In the UK we don't really have a great variety of sweet treats to eat in the summer. Don't get me wrong, we have plenty of puddings in the UK, but many of them are best enjoyed in the winter months - fruit crumble, apple pie with custard, spotted dick, sticky toffee pudding with cream, bread and butter pudding, rice pudding... all of these are hearty dishes which are best enjoyed warm, so not something that we tend to eat a lot in the summer!

In the summer, of course we enjoy ice cream and gelato, and there are plenty of places that serve delicious flavours. When you're on the beach, nothing beats a 99 with a flake! That's what we call an ice cream in a cone, using plain vanilla ice cream - soft serve, creamy and delicious.
However, when I lived in Japan I discovered a variety of sweet treats which are especially popular in the summertime. I lived in Kyushu which experiences pretty warm temperatures throughout the summer months, so it's nice to cool off with a refreshing snack. Here are a few favourites:

Kakigori - shaved ice with evaporated milk
Warabimochi - mochi served with a dusting of kinako
Anmitsu - agar jelly with fresh fruit
Yukimi Daifuku - mochi with ice-cream in the center
Macha Aisu Kuri-mu - Matcha green tea flavoured ice-cream
Mizu Shingen Mochi - I never tried it, but the raindrop cake is really popular these days!
Taiyaki ice cream - I love taiyaki, but I never tried the fish-shaped pancake with this filling.

Natsukashi, ne...

I miss Japan every day, especially the food! What's your favourite summer sweet treat where you come from?