You know what they always say, April showers bring May flowers. But what if we could change that story? What if instead, April rains could mean sweet desserts?

Introducing, the Raindrop Cake. If you're a TikTok fanatic, you might have seen this jello-y recipe making the rounds. However, this tasty dessert actually comes from Japan, where it is known as mizu shingen mochi and is traditionally served with kuromitsu (a dark, molasses-like syrup) and kinako (roasted soybean flour).

The cake itself, which is actually not a cake at all, consists of a gelatinous orb or half-sphere which looks and acts similarly to a beaded raindrop. It's typically made from only two or three ingredients (filtered water, gelatin or agar, and a sweetener), and is so fragile that it will disintegrate if left on its own for too long.

Though raindrop cakes can be made with either gelatin or agar, for our recipe, we decided to go with gelatin. Feel free to use agar instead (we suggest this recipe from EmmyMade as a good starting point), just be aware that agar and gelatin both 'bloom' differently and react differently to heat, so you'll want to make sure you modify your recipe accordingly.

For the gelatin version, the recipe is really quite simple. Start with 11/2 cups of filtered water. Use it to brew 6 tsp. (or to taste) of White Eternal Spring. Chill your tea.

Pro tip: If you're short on time, you can also brew your tea in 1 cup of water and set aside 1/2 cup of cold water for your gelatin.

Once your tea is cool, set aside ½ cup and sprinkle 1 1/2 tsp. of gelatin over the top. Let it sit for a few minutes to bloom. It will start to look wrinkly and thicken up a bit. If you have dry spots of powder, feel free to spoon some water over the top to make sure it can bloom, too.

In the meantime, start to heat the rest of your tea over medium-low heat. Once your gelatin is bloomed, combine it with the rest of your tea and stir until all of the gelatin has been dissolved fully into your tea. Do not let your tea boil, as that can damage the gelatin.

Once your gelatin is dissolved, you're ready to put it into your molds. We used silicone half-sphere molds, but you can also use spherical ice molds if you prefer.

Important note: Before you pour anything into your molds, make sure that you've coated them with cooking spray. If you skip this step, your raindrop cakes will break when you unmold them.

Spray your molds with cooking spray, set them on a baking sheet so that you can easily carry them once they're full. Pour in your tea, then put them in the fridge to set, at least one hour.

Once your raindrop cake is set, they’re ready to unmold. To do so, get a small bowl of hot water. Dip the bottom of your molds into the water for about ten seconds to loosen the raindrop cake. Run a knife along the edge of the cake to separate it from the mold. Press a plate against the top of the mold, and then flip the mold to gently release the cake. You may need to push the bottom of the mold a little to get it to release. And yes, it is a tricky process when you've got multiple cakes in one mold.

Now, with unmolded cakes, you can garnish them how you like. We suggest a drizzle of honey, though fruit and berries can be a great choice too. You can also add honey or sugar to your tea before adding your gelatin, though we found we enjoyed the variety of flavors you get with a drizzle rather than a more homogenous cake.

Enjoy!

Raindrop Cake Recipe

We add White Eternal Spring to this Japanese gelatin recipe to create a dessert that is light, refreshing, and just a little bit sweet.

Makes: ~5 cakes
Time to make: 2 hours

Ingredients

1 1/2 tsp. gelatin
11/2 c. filtered water
6 tsp. White Eternal Spring
Cooking spray
Honey (optional)
Blueberries (optional)

Equipment

3" half-sphere molds

Instructions

Brew 6 tsp. of White Eternal Spring in 1 1/2 c. of filtered water. Put in fridge to chill.

Spray molds with cooking spray.

Set aside 1/2 c. of tea. Sprinkle gelatin over the top and let sit for 3 minutes to bloom.

Start heating the remaining tea over medium heat.

Combine gelatin and tea once gelatin has bloomed. Stir until all gelatin has dissolved.

Pour into molds and chill until set (at least one hour).

To unmold, soak the bottom of molds in hot water for ~10 seconds and use a knife to pull gelatin away from mold edges. Press a plate over the top of the mold and flip. Gently pull or push on the mold until gelatin falls out.

Garnish with honey and fruit as desired.

Tea Chef

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