Japanese Whole-Melon Cake (Marugoto Melon Cake) Is the Hottest New Trend on Instagram
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Just in time for Valentine’s Day, everyone’s trying to copy these adorable Japanese novelty cakes.
The Marugoto Melon Cake (まるごとメロンケーキ) means "whole-melon cake," and it's no surprise that this fruity treat, made by filling a hollowed melon with fruit, whipped cream, and slivers of sponge cake, first showed up on the internet last summer. The weather was warm, fruit was ripe, and throughout the world, the general public was stuck trying to avoid crowds and find inside entertainment. Varied versions, filling other hollowed fruits like oranges and pineapples, quickly followed, and now a chocolate-filled version will be arriving on the scene for Valentine's Day 2021.
But where did this playful cake design come from? Well, that would be pastry chef Koki Kato, who makes the cakes at his patisserie Atelier Kato. The concept behind this unusual cake was a pastry that could be enjoyed as an experience, using all five senses. The Marugoto Melon Cake doesn't just taste great―the cake includes the experience of laying eyes on what appears to be a normal melon, cutting it open, and discovering the sweet aroma of the cream and the surprising stripes of cake. With the idea progressing beyond melons to include pineapples and oranges, the possibilities have expanded as well.
Atelier Kato offers a selection of cakes and other sweets at their Kobe location, but the Marugoto fruit cakes in particular are now offered online, like many popular gourmet ingredients and popular premade foods across Japan. Check the patisserie's website or the Japanese cake-based online grocery Cake.jp, and you'll find fresh cakes ready to be mailed across Japan.
If you'd rather not pay 10,000 yen or so (about 100 USD) for a cake, though, you can always join the ranks of instagrammers who have tried making their own Marugoto Melon Cakes! While it seems like it's fairly difficult to get the cake slices as thin as Patissier Kato manages, if you're spending a lot of time at home, perfecting your melon cake seems as good a way to spend the hours as any!
And of course, if you managed to miss Valentine's Day, the limited edition Valentine's Marugoto Melon Cake (about 10,000 yen) filled with chocolate cream and raspberries might make up for it. If you can still get your hands on one!
For more info and updates from Japan, check Japankuru for new articles, and don't forget to follow us on twitter, instagram, and facebook!
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Osaka is known for friendly (and funny) people, but its history is nothing to laugh at, playing a major part in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's 16th century unification of Japan. Thanks to long years of economic activity, it's one of Japan's biggest cities, and Osaka's popular food culture earned it the nickname "The Kitchen of the Nation." To this day Osaka is the model of western Japan, and alongside historic structures like Osaka Castle, it also has major shopping malls like Umeda's Grand Front Osaka and Tennoji's Abeno Harukas. Osaka is a place to eat, eat, eat, with local specialties like takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and kushi-katsu, and for extra fun, it's home to Universal Studios Japan.
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The Chugoku Region (中国地方) consists of five prefectures: Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi. In Chugoku you’ll find the sand dunes of Tottori, and Hiroshima’s atomic bomb site, plus centers of ancient history like Grand Shrine of Izumo.
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Hiroshima Prefecture has everything, from world heritage sites to beautiful nature and delicious local cuisine, and it's either an hour and a half from Tokyo by plane, or four hours by train. Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island and the Atomic Bomb Dome, two Hiroshima UNESCO sites, are famous around the world, but in Japan it's also famous for food. Seafood from the Seto Inland Sea, especially oysters, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, and Setouchi lemons are all popular, and the natural scenery alone is worth seeing.
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On the other side of the Seto Inland Sea opposite Japan’s main island, Shikoku (四国) is a region made up of four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Kochi, and Tokushima. The area is famous for its udon (in Kagawa), and the beautiful Dogo Onsen hot springs (in Ehime).
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Kagawa Prefecture is on the northern part of the island of Shikoku, facing Japan's main island and the Seto Inland Sea. It's known for being the smallest prefecture in Japan, by area, but at the same time Kagawa is called the "Udon Prefecture" thanks to its famous sanuki udon. Aside from Kotohiragu Shrine and Ritsurin Garden, the prefecture's small islands are popular, and Kagawa is full of unique destinations, like Angel Road. They say that if you lay eyes on Zenigata Sunae, a huge Kagawa sand painting, you'll never have money troubles ever again.
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Located in the most southwestern part of Japan, Kyushu (九州) is an island of 7 prefectures: Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima. The island's unique culture has been influenced by Chinese and Dutch trade, along with missionaries coming in through Nagasaki's port. Modern-day travelers love the lush natural scenery and fresh food, plus the natural hot springs found all throughout the area (thanks to volcanic activity)!
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Kagoshima Prefecture played a major role in Japan's modernization as a backdrop for famous historical figures like samurais Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimichi, who pushed Japan out of the Edo era and into the Meiji. Because of that, Sengan-en Garden is just one of many historical destinations, and when it comes to attractions Kagoshima has plenty: the active volcano of Sakurajima, popular hot springs Ibusuki Onsen and Kirishima Onsen, World Heritage Site Yakushima Island, even what Japan calls the "island closest to heaven," Amami Oshima. Kagoshima might be found on the very southernmost tip of the southern island of Kyushu, but there's plenty to see.
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The island chain of Okinawa (沖縄) makes up the southernmost tip of Japan, which is why it's also the most tropical area in the country. Thanks to a history of independence and totally distinct political and cultural events, Okinawa has a unique culture, and remnants of the Ryukyu Kingdom are still visible all over the islands. Food, language, traditional dress, it's all a little different! It's also said to be the birthplace of karate.
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