Cherry Blossom Raindrop Cake

From: Kirbie's Cravings

This unique low-calorie dessert looks and tastes like a giant raindrop. The delicate cake dissolves in your mouth and is flavored with spring cherry blossoms, syrup and roasted soybean flour.

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp cool agar powder (or 1/8 tsp + 1/16 tsp regular agar powder)
• 1 1/3 cup mineral water (or filtered water)
• 12 pickled cherry blossoms soaked to remove salt

Toppings

• 4 tbsp roasted soybean flour
• 4 tbsp black sugar syrup

Instructions

• Trim any long stems from the cherry blossoms. Add 12 cherry blossoms to a small bowl and soak in water. Allow the blossoms to soak for several hours to remove most of the salt and salt flavor. When ready to use, gently pat dry flowers with paper towel. Place about 3 blossoms in each mold.

• In a small saucepan (with heat off), add agar powder and a few tbsp of water and stir with a spatula until the agar powder dissolves into the water. Add in remaining water.

• Bring your saucepan to medium heat and bring the agar water mixture to a simmer. Simmer for one minute, then turn off heat. Try to be as accurate with the timing as possible. If you don't heat long enough, your agar won't be fully dissolved. If you cook too long, your mixture will condense down too much. Use a spatula to stir the mixture a few times. Pour mixture into molds. You should have enough to fill four cavities if you are using the silicone molds I used.

• If needed, use a chopstick or back of spoon to position the flowers to face down (the blossoms should be facing downwards so when the cakes are removed, the flowers will face up).

• Place molds into the fridge to set. Let them set for at least 3-4 hours. When they are ready, they should easily slide out by tilting the molds. Do not take the cakes out of the fridge until you are ready to serve because they will start to melt after 20-30 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of soybean flour to each cake and drizzle black sugar syrup on top of the cake or on the side.