Matterhorn, Gakugei-Daigaku: Tokyo's Best Baumkuchen

Matterhorn was founded in 1952 and has never expanded: it's just one shop in Gakugei-Daigaku.

One of its signature items, the "mocha soft serve," has been rapidly gaining fame lately because its shape looks great on Instagram.

As a food blogger, I figured I had to try it, so I went.

Matterhorn

This is Matterhorn. It has the dignity of a long-established shop.

The mocha soft serve was sold out...

Even on weekdays it seems to sell out by the evening... So popular!

I couldn't bear to just walk away, so I reserved their other signature item, the baumkuchen.

It was so overwhelmingly delicious that I want to share it with everyone!

Matterhorn's baumkuchen

Here's the wrapping paper of the baumkuchen I brought home.

Isn't it cute?

The illustration is apparently by Shintaro Suzuki, a Western-style painter.

It has a warm, somehow nostalgic feel, and it's lovely.

Other shops also use Shintaro Suzuki's illustrations: in Tokyo you can find them at Kokeshiya and Kanda Shinoda Sushi, and in Nagasaki at a shop called Cruz.

When you open the box, the baumkuchen appears, wrapped in plastic wrap!

The thin wrap is unpretentious, and that gets me too.

Here I've cut a generous, big slice.

Can you tell how moist it is? Each layer clings firmly to the next, and the sweetness is restrained. It has a gentle flavor with a faint aroma of rum.

If you like baumkuchen, you've probably tried Club Harie and Nenrinya, and the softness and sweetness here fall somewhere between those two brands.

For anyone who hasn't tried Club Harie or Nenrinya, here's more detail: Club Harie's baumkuchen has a sugar glaze on the outside and is super fluffy.

Nenrinya's baumkuchen has a firm texture and is iced on the outside.
The batter is distinguished by a strong butter flavor.

Matterhorn has the air of the quintessential baumkuchen.

There's no sugar glaze, and no single flavor stands out; the overall balance is the best in Tokyo.
I think it's a taste everyone will like.

It contains no preservatives, so the best-before date is five days including the day of sale.

But I kept it in the fridge and ate it over about ten days lol

That baumkuchen is hard to get at any time.

You can download a fax order form from the Matterhorn website, but the wait can apparently be around a month, so it's best to order well in advance.

Matterhorn's mocha soft serve

I got to eat the mocha soft serve another day.

Maybe because it comes in a glass rather than a cone, it feels incredibly substantial.

I think it's about 1.3 times the size of a regular soft serve.

The sweetness is restrained, and the coffee jelly inside is pleasantly bittersweet. Delicious.

Note that the mocha soft serve is only sold in summer each year!

Ahh, I want to try their third signature item, the Damier, too... and I'm curious about their other fresh pastries, so I'll have to go back lol

Matterhorn
Kawamura Building, 3-5-1 Takaban, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-0004
Phone: 03-3716-3311
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Closed Tuesdays