Starbucks Japan Launches a Beni Haruka and Anno Imo Sweet Potato Cake — and It’s Surprisingly Good

「紅はるかと安納芋の焼き蜜芋ケーキ」イメージ — Image of the “Beni Haruka & Anno Imo Baked Honey Sweet Potato Cake”

Starbucks Japan launched its new “Beni Haruka & Anno Imo Baked Honey Sweet Potato Cake” at stores across Japan on September 2. CakeNews tried the seasonal cake on its first day of release.

The cake brings together two popular Japanese sweet potato varieties with distinctly different characteristics: Beni Haruka, known for its clean and refined sweetness, and Anno Imo, prized for its rich, honey-like flavor. The combination creates a dessert that is both flavorful and surprisingly light.

Starbucks Japan recommends enjoying the cake chilled. Cooling it brings out the dense, silky texture associated with sweet potatoes while making their natural sweetness more pronounced.

When we bought the cake, a barista asked whether we wanted it warmed. It can be enjoyed either hot or cold, but this time we took it to go without heating it.

The first surprise came when we tried to cut into it. The base was fairly firm and required more pressure with a fork than expected.

Once we took a bite, however, the cake was much easier to eat than its appearance suggested. Sweet potato desserts can sometimes feel dense, sticky, or heavy, but this one avoids that problem. It retains the richness of both Beni Haruka and Anno Imo while remaining smooth and easy to eat.

The sweetness is also restrained. The elegant sweetness of Beni Haruka is complemented by the deeper richness of Anno Imo, allowing the natural flavor of the sweet potatoes to come through without overwhelming the cake itself.

Although we ate it shortly after buying it, the cake seems particularly well suited to being served cold. Chilling it thoroughly in the refrigerator would likely make its silky texture and honey-like sweetness even more noticeable. Heating it, meanwhile, should bring out more aroma and the warm, comforting qualities of the sweet potatoes.

Overall, this is an impressively polished sweet potato cake. It is rich without being excessively heavy and sweet without becoming cloying, making it approachable even for people who usually find sweet potato desserts too dense.

It is good enough to make you wonder for a moment: Wait, was Starbucks a cake shop?

The “Beni Haruka & Anno Imo Baked Honey Sweet Potato Cake” is available at participating Starbucks stores across Japan. It is priced at 530 yen including tax for takeout and 540 yen including tax for dine-in. Some stores do not carry the item, and it may temporarily sell out or be discontinued early.

For international readers, sweet potatoes are one of the flavors most closely associated with fall in Japan, appearing in everything from cakes and parfaits to drinks and traditional sweets. Beni Haruka and Anno Imo are especially popular Japanese varieties: Beni Haruka is known for its smooth texture and elegant sweetness, while Anno Imo is prized for its rich, almost honey-like flavor. This seasonal cake offers an easy way for visitors to Japan to experience a distinctly Japanese autumn flavor at Starbucks.