Floating Sakura Jelly: A Spring Dessert with Salt-Pickled Cherry Blossoms and Milk Agar
Can you guess what delicate surprise is hidden inside this clear jelly?
The answer: real sakura petals—cherry blossoms preserved in salt, a traditional Japanese method that captures the fleeting beauty of spring. These petals, once gently rinsed and soaked, regain their soft pink hue and subtle floral aroma. It’s a moment of spring suspended in time—and in jelly.
This dessert is made in two distinct layers. The bottom is a lightly sweetened milk agar, while the top is a clear agar-based jelly that holds the blossoms in place. Since I ran a bit short on agar, I blended in a touch of konnyaku jelly powder—a fun experiment that added a slightly firmer texture to the top layer.
Salted Sakura, the flavor & how to desalt
Salt-pickled cherry blossoms offer a uniquely delicate flavor—lightly floral with a gentle hint of salt. I use the blossoms sold preserved in salt. Upon cooking, they are soaked in lukewarm water for 30min or so to soften their brininess, revealing a subtle aroma that evokes spring in Japan. Unlike sweet floral notes, sakura carries a soft, earthy elegance with just a whisper of bitterness. This refined taste brings a sense of calm and nostalgia, making it less about bold flavor and more about the quiet, beautiful feeling of spring captured in a bite.
Quick idea of the recipe, and photos of the process
Agar, unlike gelatin, is a plant-based gelling agent derived from red algae. It sets at room temperature and maintains its shape beautifully, making it ideal for clear cuts and layered desserts. That said, timing is everything: each layer must be poured at just the right moment—not too hot, not too cool—so they bond without melting into one another.
What I love most is the floating appearance of the sakura petals. They seem to hover in the transparent layer, like blossoms drifting gently in the spring breeze. There’s something deeply poetic and peaceful about it—like capturing the exact moment when cherry blossoms begin to fall.
Even here in tropical Singapore, I find ways to reconnect with the seasons. This dessert is my ode to early spring: fleeting, beautiful, and softly unforgettable.
🌸🌸🌸🌸
春を感じたい！二層のサクラ寒天✨
常夏のシンガポールですが、季節を忘れたくなく＆感じたく。
前回の日本一時帰国時に、富澤商店にて桜の塩漬けをゲットしてまいりました。
色々楽しみたいのですが、まずは視覚的に愛でたく。
おせち以来の寒天づくりです。
寒天、ゼラチンと違って、室温＆暖かいお湯でも溶けてしまうので、しっかり冷ましつつ2層準備。
(でも寒天足りず、桜の層はちょっぴりこんにゃくゼリーパウダーにお世話になりながら🧊)
ミルク寒天＋透明な寒天（＆そこに塩を抜いた桜の花びら）！！
本当はゼリーのほうが食感的に好きなのですが、視覚的なヨロコビから、なんともうきうきな寒天です。
桜の味って、なんと表現したらよいのでしょう。
ほのかな塩味と、心にそっと触れるようなやさしい香り…。
まさに、春そのものです。
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