Sakura-mochi

Sakura-mochi or "Cherry blossom rice cakes" are a Japanese sweet (wagashi) based on a cherry blossom theme: the color is pink and the sweet is wrapped in what actually is the salted leaf of a cherry tree. The wagashi itself consists of a ball of sticky rice (mochigome) with sweet, red bean paste (an) inside.

[Sakura-mochi]

The leaf, which has been pickled in salt (shiozuke) adds unexpected saltiness to the overall sweetness. It is also the leaf that carries the faint smell and taste of cherry blossoms.

This is a popular sweet, delicious with a bowl of green tea, that is available the year around.

By the way, this is the Kansai type - in Tokyo (near Chomeiji Temple on the banks of the River Sumida, a famous cherry blossom viewing spot in Edo times) a different type was developed where the dough is drier and forms a wrapper around the bean paste.