A LIMITED-EDITION FAVORITE RETURNS
Baked in Our Small Tokyo Kitchen
a flourless single-origin cake developed by Chef Mai flown from Tokyo
a flourless single-origin cake developed by Chef Mai flown from Tokyo
Sale price
Price
$110
Regular price
Dandelion Chocolate
Our Tokyo Gâteau, crafted to highlight the distinctive tasting notes of unique single-origin chocolate, returns this spring. Dandelion Japan’s Pastry Chef Mai and her small team hand-make every delicate, French-style Gâteau in their 430-square-foot Kuramae kitchen, in very limited batches.
This fudgy, gently tangy, almost cheesecake-like confection is crafted from Dandelion chocolate, organic cane sugar, orange-yolked eggs, and unsalted butter. It contains no flour, and its silky texture is achieved by precise mixing technique and careful monitoring of ingredient temperature.
Mai’s tender, chocolatey cakes may be enjoyed chilled, at room temperature, or gently heated; they offer entirely unique flavors and textures at each temperature.
Each cake is wrapped in parchment paper and protected in a reusable paulownia wood box. The Gâteaux are shipped via USPS Priority Mail, with ice packs; upon receipt, we recommend storing in the refrigerator for up to one month. These cakes also freeze beautifully.
Pickup is available from April 24th – May 30th.
Dandelion 70% chocolate (cocoa beans from Anamalai, India, and Bến Tre, Vietnam; organic cane sugar), butter, organic cane sugar, eggs
Contains: milk, eggs
Made in a facility that also processes milk, wheat, eggs, peanuts, soy, sesame, tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts)
Carefully Sourced:
seasonally churned Hokkaido butter, and bright-yolked eggs from chickens fed a nutrient-dense, paprika-rich diet
Carefully sourced:
from seasonally churned butter to eggs from chickens fed with a nutrient-dense blend containing paprika
Pastry Chef Mai is part of the original team that opened our first Japanese location in Kuramae, Tokyo in 2016. She made her original Gâteau as a one-off holiday item, and it was so popular that it became one of our most-requested items in Japan. The recipe evolved over the years as Mai continually tested different cocoa origins and baking techniques. Her minimal-ingredient approach showcases the remarkable way a cocoa origin’s flavor profile transforms as it is baked into cake.
While we'd love to recreate Mai’s Gâteau in the U.S., our ingredients aren't the same. So just once a year, we have Chef Mai and her team make a special run of cakes to fly from Tokyo to San Francisco.
We’ve tried approximating Mai’s unique Gâteau in San Francisco, but even following her recipe exactly, it never comes out quite the same. Japanese egg yolks are richer; our grass-fed butter tastes slightly differently; and it takes a skilled hand to create the cake’s whipped-fudge consistency at just the right temperature. So we air-ship a small number of petite cakes directly from Mai’s kitchen once a year, in time for Mother’s Day.
Pastry Chef Mai is part of the original team that opened our first Japanese location in Kuramae Tokyo in 2016. She originally made this as a one-off holiday item but it was so popular that it is one of the most-requested items in Japan. This recipe evolved over the years as Mai did more testing with different origins and baking techniques. Her minimal approach to the ingredients really showcases how the flavor profile of the origin transforms as the cake is baked.
While we'd love to recreate it in the U.S. the ingredients just aren't the same. So just once a year, we have Chef Mai and her team make a special run of cakes to fly from Tokyo to San Francisco.
70%
At Regal Plantations, just outside Anamalai in Tamil Nadu, India, brothers-in-law Karthikeyan Palanisamy and Harish Kumar cultivate cacao trees intercropped with coconut palms, nutmeg trees, and other smaller species, improving both the soil’s health and the quality of the crops.
Our chocolate made from Anamalai beans typically features bright, fruity acidity — lemon, yogurt, raisins — and transforms when baked into Mai’s Gâteau, yielding mellow, cheesecake-like richness.
70%
These beans are produced by two small fermenters, Mr. Son and Ms. Ban, with whom Vietnam-based bean-to-bar maker Marou Faiseurs de Chocolat has worked for many years. Each fermenter buys cacao pods from their neighbors, purchasing from around 60 small farmers in total.
They meticulously ferment the beans in linear boxes and dry them on elevated mesh decks. The Marou team inspects and purchases the best beans, then blends them for consistency of flavor; the resulting cocoa tends to offer a warm note of spice.
A small slice goes a long way, and offers a unique tasting experience at every temperature: When chilled, the cake has a texture similar to soft cheese; at room temperature, chocolate flavor intensifies; and when warmed gently in the oven, the cake transforms into something akin to a soufflé — incredibly light and airy.
We’ve never had anything quite like it.
A small slice goes a long way, and offers a unique tasting experience at every temperature: When chilled, the cake has a texture similar to soft cheese; at room temperature, chocolate flavor intensifies; and when warmed gently in the oven, the cake transforms into something akin to a soufflé — incredibly light and airy.
We’ve never had anything quite like it.