mushipan or japanese steamed cup bread (actually they taste more cake than bread) seem to be all the rage these days. i've tried them from a few local bakeries and thought they tasted artificially soft and fluffy, as if emulsifiers had been used. the cute shape and endless flavor combinations caught my attention so i bought three books on mushipan just to try out (crazy, i know).


to be frank, i felt these were pretty one-note. while the matcha flavor did stand out and was a nice contrast with the pickled sakura, i got bored with it after awhile. perhaps a "surprise center" like a red or white bean paste would be nice and that is exactly what i would do if i were to make these again. plus side is they're steamed so its good for the health-conscious, and very easy to make. i'll be trying somemore from my two other books so we shall see then!



recipe source : cup bread by akemi komatsuzaki

*recipe removed due to copyright restrictions.