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Tiramisu Malasada
Brand: Starbucks
Price: 320 yen
Place of purchase: Starbucks
Rating:
The description
Now found on Starbucks’ pastry menu is this, the tiramisu malasada. It’s been awhile since I was at Starbucks, but it looks like it is now a regular part of the line-up rather than a seasonal special. I ate mine with an iced coffee, what with the weather being hot and me being sleepy.
I ate this at the cafe itself and cleverly sliced photos of cakes are beyond me at the best of times; I recommend going here if you want to see a cross-section shot of this snack: https://menu.starbucks.co.jp/4524785588851
The good
For one cake-like snack - admittedly a dense, decently sized one - this treat does quite a lot. The filling is where the majority of flavour is. A layer of soft custard cream is topped by a rich marscapone and cocoa cream. It is sweet, soft, and cool, and, as Starbucks promises, it really does bring to mind tiramisu. The coffee flavour is quite subtle, baked into the malasada dough rather than doing anything too overt, and the powdered sugar adds a sweet, if duly very dusty, finish. For me, all of this works surprisingly well, and it was a satisfying treat that I wouldn’t mind getting again.
The not so good
As noted above, this pastry really is trying to do quite a lot. I personally think it came together quite well, but I’m not sure if this will be everyone’s experience. If you really like your malasadas one way, and/or you really like tiramisu in its traditional form, then this remix might not be for you. One should also always bear Starbucks’ limitations in mind. While I love the place, I’m also always aware that there is likely a cheaper and/or more authentic version out there somewhere. Still, for me, the positives outweigh the negatives by quite a way, and I could definitely see myself enjoying this again.
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