Unique Tokyo souvenir: Annou Satsumaimo Sweet Potato "Oimo Financier" by Imokawa and Minamimachi Coffee, Tokyo

Sweet potato is an unusual financier flavour so I was thrilled to discover this premium Oimo Financier, which is a Satsumaimo Financier. It is sold at Minamimachi Coffee in Tokyo and produced by a brand that specialises in sweet potato products instead of a patisserie, called Imokawa, which cooks its sweet potatoes by steam convection first under tightly controlled temperature and humidity, before chilling it overnight and roasting it the next day, so as to bring out the flavours. It also has 3 types of satsumaimo sweet potatoes categorised as "sticky", "moist" and "flaky", and for this financier, they used Annou Imo (安納芋) paste, according to the cafe website, which seems to come under the "sticky" category and is known for its strong honey-like flavour, with higher sugar and lower starch content. 

For the financier, it collaborated with a patisserie manufacturer specialising in French pastries called Moonheart Sweets Factory (名月製菓株式会社) in Tokyo, so specialist expertise went into the baking as well. The butter used was Hokkaido butter too, so it was premium ingredients all the way. 

The coffee shop sold an entire huge basket of it as you can see, so it seems really special and popular. The price is also in the picture, alongside other specialty delicious-looking products. (Click to enlarge image.)

All the effort, care and fussing over the quality really paid off, and the financier is among the tastiest I have tried, alongside Chihiro Sweet Shop's Financiers. It is also possibly the most flavourful and fragrant sweet potato products I have tried, even compared to the freshly roasted fragrant sweet potatoes from road-side stores or at Don Don Donki store entrances.

I reheated it in the oven, and even before putting it in my mouth, the house was filled with a very fragrant floral-honey aroma of sweet potatoes, rivaling that of road-side stores, like there was a real sweet potato in the oven.

The most amazing thing was how crispy and crunchy it was on the outside, despite being very moist on the inside, like the texture of perfect sweet potato fries or fudge brownies. This might have been achieved by the high sugar content along with the almond powder which financiers use.

On the inside, the texture was between a rich fudge brownie and a moist and dense steamed cake.

The flavour was awesome as well - besides the amazing fragrance, there was also a body of creamy buttery cake which blended well with the slight earthy notes from the satsumaimo, for a very rich, creamy and comforting cake taste. 

Overall, this was a remarkable experience - my first time trying a financier that seemed like a crispy sweet potato french fry and that made my kitchen smell like I was roasting sweet potatoes. This is definitely a good souvenir to get from Tokyo.

For reference, this is the label with the ingredients list and manufacturer information, where I learned about Moonheart Sweets Factory. (click to enlarge)

Discover other financiers

• (linked above) Chihiro Sweets Shop - Cultured Butter, Hazelnut and Earl Grey financiers
• Chihito Sweets Shop Part 2 - Pistachio and Dark Chocolate financiers
• Maple Financier by Gateau Festa Harada
• The Original Tigresse by Gateau Festa Harada - fancy financier with chocolate ganache

Other sweet potato treats

• Okinawan purple sweet potato tart (beni-imo tart)
• Suddenly Dumplings: Purple Sweet Potato Chocolate with Mochi and Bean Paste
• Purple Sweet Potato Latte
• Purple Sweet Potato Macrobiotic Cookies (along with carrot, pumpkin, gobo and mug wort cookies)
• Japanese Sweet Potato Paste Snacks (custard ball and baked)