Though often mistaken as an original specialty from Tokyo, Hiyoko was created in Fukuoka over 100 years ago and remains a favorite sweet treat among the Japanese today. It’s like a sponge cake or chiffon cake, but comes in one of the most adorable shapes ever!
Fukuoka’s Baby Chick Cakes
Hiyoko means “baby chick,” hence the adorable shape of these cakes! The recipe was created over a hundred years ago in 1912 by the company “Yoshinodo”. Introduced to Tokyo in 1964, it’s often mistaken as a Tokyo specialty. The company put a lot of care into making these cakes and are proud of their unique shape, becoming something of a symbol of Fukuoka.
Hiyoko Come in a Variety of Flavors and Sizes
Along with the standard flavour consisting of sweet beans and a light yellow color on the inside, seasonal flavours of Hiyoko cakes are also available. Some of these have included green tea and “sakura”, or cherry blossom flavour. “Oohiyoko”, or “big hiyoko”, is an enlarged version of the cake, but at five times the size, hence their name! A box of five called “Hiyoko Family” is also available, with varying sizes looking like a little family of chickling cakes! Each cake is hand made and uses the same recipe that has been used since their creation.
Hiyoko for Every Occasion
Hiyoko cakes comes packaged in boxes with each cake individually wrapped. For special occasions there are also boxes with unique decorations, like Mother’s Day designs. Regular boxes also have cute designs with baby chicks!
Local Fukuoka Sweets
As well as the famous cakes they are known for, there are other varieties of Hiyoko themed specialties. Hiyoko shaped cookies are also available, as well as “Hiyoko no Tamago”, or chick eggs. Like Hiyoko cakes, these also come in different flavours like strawberry. Mini cakes are filled with red bean paste while green tea flavoured beans have a soft, wafer shell. “Hiyoko no Koi” are flat dumplings with a sweet potato filling. “Hiyoko Reito” are chocolate truffles topped with white chocolate. “Hiyoko Pinache” consists of a delicious and sweet cake texture. Savoury snacks are also included in these wide range of Hiyoko products, like curry flavoured crackers!
One of the variations in the range – “Hiyoko Pinache”
Souvenirs for your Family and Friends
Hiyoko cakes are available in many gift shops around Fukuoka as well as in Tokyo. The cakes can be eaten within two weeks, so you can take them home as an adorable gift for friends and family! The smallest size is a box of 5 cakes for 605 yen, while the largest box contains 35 cakes for 3,996 yen. One “Oohiyoko” costs 648 yen. Why not try a few small packets of the different varieties and sample several flavours?
