Celebrate Japan‘s sakura season with this delectable Cherry Blossom Milk Pudding. Topped with a delicate pink layer of cherry blossom jelly, this soft and silky pudding simply melts in your mouth.
It’s the cherry blossom season! According to the cherry blossom forecast, Tokyo is having cherry blossom in full bloom today! I made a cherry blossom milk pudding (桜ミルクプリン) to celebrate spring and to enjoy the short cherry blossom season, which usually lasts only 1-2 weeks.
If you plan on visiting Japan, I highly recommend visiting during the cherry blossom season between the end of March to the beginning of April (it’s hard to predict when it’ll exactly happen each year) or fall. The weather is nice and it’s just a beautiful time to sightsee.
Silky, Light and Not-So-Sweet Cherry Blossom Milk Pudding
My family loves this milk pudding that I make with fruit jelly (or Americans would say jello) on top. I sometimes make plain milk pudding and serve with seasonal fruit compote.
“Milk” pudding is made with just a few simple ingredients, milk, heavy cream, and yogurt. I highly recommend getting full-fat milk, heavy cream, and full-fat yogurt for the ultimate milk pudding. I used low-fat yogurt this time and the result also turned out really well. I’ve been using this ratio of milk/heavy cream/yogurt for a long time since we really love it, but you’re welcome to experiment and play around with ratio to your liking.
My Favorite Gelatine Sheet
Ever since I discovered gelatin sheet/leaf (read this post), I haven’t used the stinky gelatin powder. This German brand from Amazon works amazingly. No smell at all (maybe a tiny bit if you’re super sensitive) and it is much more pleasant to make gelatin desserts these days. I highly recommend!
Edible Salt Pickled Cherry Blossoms
Last summer when I was in Japan, my high school friend gave me a care package of Japanese ingredients that she thought I would enjoy. She loves cooking too, so the box has a lot of cool ingredients that I can’t easily get in the U.S. One of them was salt-pickled cherry blossoms.
I actually forgot about them until a few weeks ago! The cherry trees in our backyard had bloomed already in warm California back in February, but it’s a good thing I found them before everywhere else has a cherry blossom season. 🙂
How To Make Them?
Salt Pickled Cherry Blossoms are made with Yaezakura (八重桜). You’ll need to carefully handpick tender young buds, washed, drained/dried, sprinkle salt over the flowers (about 1 cup salt for 10 cups of flowers), and put weight on top. Next day, you will squeeze out and discard brine, and submerge the flowers in ume plum vinegar (梅酢) and let them sit for about 3 days. Finally, let them dry in a single layer for 3 days in the shade or until they are completely dry. To preserve, pack them in a jar with salt (about 1:1 ratio). This way, they can keep for one year.
Where To Buy Them?
Too much work to make salt pickled cherry blossoms from scratch? Or there are no cherry blossoms around you? Don’t worry, you can purchase these salt-pickled cherry blossoms from this Japanese online store that ships internationally (this company also sells them on Amazon), or another brand on Amazon. You might be able to find it at Japanese grocery stores when in season. You can also purchase it from Weee!
Creamy Cherry Blossom Milk Pudding with Sakura Jello on Top
I am usually not very proud of my desserts, but I would say this is probably one of the most beautiful desserts I make at home. So what does this pretty dessert taste like, you might wonder? The bottom milk pudding part is very similar in texture and flavor to panna cotta. To celebrate cherry blossom season, I made pink cherry blossom jelly to go on top.
The top layer is both sweet and a bit salty from the salt pickled cherry blossom, and the combination of salty cherry blossom jelly, creamy and gently sweet milk pudding is a match made in heaven! You can definitely try making different flavors to go on top of the milk pudding base, let me know what you made and what combinations taste good.
Recipes Using Salt Pickled Cherry Blossoms
Use salt pickled cherry blossoms this spring to make these delicious and pretty recipes! Happy spring!
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Cherry Blossom Milk Pudding
Ingredients
For the Milk Pudding
- 2 gelatin sheets (5 g)
- 3 Tbsp hot water
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ cup plain yogurt (I used lowfat)
- ¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream
For the Cherry Blossom Jelly/Jello
- 8 salt-pickled cherry blossoms (you can buy them from this online store, which ships internationally)
- 1 gelatin sheet (2.5 g; to set 1 cup (240 ml) of liquid, you will need 2 gelatin sheets; this pudding is softer in texture, not hard set)
- 1½ Tbsp hot water
- ½ cup water
- 2 tsp sugar
- red food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Put 8 salt-pickled cherry blossoms in a small bowl and add water to cover the flowers. Let them soak for at least 30 minutes to remove the saltiness from the flowers.
To Make the Milk Pudding
- Cut 2 gelatin sheets into thin strips and put in a small bowl. Pour 3 Tbsp hot water into the bowl and stir until the gelatin has dissolved completely. If it’s not completely dissolved, microwave for 30 seconds and mix.
- In a small saucepan, heat ⅔ cup whole milk and ⅓ cup sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved.
- When the milk is about to boil, turn off the heat (don’t let it boil!) and add the gelatin. Mix well and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup plain yogurt and ¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream. Mix well to combine.
- Slowly add the milk mixture to the yogurt mixture while you stir.
- Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to achieve silky smooth texture.
- To speed up the process for solidifying the milk pudding, fill up half of a large bowl with iced water. Place the bowl with mixture in the ice bath. It will take at least 30 minutes until the mixture becomes thicker and syrupy.
- Once the mixture gets thicker, pour into individual serving cups. Keep them in the refrigerator until the milk pudding sets, about 30–60 minutes.
To Make the Cherry Blossom Jelly/Jello
- Start this process only after your milk pudding has set. Cut 1 gelatin sheet into thin strips and put in a small bowl. Pour 1½ Tbsp hot water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved completely. If it doesn’t get dissolved, microwave it for 20 seconds and mix.
- In a small saucepan, heat ½ cup water and 2 tsp sugar over medium heat and whisk until the sugar has dissolved completely.
- Gently squeeze out the water from the salt-pickled cherry blossoms and add them to the saucepan. Turn off the heat.
- Add the gelatin and give a quick mix. Then, add a tiny bit of red food coloring. If you want nice light pink color, add only tiny bit. You can always add a little more if you want it to be a darker red.
- Mix well so that the color is evenly distributed. Place the saucepan in an ice bath and let the mixture cool. This will make the mixture syrupy and thick.
To Assemble
- Once the jelly mixture is slightly thicker, pick up the cherry blossoms by the stems and gently place them on top of the milk pudding in the cups. Pour the jelly mixture on top of the milk pudding to cover the cherry blossoms.
- If you want the cherry blossoms to look bloomed, scoop the flower with the liquid mixture in a big spoon and pour onto the top of the milk pudding.
- Keep in the refrigerator until the top layer is set (about an hour). Garnish the milk pudding with mint leaves and serve it chilled.
Notes
- 1 sheet gelatin = 2-3 g powdered gelatin, or approx 1 tsp
- 3 ½ sheets = approx 1 envelope Knox gelatin
- 4 sheets = approx 1 Tbsp powdered gelatin
- 1 tsp gelatin powder = ½ tsp kanten powder
- 1 tsp gelatin powder = 1 tsp agar powder
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on March 30, 2016.
Great recipe! Much better than our classical italian panna cotta ❤️
Hello there, Martina! Wow! 😍 You prepared the pudding so beautifully!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your experience and Pudding photos with us.
Question: do you know if this would turn out OK using lactose free whole milk and cream?
Hi Trish, We think it would work. Thank you for trying this recipe!
Is there a specific reason why do you need to wait until the milk pudding mixture gets thicker before pouring it to individual serving cup? Thanks a lot.. tried this and it’s definitely a winner!!
Hi Natalie! It’s faster to chill in the iced bath than putting into the individual containers and let cool and chill in the fridge. You can bring down the temperature of the pudding faster by placing the bowl in the iced bath.
I never thought of using pickled cherry blossom other than to drink as a tea. Thank you so much for your recipe! You are so inspiring!
Hi Yukiko! Aww thank you for your kind words! I especially love using these for sweets. Saltiness and sweetness have a great balance in desserts! 🙂
Hi Nami, thanks for sharing! I have a question though. I followed your recipe (except I used agar agar instead of gelatin), but my milk pudding was very runny and didn’t set although I left it in the fridge overnight. I tried the mixture and it tasted overwhelming like yogurt and heavy cream. Do you have any idea on what might have been the issue? Thanks again!
Hi Jingyi! How much agar did you use? Taste-wise, I’m not too worried as long as you follow my recipe. It’s been made by a lot of readers since I published this post, so I assume it works fine if the pudding was set correctly.
Agar sets differently from gelatine. Unlike gelatin, which melts at around body temperature, agar will stay solid at warmer temperatures. It solidifies at temperatures below 122 F (50 C), which means that refrigeration is not required to set agar. Agar is also a much more powerful gelling agent than gelatin and it makes firmer texture (not soft pudding-like).
I think your agar powder wasn’t fully dissolved; that’s a common problem of not setting when you use agar. If you don’t cook the mixture (with agar) long enough, it’s possible that it didn’t activate. So next time, you need to make sure to completely dissolve. 🙂
I hope this helps?
Love all your recipes!
Thank you so much Wilma! xo
Thank you for sharing the detailed recipe. May I know how long can I keep in the refrigerator? I am planning to prepare in advance for a party.
Hi Dawn! Probably best to enjoy within 3 days. 🙂
Can I replace whipping cream with half and half, but use full fat yogurt? Would it keep a similar favor?
Hi D! I think you can do that. Let me know how it goes!
Hi Nami, Do you know if I can substitute the Milk with Soymilk or Rice Drink? Must I adjust the amount of the yoghurt or so because I want to take agar instead of the gelatin too. Thanks 🙂
Hi Katrin! Yes, you can do that. Remember the taste and texture (agar is more firm) will be slightly different, but it will be a delicious treat nevertheless. 🙂
This looks delicious, Nami! 🙂 I would like to try the milk pudding recipe by itself, I hear it’s popular in Japan. Is it possible to use agar agar instead of the gelatin sheets?
Hi Rebecca! You can use agar agar but the texture is more firm and won’t be jiggly. If that’s okay with you, sure!
How about if we use a little amount of agar agar so it won’t be too firm?
Yes, you will need to adjust the amount. 🙂
Your deserts look absolutely delicious. I just went scrolling through so many of them for so long. Whoops.
I was wondering though if you know how to make Shoku Pan bread? I have made a plain one before but was wondering how to add things like chocolate etc. And if so if you could please provide a recipe?
Thank you. 🙂
Hi Aarushi! Thak you so much! I’ve been working on shokupan, but not quite ready yet. I really want to be able to share a good recipe.. I’ll keep on working. 🙂 And I’ll write a note about additional flavor too. 🙂 Thank you for your request!
this is a gorgeous dessert! i saved this page just so i could comment on it when i had a moment to spare. thanks for the link to the online store selling the pickled sakura blossoms; i would have been lost about where to get some otherwise.
also, my heartfelt sympathies to you and your family regarding your grandmother’s passing. it may be presumptuous of me to say this, but i feel that we as readers of JOC have sort of come to know her through you, your food, and recipes that may have been passed down in your family.
Hi Kimmi! Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving your kind comment! 🙂 Even my closest Japanese grocery shop doesn’t have it.
Thank you so much for your kind words. My grandma is happy with my grandpa, and that makes me feel good. 🙂 You’re very sweet. I feel JOC readers are my family too. 🙂 Thank you for thinking of me and my family. xoxo
P.S. Hope you got my email about your holiday letter. 🙂
Hi Nami. Thank you very much for this wonderful blog and all the recipes and demonstrations. I’ve learned a lot from you. I’ve always had a question and it has just dawned on me today that maybe I can ask you by leaving a comment here. Anyway, what soy sauce is considered “Japanese” and “Korean” (because you mentioned in some of your recipes that they actually taste different from regular soy sauces)? I shop at Asian supermarket sometimes and the most “Japanese” soy sauce I can find is Kikkoman, which I think is a Japanese brand? But nothing that stands out as Korean and I really don’t know how “Japanese” Kikkoman is because there are a million varieties and none says “Japanese style” on it. Please help!! Thanks.
Hi Michelle! Thank you so much for writing your kind comment. I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy my blog and recipes. 🙂
Kikkoman is a leading brand of soy sauce, and I think it’s the most popular one here in the US. Within the kikkoman, there are different soy sauce too… not just organic or less sodium or not, just different ways to make the soy sauce. I tried a few bottles that I can get here in the US and this brand (that’s imported from Japan and available in my store) of soy sauce is my favorite after tasting.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/soy-sauce/
There are so many varieties in Japan too… this one is a bit more expensive (maybe because organic) but it tastes good.
I don’t know how to explain, but Chinese, Korean, Japanese soy sauce taste different. I guess each brand makes it that tastes delicious in their own cuisine. Japanese food with Korean or Chinese sauce will taste a bit different, as I have tasted the difference as it is.
For me, I can recognize the difference of soy sauce bottles by the characters used on the bottles – chinese/japanese/korean etc. Japanese soy sauce is Japanese soy sauce, and there is no Japanese-style soy sauce.
Sorry I hope I’m making sense… What I can recommend is for you to try buying different bottle of soy sauce and see which one you like. It took me a few years (if not months) to decide which brand of soy sauce, miso, ponzu, etc I like when I came to the US. 🙂
For Chinese/Korean or other cuisine, I have ZERO information of which brand is good… so I usually ask my Chinese/Korean friends what is their favorite brand/kind. 🙂
Hope this helps! Please feel free to ask me anytime.
I also made soba tsu using korian soy sauce but it does not go well for japanese food.my fav is kikkoman
Oh Nami, this looks awesome!!! I want to try both the pudding and making the salty rose buds as well. I have very big roses in my garden, would they be ok to use? (one bud I would say measures up to 5-6cm just before it opens)
And making the jelly: can I substitute for the gelatin, no mather stinky or not? Agar for the vegetarian version, would it be ok to use? How do I substitute in the recipe?
Hi Genus! Thank you for your kind words! I think rose will definitely work. Have to try the small buds, but if you don’t have it how about the petals? Maybe they might work? You can use agar, but this milk pudding is giggly and softer texture, not hard one, so you will need to adjust the texture to make it more soft, silky, and smooth texture than solid. Agar tends to become hard, so adjust the amount you add. 🙂