) when freshly baked, and gently crumbles (horohoro in Japanese) in your mouth. You'd be surprised how a bite can be so satisfying!
Soy lait beurre is creamy but lighter than butter, and you may notice a hint of saltiness. It doesn't disturb the subtle notes of ingredients and matches perfectly with refreshing notes of lemon. I decided to give it a try for the first time.
Going back to the original topic of creating snacks that would be great to pop in your mouth in summer - soy lait beurre is a great alternative to reduce the heavy buttery notes in baked goods.
[Though it appears to be very much like regular butter, soy lait beurre melts fast and texture changes rapidly. You need to work fast and efficiently throughout the production.]
Values of kashi by Kurasu
Natsuko: It's been about a year since we started the brand kashi by Kurasu, and our values have not changed since; to produce snacks that pairs beautifully with Kurasu coffee. My ideas are always based on pairings with great coffee.
Recently, a new member Rika joined the team, and I am thrilled that we can prepare more variety of snacks. We truly hope that delicious snacks would make our customers' coffee break an extra happy and special moment. We love what we do and we hope you will, too!
What's coming up next?
Natsuko: A sneak peak to our friends who have read through this far...We're planning to release these cute cookies soon!
Epilogue
If you have the chance to visit our Nishijin Roastery, you will find a white door behind the grand coffee roasters. This leads to the kitchen where Natsuko and Rika, our pastry team, make delicious snacks to be served in our cafes.
Snacks produced by kashi by Kurasu is tender and tasty; it gently accompanies your daily coffee scene and you can't get enough of it!
When you drop by at Kurasu cafes, make sure to check out the cute and delicious line-up of snacks that would make your coffee break extra special.
See you soon!
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Opening Hours:
Kyoto Stand
MON-FRI 12pm-6pm (Closed on Wednesday)
SAT-SUN 8am-6pm
Kurasu Ebisugawa
MON-SUN 10am-6pm
*As each snack is hand-made, we offer limited stock only.
We hope you will get a bite of our delicious snacks when you visit us!
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