Azuki Bakery is a small bakery in Newtown offering Japanese-European baked goods.
Matcha Puff ($5.80).
The generous portion of cream delivered a bold matcha flavour with a creamy smoothness and balanced sweetness. The puff itself had the softness of a profiterole, despite its crunchy structural appearance. This puff lived up to its positive reviews on social media.
Strawberry Layered Cake ($6.00).
Strawberry shortcakes are a staple of Christmas celebrations in Japan and this one was easily our favourite of the baked goods we tried. The sponge was fluffy, while the cream was light and the fresh strawberries added a fresh fruitiness. It was a very easy cake to eat.
Basque Yuzu Cheesecake ($6.80).
This one didn’t fare nearly as positively, with the cream cheese flavour overwhelming almost all hint of yuzu that came through only briefly in the finish after being bombarded by the cheesiness. The candied citrus sitting atop was a slice of lemon and did not amplify the yuzu flavour, while the texture was rather crumbly. We’d stick to 15 centimetres for cheesecake.
Yuzu Doughnut ($5.20).
The yuzu curd was the highlight in this doughnut, with the flavour of yuzu being strong and identifiable without stray hints of lemon. However, the doughnut itself was a letdown as it was very dense and doughy, lacking the lightness that we enjoy in a doughnut.
Chestnut Mont Blanc ($7.00).
A mont blanc is a popular sweet in Japanese bakeries. In this one, the cream had a subtle chestnut flavour that was overwhelmed by a gritty sweetness and barely balanced by the bitterness of the matcha sponge and the whipped cream. The main chestnut flavour came through in the candied chestnut sitting atop, but the cake itself was very passable.
Black Sesame Tiramisu ($7.00).
The black sesame cream at the base delivered a bold, nutty flavour that held its own against the layer of coffee and rum-soaked sponge as well as the dusting of cocoa powder. The off-white layer of almond jelly delivered a smoothness that contrasted the thicker, slightly gritty black sesame base, while the mascarpone cream delivered a softer creaminess. The textures and flavours were well balanced here and made for a winner to finish our baked goods from Azuki Bakery.
We enjoyed some of the cakes on offer at Azuki Bakery and would be excited to see modern takes on more traditional Japanese sweets.
Azuki Bakery is located at 3/63/71 Enmore Rd, Newtown NSW 2042.