Roll Cake: A Popular Longtime Seller in Japan

There are many Western-style sweets that are popular in Japan, such as shu-cream (cream puffs, or French chou a la creme), baumkuchen (a German cake) and roll cake (which I think is modeled after the Swiss roll cake). Walk into any convenience store and you'll be sure to find these pastries which have not gone out of style and are still popular as ever. 

Today I will talk about the roll cake. You may be used to seeing a thin sponge cake rolled with a spiraling layer of cream. However, in Japan, they really like their cream and the roll cake has become an outer layer of sponge cake with a filling of plenty of whipped cream or custard. You'll find all kinds of variations depending on the season and what's trendy. For example, there has been a chai roll cake, a baumkuchen roll cake, a creme brulee roll cake, a matcha roll cake and so on. 

This roll cake, from Family Mart, is a result of a collaboration with Kihachi, a famous upscale restaurant. With pieces of mango and kiwi, a dollop of mango puree and custard, this one seems a bit fresher and lighter then a plain roll cake.