The viral dot cake trend — centered on desserts highlighting fluffy cakes topped with colorful, round sprinkles — has taken social media by storm. The trend originated from a New York-based bakery, but business owner Ailene Lau is launching her own twist on the viral dessert this weekend.
Lau, the creator and manager of Bean on the Green, an espresso and matcha bar at Bayview Golf Course in Kāneʻohe, is launching a dot cake-inspired latte ($9.50 with espresso, $11.50 with matcha), along with a dot cake dessert ($10) this weekend.
“We offer a rotating specialty latte; for this month, we will be offering the viral dot cake-inspired latte,” Lau says. “One of my favorite things is bringing fun food and drink trends to Hawaiʻi. Not everyone has the chance to try the viral trends they see online, so it’s always exciting to re-create them locally and share them with our community.”
The dot cake latte features your choice of milk and caffeine — espresso, hojicha (extra $1) or matcha (extra $2) — with birthday cake sauce, housemade cream topping, and thousands of dot sprinkles. Meanwhile, the business’s dot cake is made with Funfetti cake and vanilla ice cream, and is topped with dot sprinkles.
“The dot cake drink will be available until July, and if people really like it, I might keep it to the end of the summer,” Lau says.
Lau opened Bean on the Green at Bayview Golf Course in March. It’s currently open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays to Sundays, and it’s open to the public — not only to golfers.
“This space (for the coffee shop) has been empty for some time, and I wanted to utilize it to bring convenience not only to the golfers at Bayview, but also to the community,” Lau says. “Whether you’re charging your car at the (Tesla) Superchargers, playing mini putt, practicing at the driving range or just looking for a comforting place to have breakfast and coffee, we’ve been working to expand our menu to ensure there’s something for everyone.”
Bean on the Green offers classic coffees, blended drinks and caffeine-free options, but it’s most known for its specialty lattes. Specialty lattes come with the customer’s choice of espresso, hojicha or matcha; matcha lattes feature Ami Mei matcha and each drink includes 4 grams of matcha, according to Lau.
“I worked a few coffee shop jobs in the past; I started at Starbucks and then I worked at Aliʻi Coffee,” she says. “My menu is inspired by local flavors. For the specialty lattes, I make all the sauces myself.”
The Chantilly puff latte ($9.75) features housemade Chantilly sauce, dark chocolate sauce, a cream top, crushed roasted macadamia nuts and a dark chocolate drizzle. The Coco Puff latte ($9) is made with a dark chocolate sauce and a cream top, and is finished with Coco Puffs cereal and a dark chocolate drizzle.
“That one’s really fun because it’s inspired by the Coco Puff cold brew in Disneyland,” Lau says. “The Coco Puffs and Chantilly lattes match better with coffee; a lot of people like to get the banana bread latte with matcha.”
The banana bread latte has become a customer favorite. It includes banana puree, brown sugar cinnamon glaze, a cream top and crushed roasted macadamia nuts.
“All specialty lattes come with a cream top,” Lau says. “So far, our banana bread latte and Chantilly puff latte have been the most popular.”
Non-coffee options include Red Bull spritzers ($6.50) — which include Red Bull with Nerds Candy and a choice of Harder’s syrup — and blended drinks like frappes and frozen lemonades.
“Some flavors (for the Red Bull spritzers) include green river, melon and lychee,” Lau says. “It’s good with the Nerds candy added for a fun crunch.”
The business offers a limited food menu, which includes bagels with cream cheese ($5), breakfast bagels ($11), breakfast sandwiches ($11) and breakfast burritos ($15). The latter are stuffed with Spam or Portuguese sausage, scrambled eggs, jalapeno cheddar potatoes, cheese and aioli, and come with a side of salsa.
“Classic tots (instead of the jalapeno cheddar) are available as well,” Lau says. “It’s finished with a crispy cheese crust on the outside of the burrito, so there’s cheese on the inside and on the outside. The crispy cheese skirt is my favorite part.”
Spam musubis ($4) and walking tacos ($8) — a combo of Doritos, seasoned ground beef, cheese, lettuce and salsa — are also available as grab-and-go options.
Customers can call or text 808-941-3883 for free delivery throughout the Bayview property, according to Lau.
“This service started as free on-course delivery for the golfers, but we received a lot of delivery requests from other business patrons on the property,” Lau says.
Bean on the Green also participates in the Bayview Night Market, which is from 4 to 8 p.m. every first and third Tuesday at Bayview Golf Park.
“We sell huge dirty soda buckets with Harder’s syrups, our housemade cream top, and fun candy toppings,” Lau says. “It (the night market) features lots of food and craft vendors, as well as a card show for Pokémon, One Piece and sports card collectors and fanatics.”
CONTACT
Bean on the Green
45-285 Kaneohe Bay Drive, Kāneʻohe
808-941-3883
Instagram: @beanonthegreen.hi
Open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays to Sundays
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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
