Thursday, May 21, 2009

She Takes The Cake - Another Toronto Gem

It's often my daughter Sharron who introduces me to wonderful food treasures. I found out about Tangled Garden herbed jellies long before I moved to Halifax (they're just an hour's drive from here and we visit often during the summer). But I digress....

Not surprising, my last visit to Toronto was no different. After a mouth-watering dinner at Pho Phuong Restaurant right around the corner from her on Dundas West, we crossed the street to She Takes The Cake Bakery & Cafe. "Just to look, Mummy" turned into a wonderful chat with Adrienne Weinberg, owner and inspired baker who started out baking for others from her home eleven years ago....
and a box full of goodies to take home. True, a little blurry and the lime tart was already scarfed by the time I took the photo, but just look at those heavenly delights. Lime tarts are my favorite dessert ever, so you know I have high standards and am always comparing them. This one was superb (you'll just have to go and buy your own to see what they look like)...just the perfect amount of tang - not too sweet, but sweet enough and a flaky crust that melts in your mouth....sigh....I'd love another right now.

That's the signature lemon square. Now I'm not a lemon square fan usually. And truth be told, it was the last thing I tasted, going for lime tarts and the fantastic chocolate delight (I forget what she called it), cakey on the outside and truffly, rich chocolate on the inside. As my aunt used to say "To die for!!!" Everything was delicious, but it was only after I tasted the lemon square...I was only going for a tiny sliver, but once those wonderful flavors and silky texture hit my tongue...well, let's just say I have a new appreciation for lemon squares and understand completely why it's their signature dessert and why Sharron will have to go back and get her own.

I couldn't take all of the pastries home, but take a look at these delightful confections...

Pupcakes, I mean...how seriously adorable are they! Notice the open, sparkling, stainless steel kitchen in the background. We arrived just late in the day so all the baking was done, but I would love to get there earlier and watch all the kitchen action...next time, and trust me, there WILL be a "next time"!Cutest carrot cakes ever
Dulce de Leche Hearts - if you're a dulce de leche fan...these are definitely for you

Individual Apple Tarts almost too pretty to eat.

Burnt Sugar Brown Butter Cakes...for my next visit.

And now you understand why I'm back to eating salads like this one....


I'm already planning my next trip to Toronto and guess where I'm headed first.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Interesting ideas!

Bespoke Tailors Toronto