The Cake Shop

Earlier in the year The Cake Shop moved from their south-west end location to the still up and coming Hintonburg. I say ‘still’ because there are so many shops and restaurants and it seems to be ever changing. A friend and I had lunch and wandered around a little bit discovering the new places on the east side of Parkdale. Isabelle’s had moved to the area and while my friend found a few tasty treats to take home, the gluten-free options had to be pre-ordered. It seemed like a let-down especially since I could make my own vanilla or chocolate cupcakes if I had notice myself. I only wanted one, not a dozen! If I buy a dozen, I’m going to eat a dozen!

After my friend and I parted, I continued on my way home still slightly deflated. I had popped into the Cake Shop before and knew they had GF cakes. But again, if I bought a cake, I’d eat the whole thing. On this visit they happened to have GF cupcakes and four different kinds! They also had a cheesecake pop. Mmmmm

I finally decided on a red velvet cupcake and a vanilla cupcake with pretty pink icing. And of course I couldn’t pass up the cheesecake pop. I delved into that first and it was delicious, especially with a dollop of caramel inside.

On the cupcake front, both were nice tasty cake; however, when I have red velvet I want it to be real red velvet. Real red velvet is made with chocolate cake and has a tint of red, while most places these days seem to be cheating and using a regular vanilla cake with a ton of red food colouring (a lot is needed otherwise the cake is pink and not red). Another important reason for using chocolate cake is that the chocolate flavour overwhelms the taste of the food colouring. So unfortunately, I could really taste the food colouring. I know I have freaky taste buds, but I hate that taste. I’m sure had it been made with chocolate, it would have been to-die-for. The pretty-in-pink cupcake was enjoyed more and it looked so darn pretty.

One thing I hadn’t thought about until after wolfing down all three (seriously, they lasted 20 minutes in my house) is what was in the flower decoration. I picked it up and analyzed it. Was it Styrofoam? Was it like a communion wafer? I took a leaf off and took a very small bite. Yes, it was edible and yes, it was like a communion wafer, and yes, that meant it probably had wheat. Off my tongue and into the compost it went (and some gargling and spitting into the sink). Gluten-free is fine and dandy until something silly like this happens.

Another disappointment was the icing. It was beautiful and sturdy and held-up on my walk home. Unfortunately, it was full of shortening. If you can’t tell the difference, then don’t worry, but if you can, well, maybe take a pass. I make a point to make real icing in my house and if I’m paying big bucks (over $3) for one cupcake, I expect the real deal. They were nice to try once, but maybe I’ll think again the next time I’m walking by.

The best cake shop? I wouldn't know. The best gf cakes? Not quite; they still have some work to do.

(An additional note: An email to The Cake Shop regarding the pretty flower went unanswered)