Inspiringly delicious.
Hokusai’s classic Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series of woodblock prints has been incorporated into just about every object imaginable — from electric guitars to bras — to give them that extra feeling of sophistication. The works, which include his iconic The Great Wave off Kanagawa, have also been reimagined as foods and drinks frequently over the years, but perhaps none as vividly as these desserts by Katanukiya.
Their Little Views of Mount Fuji series of snacks starts with a collection of Baumkuchen. Actually, these are flat-baked Baumkuchen made in a slightly different way from the traditional German method using a revolving spit. To flat-bake a Baumkuchen, one must first spread a very thin layer of cake batter onto a pan and bake it. They then have to repeatedly add layers of batter, baking each time very carefully, until the full cake is complete.
For these cakes, an additional layer of sponge cake made with egg whites is put on top. The reason for this is that the sponge cake provides a very smooth canvas for the works of Hokusai to be printed on with high-definition food printers. As a result, even the subtle gradation of colors is retained in these cakes.
Katanukiya even goes the extra mile and cuts along key lines in the works. This way, after you open your Baumkuchen, you can appreciate their visual beauty a little longer by playing with them and adjusting the two parts to make them 3D.
These cakes are available in The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Fujimigahara Field in Owari Province, and Fine Wind, Clear Morning. They sell for 594 yen (US$3.97) each or 1,782 yen as a set.
In addition to German, Katanukiya is also reinventing French baked goods with their Little Views of Mount Fuji Baton Macarons. Unlike your usual circular macarons, these have an elongated shape, but with that same light and crispy texture.
The longer shapes also help Katanukiya to fit Hokusai’s landscapes on them more easily. For 1,926 yen, you can buy the set of all eight macarons featuring The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Thunderstorm Beneath the Summit, Under Mannen Bridge at Fukagawa, Fujimigahara Field in Owari Province, Kajikazawa in Kai Province, Enoshima in Sagami Province, Gotenyama and Shinagawa Along the Tokaido, and Fine Wind, Clear Morning.
It’s hard to say exactly why, but seeing these masterpieces in such detail on cakes and cookies somehow makes them look extremely appetizing. Unfortunately, they’re only sold at two Katanukiya locations in Shibuya near the Scramble and in the Ginza area of Tokyo, but pop-up stores are planned in the future, so keep your eyes peeled elsewhere in Japan.
Store information
Katanukiya / カタヌキヤ
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Shibuya 2-24-12, Shibuya Scramble Square Shop & Restaurant 1F
東京都渋谷区渋谷二丁目24番12号 渋谷スクランブルスクエア ショップ＆レストラン1階
Address: Tokyo-to, Chuo-ku, Ginza 1-4-3, Ginza Ginger (Ginza main store) 1F
東京都中央区銀座1丁目4-3 銀座のジンジャー・銀座本店1階
Website
Source, images: PR Times
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