Remember when you were a kid and you'd stick your tongue out as far as you could to try and taste raindrops, only then to be disappointed that a) precipitation doesn't taste of anything, and b) it didn't burn your tongue as your sibling said it would because, funnily enough, we don't get much acid rain in the UK.
Well, prepare to live out your childish playtime fantasies all over again as a restaurant in London has just launched a new calorie-free – yes, calorie-free – Japanese desert nicknamed, the 'raindrop cake'.
And yes, it's as gross as you'd expect it to look.
Yesterday, ramen pop-up restaurant Yamagoya, began selling the translucent cake (which looks more like a silicone breast implant than cake, if you ask us) made up of water, and sugar, and agar powder – a natural gelatin substitute.
According to the Evening Standard, the cake is inspired by a water jelly from Japan called 'mizu shingen mochi' which release the flavours of sticky, sweet molasses syrup and roasted soybean powder when dissolved in the mouth.
With us so far?
The vegan cake reportedly only remains solid for about half and hour after serving, reducing customer's amount of time to wiggle it to the soundtrack of Will Smith's 'Getting' Jiggy Wit It' as I presume most diners would wish to do.
'The cake is obviously quite a spectacle and piques people's interest,' the restaurant's co-founder, Fah Sundravorakul, told ES.
'That's why we wanted to put it on the menu — and to challenge perceptions of what a dessert should be. I think it's a perfect to end a ramen meal. It's a balancing act between clarity and texture,' he added.
The 'raindrop cake' is reportedly made from spring water and agar imported from Japan, before it's placed in moulds and turned out onto wooden boards for serving.
'To get that clarity is a delicate process. It's a combination of carefully and gently controlling the heat and time as the cake must be completely clear and have a good wobble to it,' explained Sundravorakul.
Much like actual rainwater, it sadly doesn't sound like the 'raindrop cake' will taste of, well, anything. I mean, look at the thing, it doesn't really scream 'delicious' does it?
However, with people on Instagram serving it in leaf trays, with flowers inside and coated in pink and purple hues, we must say, we're a little bit intrigued to try the Flubber-looking gloop.
Saying that, cutting into it to share might prove tricky... *flicks 'cake' across restaurant on dissection*
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
