Japanese-style Cardamom Roll by Kamome Bakery

Many people love a warm cinnamon roll done in traditional American style for how aromatic, fluffy and buttery they are. So I had to try this cardamom version by one of my favourite bakeries. Kamome Bakery is Japanese in style despite being based in Singapore, and what I love about Japanese bakeries is their wide range of textures achieved by a combination of baking techniques and different flours such as rice (or komeko), almond poudre, potato or sweet potato, for example. I often don't know what they use, but they are great at achieving the perfect combination of crispy outside but fluffy inside.

I also love Indian sweets and desserts because they often use cardamom, but I just find them too sweet, and I haven't seen the spice used in other types of Asian or Western desserts such as cakes and breads. So this is one of the firsts that I've seen.
Cardamom Roll by Kamome Bakery
This cardamom roll indeed did not disappoint. 

Firstly, the texture lived up to my expectations of Japanese techniques. I'm not sure if they added any different flours besides wheat, or if it is due to the way it is braided, which maximises the crispy surface area, but after reheating it in the toaster, the outside was nice crispy or even finely crunchy at all the brown spots. 
Cardamom Roll by Kamome Bakery - inside texture
Inside, it was nonetheless soft and fluffy, and even moist because of the butter. So it was the perfect balance.

The taste and aroma were also perfect. The cardamom used was of high quality. The bright herby, mint and citrusy aromatic elements were prominent, but somehow not heavy. It even leaked out of the plastic bag that the roll was in and some of my other buns ended up smelling a bit like cardamom! But somehow it was not overly strong or heavy to the palate.

They also used a good amount of butter, which not only helped ground the spice and bread in some richness, but also provided a very moist feeling throughout.

I also love that they didn't use the heavy cheese icing (which is normally used on cinnamon rolls), as I find that such icings tend to be too sweet and to overpower the palate with the brashness of unnuanced cream cheese, which takes away from the complexity of the spice. But in this case, they didn't have that, and just added the perfect amounts of sugar and even salt to achieve the ideal balance and let the delicate complexity of the fresh cardamom shine.

Overall, this was perfectly and tastefully executed, and I'm so glad that my first foray into non-Indian cardamom treats turned out so well. This is my third roll, and since it has become a comfort food for me, I plan to order more. I hope that they keep it as a permanent part of their menu.

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