Japanese Layer Cake Otaru Branches Out in Jakarta - Tourism Indonesia

Breaking

Booking.com

Booking.com

Friday, May 20, 2011

Japanese Layer Cake Otaru Branches Out in Jakarta

When Pitarto Lauda traveled to Japan with his brother and sister last year, they made a stop in Otaru, a town located on the island of Hokkaido. It was there that the trio first came across a delicious cake called baumkuchen — and instantly fell in love.

“After we came back to Jakarta, we tried to find it here, but it was very hard,” Pitarto said.
“They sell it at the Japanese supermarket, but it’s imported, so sometimes it is out of stock.”

Last month the three siblings decided to open Otaru Cakes, a store in Kemang, South Jakarta, where the baumkuchen, known in Japan as the King of Cakes, is the star attraction. But instead of just importing the cake, they now produce it themselves.

“We called the bakery in Japan and asked them if it was possible to purchase their machines and recipe to make the cake ourselves. They actually invited us to come over again to take a look at the whole process,” Pitarto said.

The round cake with a hole in the middle features a thin, golden lining between each layer, resembling tree rings.

The soft texture of the cake seems to melt in one’s mouth, and even though it is normally eaten as a dessert, baumkuchen doesn’t taste overly sweet.

Pitarto said it takes around two hours to produce 300 pieces of baumkuchen.

“We bought the machine and got the original recipe from Japan, but the ingredients we use are local,” he said.
“At the moment, it is still me and my brother who bake the cakes. We are in the process of teaching our staff how to make them.”

The most interesting fact about baumkuchen is that it actually originated in Europe, not Japan.
There are different versions as to the cake’s origins, but given its German name, which translates as “tree cake,” it was most likely first made in Germany.
“Apparently, the baumkuchen was introduced to Japan in 1920, during a German exhibition in Hiroshima,” Pitarto said. “It became popular really quickly and Japanese people started to learn how to make it.”

Nowadays, the cake is such a common treat in Japan that some people think of it as a local delicacy. In Japan, it is often presented as a gift to wedding guests.

“That’s one thing I really like about the Japanese,” Pitarto said.
“As soon as they feel passionate about something, they master it — from the taste to the packaging.”

In that regard, he added, the trio did learn a lot from their trips to Japan, such as how to make simple things look beautiful.

The new shop in Kemang has already attracted an eager following, including many Japanese expatriates happy to find a little piece of home in Jakarta, Pitarto said.

While most of the customers stop by for takeout, the shop also offers a cozy seating area, where customers can enjoy a cup of coffee along with the cake.

“The recipe we had was for the original baumkuchen,” Pitarto said.
“But we decided to add some additional flavors as well, so now we have chocolate, tiramisu and green tea cakes too.”

The original cake is the most popular among the Japanese customers, he added, while Indonesian customers often pick the green tea flavor.

Pitarto said he was happy to be able to introduce this sweet delicacy to the country.

“Even though this is the only store so far, people can also order baumkuchen via our Web site,” he said.

“So we can deliver the cakes to almost anywhere in Indonesia.”

Otaru Cakes


Jl. Kemang Raya No. 31
Kemang, South Jakarta
Tel. 021 719 3631
www.otarucakes.com


Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.


Price range between Rp 18,000 and Rp 95,000 ($2 and $11)

Article by Katrin Figge
Baumkuchen images

7 comments:

  1. A debt of gratitude is in order for sharing the information, keep doing awesome... I truly delighted in investigating your site. great asset... cake maker machine for home

    ReplyDelete
  2. IEEE Final Year Project centers make amazing deep learning final year projects ideas for final year students Final Year Projects for CSE to training and develop their deep learning experience and talents.

    IEEE Final Year projects Project Centers in India are consistently sought after. Final Year Students Projects take a shot at them to improve their aptitudes, while specialists like the enjoyment in interfering with innovation.

    corporate training in chennai corporate training in chennai

    corporate training companies in india corporate training companies in india

    corporate training companies in chennai corporate training companies in chennai

    I have read your blog its very attractive and impressive. I like it your blog. Digital Marketing Company in Chennai

    ReplyDelete
  3. When you are traveling you make hundreds of photo every day and post it on instagram. You should now the site where you can fast buy insta likes for your photo. Here it is https://soclikes.com/ just click it

    ReplyDelete
  4. From pop trends to nature to new urban outdoor styles, the layering of a myriad of different clothing bystucco repair las vegas

    ReplyDelete
  5. You there, this is really good post here. Thanks for taking the time to post such valuable information. Quality content is what always gets the visitors coming. buy Japanese porcelain ware

    ReplyDelete

your comments are now being moderated

Booking.com

Booking.com