My annual Christmas treat to myself: Starbucks Christmas fare

In the last few years, I have developed a new tradition of indulging in a Starbucks Christmas drink and cake during Christmas week. The Starbucks Christmas menu is generally in the stores by November and sometimes as early as October. But I purposefully wait until the week before Christmas to indulge in their limited edition fare. It makes it feel more special and festive waiting until nearer to Christmas day to try out their special treats. 

However, some of their limited edition menu is only available until the end of November or early December. For example, this year, their chocolate selection of Christmas drinks ended on November 23rd. I was sorry to miss out on the Chocolate Strawberry Festive Frappuccino. It looked delicious! In a previous year, I was able to try a Christmas Strawberry Cake Milk, which was of their earlier Christmas offerings in 2018, before it disappeared from the menu.

Christmas drinks

What I did try this year, 2021, was the Caramel Almond Milk and the toasted white chocolate Frappuccino. I also had a gingerbread latte, which is one Christmas drink that seems to be available annually. Of the three, the gingerbread latte was my least favorite. I quite enjoyed the toasted white chocolate frappuccino until the marshmallows started melting. I don't know how to quite put this politely, but it tasted quite like how a white chocolate Frappuccino might taste regurgitated. 

Caramel Almond Milk

The Caramel Almond Milk was a winner though. It didn't look quite as festive as their other drinks, but it tasted delicious. And I am not that big on almonds if truth be told. Thankfully, the almond milk taste was quite subtle and there were no almond pieces in or on the drink. 

Unfortunately, for each of the drinks I bought in Starbucks this week, they gave me a regular cup. In both their in-store advertisements and on their website, they suggest you get a Christmas themed red cup with your order. Unfortunately, that was not my experience. And I really wanted the Christmas cup for a photo for the post! But I have gotten them in the past:

Christmas cake

The Christmas cake in Japan is very different to at home (Ireland), where we have a traditional fruit cake type cake with icing. In Japan, Christmas cake is a type of strawberry shortcake. The Christmas cake at Starbucks Japan in 2021 is a variation of the Japanese strawberry shortcake Christmas cake. However, the one in Starbucks also has raspberry pieces in it. It tasted as nice as it looked:

According to the official website, they use a mixture of sweet and sour strawberries and mild whipped cream to create this delectable delight. The sponge is light and fluffy with a generous coat of whipped cream topped with a strawberry and raspberry puree type sauce with a sprinkling of crispy crumble. The size was just right for me. The price is fair too, at 528 yen per slice. 

The Christmas drinks were worth the wait, but it was the cake that won me over in particular. I am not a big fan of the food at Starbucks and I actually don't visit Starbucks that often. When I do I normally just stick to the drinks. But I was glad I decided to try the cake that was calling to me from its shelf in the fridge by the cash register!  It will be in stores until at least Christmas day, but they actually haven't specified on their website when the limited edition cake is on offer until. Have you tried it? Or any of their Christmas drinks this year? What did you think?