TOKYO, Dec. 16 — A variety of sweets made from Japan-made rice flour are coming to the market for the Christmas season.
Sponge cake and Stollen made from rice flour offer a fluffy texture and are proving popular, particularly among people with wheat allergy.
Many producers of rice flour desserts are seeing a large increase in the number of pre-orders compared with last year, indicating the possibility of rice flour sweets becoming a standard in winter.
Fluffy Stollen made from rice flour PHOTO COURTESY OF TSUNO CO
Tsuno Co., a rice oil manufacturer, sells Stollen made from rice flour as a winter only product at 1,728 yen. The firm uses rice flour made from the Hinohikari brand rice.
While Stollen usually has a firm, dense texture, Tsuno officials say they made their product fluffy and chewy by making use of the characteristics of rice flour.
The mild sweetness of Tsuno’s Stollen made from rice flour and rice oil, which brings out the flavor of nuts and dried fruits added to the cake, is well received by people of all generations.
Tokamachi Sukoyaka Factory, operated by JR East Cross Station Co., markets Christmas cake made from the premium Uonuma Koshihikari brand rice.
The cake comes in three types including sponge cake and chocolate cake. All three types are available in a size of 15 centimeters in diameter and are priced at 4,980 yen each.
The egg-free and dairy-free cake is favored by families with allergies. This year’s pre-orders for the cake made via online shopping mall Rakuten Ichiba surged 30 percent from a year before.
Demand for rice used to make rice flour is on a rising trend. However, the acreage for such rice harvested this year dropped by nearly half from the previous year, resulting in a tight supply-demand balance.
Christmas cake made from the Uonuma Koshihikari brand rice PHOTO COURTESY OF JR EAST CROSS STATION CO