Momiji manju is a sponge cake shaped like a maple leaf. This cake is popular on Miyajima Island, Hiroshima, because there are a lot of maple trees.  The cake is filled with different fillings. The fillings can be koshian bean jam, tsubuan bean jam, white bean jam, green tea paste, chestnut paste, melted cheese, chocolate and cream. The cake is a good snack, and it is healthy for children (depending on the filling). The sponge cake is made of wheat, eggs, sugar and honey. The original name was momiji dani. The cake is a popular souvenir from Hiroshima.

momiji manju ingredients

Grandpa and Grandpa fill the mold with batter

Nati heats each side for 30 seconds

We took a ferry to Miyajima Island and made momiji manju. We heated the maple-shaped iron over flames, turning the iron six times for thirty seconds each. Once we heated the iron, we brushed oil on it and filled it half way with batter. Then we put chocolate in the middle and covered it with more batter. Next, we flipped the iron over and heated it again four times. When it was ready, we opened the iron and loosened the edges with a stick and used the stick to lift the cake onto a plate. Then we took our plate to a packaging machine, and a man helped us use the machine to package each one.

packaging our cakes

all done

deeelicous

I tried one, and it was delicious. I think the chocolate ones were better than the ningyo yaki  bean cake we tried at the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo. I wish I could bring some home for my friends.

We have had a lot of fun in Japan with Grandma and Grandpa.  To see pictures of them in kimonos and playing the Taiko drums, see our favorite photos page.  We also posted a new < 3 on the Japanese tea ceremony.

And I have been hard at work on my currency page and my treats page (where I talk about fortune cookies).