Patisserie Sora Iro no Hana そら色の花 (Kashima, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

We had a pretty successful visit to Yūtoku Inari Shrine (𧙗德稻荷神社). Someone once told me it’s one of the three biggest Shinto shrines in all of Japan (though I haven’t fact-checked that), and it was definitely worth the detour.

Following the visit, we had to drive through no man’s land in Kashima (鹿島市) (yes, I know, bad joke), pass through Saga again before finally reaching our destination — Yanagawa (柳川). But before that, we had a mission to complete — our one-dessert-per-day objective. I have already done my homework months ago, and found a few interesting dessert spots in Kashima that were seemingly worth a stop. Patisserie Sora Iro no Hana (そら色の花) was a random pick simply because it was right on the main road leading us to Saga.

Founded in 2009, Patisserie Sora Iro no Hana is a French-style patisserie with a touch of Japanese inspiration (no, not a recording).

The shop was tastefully decorated in Christmas colors, giving off a warm and inviting vibe.

While their display counter was filled with Japanese-style roll cakes, strawberry shortcakes, and fruit tarts, there was still room for some French classics.

Red opera cake (430 yen) — Speaking of traditional French pastries, I couldn’t resist getting an opera cake. But instead of the classic chocolate version, I decided to get this red variation for mom who’s a sucker for pistachio.

This came with pistachio joconde and pistachio sponge, layered with framboise ganache and strawberry cream. The multi-layered cake offered a lovely balance of sweetness and acidity, with nutty, savory notes from the pistachio. Not bad at all.

Dieu (460 yen) — This one was for me. A delicate combination of light cream cheese and white chocolate mousse, paired with layers of Earl Grey ganache and almond sponge cake that had bits of orange peel mixed in. I really liked the orange peel adding both texture and a zesty brightness to the cake, while the pillowy cream cheese and white chocolate base gave an extra layer of richness and depth. Pretty nice.

A little something for little guy.

Food Rating: 6.2/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 623-4 Takasuhara, Kashima, Saga, 849-1311, Japan

Closest Train Station: Hizen-Kashima

Tel: +81 (0)954-63-3787

Website: https://www.instagram.com/soraironohana_kasima

Opening Hours: 9:30am - 6:00pm (Wed - Mon)