Cupcake coma: Hilary Duff puts Ottawa’s cupcakes to the test at ECO EXPO

ECO EXPO's first ever local cupcake challenge took place this past weekend, with LTO's Hilary Duff as a celebrity judge

Hilary Duff (blog/Twitter) is a quirky 21-year-old who loves multimedia journalism, cycling, food blogging, and churning massive amounts of baked goods out of her cramped student kitchen.

Looking back on the reviews I’ve written as part of my search for Ottawa’s perfect cupcake, I realize that I’ve thrown around the term “cupcake coma” quite liberally.  This is the state, of course, when you are completely incapacitated by a sugary stomachache, to the point that you never want to see a dessert item again.  Dear readers, though the term has been used, I must admit that I didn’t truly know what a cupcake coma was until this past Sunday afternoon.

For more information on the ECO EXPO, visit ottawaecoexpo.com

As some of you may remember, I was asked to be a celebrity guest judge in a cupcake competition organized for Ottawa’s ECO EXPO fair.  Since I’ve been in Toronto interning at the National Post all this month, I bussed in just for the event.  I blissfully walked over the RA Centre from my house, anticipating glorious afternoon of sugary intoxication. 

Walking into the fair, my eyes darted around, quickly becoming fixated on a huge table sitting to my left.  Plates and plates of cupcakes sat waiting to be judged, beckoning me with their frosted chapeaus and sprinkled smiles.  I took a quick picture and had to walk away.  I had starved myself all morning in anticipation for the competition and would it would not be long before I would get my reward.

In the meantime, I decided to walk around.  It was nice to arrive early, since it gave me the chance to get caught up with people in the Ottawa foodie community.

I finally got to meet the famous Michael Sunderland of michaelsdolce jam, after tweeting back and forth for a while. 

Fumie, Michael and Hilary

michaeldolce jam

I swear that you cannot declare yourself a true Ottawa food lover unless you have tried his product, be it with cheese, on a cracker, or sinfully scooped directly out of the jar. 

Seriously, it’s heaven. 

Both Michael and his wife Fumie were two of the sweetest people ever, and neither tossed me a single judgmental look, even after I tried six different samples of their jam.

Across the aisle from Michael was Alea, author of the food blog My Real Food Life.

Joanna of Dolci and Alea of My Real Food Life

 Alea and I had also been in contact over Twitter to arrange a cupcake tasting (which will be coming up sometime in the near future!).  Wearing a personalized t-shirt advertising her blog, Alea was an incredibly bubbly and happy addition to my afternoon.  Also, her gluten-free chickpea nacho chips were to die for.  After shamelessly picking away at her samples, I ended up buying myself a bag for the bus ride back to Toronto.

After an hour of mingling with other foodie friends, it was finally time for cupcakes.

My fellow judges for the afternoon were Judy Field, publisher of the local magazine Healthwise Ottawa and David Chernushenko, city councillor for the capital ward.  David brought along two helpers, which was probably smart considering how many cupcakes we had to judge. 

Cupcake judges Judy Field, Hilary Duff, David Chernushenko and helpers

Sitting down at the long table, my eyes grew wide as plates of cupcakes were placed in front of me.  There were a dozen different kinds in total.  I was starting to get a sugar headache just looking at them.  And then it began.

Cupcakes!

For the next 45 minutes, the small crowd gathered in front of our table watched as I sacrificed all my healthy inhibitions and stuffed my face. 

Wanting to eat as much cupcake as possible (because hey, how often do you get to judge a cupcake competition?), I started off eating half of each, before realizing that I was being a little too ambitious.  Even for a self-proclaimed cupcake lover, six cupcakes would have been a little too many. 

My stomach rumbled in displeasure, and my eyes started to get droopy.  It was like all the sugar particles I ingested were magnets, attracting every ounce of energy I had left in my body.

Now, it would be far too difficult and unfair to say what I thought of each individual cupcake (not to mention I can’t remember details since there were far too many), so I’ll just give an overall diagnoses: Ottawa, you’re awesome. 

Every single cupcake had a unique quality, be it some unusual flavour, fancy topping, or creative serving method.

More cupcakes!

My congratulations go out to the winners: Daphney at the Cupcake Fairy, Holly and Jackie at L’Oven, and Joanna at Dolci.  I know that I’ve tried all your cupcakes in passing, but it was absolutely lovely to try them again. 

Joanna informed me that there was a slight mix up with the cupcakes that we were served, and so for those of you whose cupcakes the judges mistakenly excluded, my profuse apologies. 

Trust me, I would have eaten more.

This was just the first year for the ECO EXPO cupcake competition – who knows how many entrants there will be next year.  If nothing else, this experience taught me two valuable lessons: bring a heaping glass of milk and pace yourself.

Cupcakes from the Cupcake Fairy, winner of best decorated

Thanks Hilary! And congratulations to Heather and Michael for pulling off what looks like a successful (and delicious) event!

Dolci is ‘sweets’: Hilary explores more gluten-free cupcakes

Cupcakes from Dolci Bakeshop

Hilary Duff (blog/Twitter) is a quirky 21-year-old who loves multimedia journalism, cycling, food blogging, and churning massive amounts of baked goods out of her cramped student kitchen. She is currently writing an LTOttawa series on her hunt for Ottawa’s perfect cupcake.

Gluten: something that I would probably miss should my body suddenly decide to form an intolerance to this beloved wheat protein. Luckily if this did happen, I’d still have Dolci cupcakes (website/Twitter) to fall back on.

Past cupcake adventures have allowed me to momentarily glimpse into a world of gluten-free baking, even though I did so rather unknowingly last time. The Dolci cupcakes were, from the outset, the real deal, and I was given full disclosure of their gluten-free (hereon into to be known as “GF”) state.

Joanna Zappia, of Dolci Bakeshop

The baker of my GF treats and the owner of Dolci is Joanna Zappia. When translated, dolci appropriately means “sweets,” and the name was a great way for Joanna to pay homage to her Italian heritage.  Unlike some of the bakers I’ve spoken to that have stumbled into the wonderful world of cupcakes from other careers or just moonlight as bakers, Joanna says she always knew what she wanted to do. Her training began at the Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionery Arts in Toronto where she learned the nuances of cake designing and decorating. Then a few years ago, Joanna started baking wedding cakes, but wasn’t yet dedicated solely to GF items. At the time, she herself was actually on a GF diet, meaning she couldn’t eat a single bite of what she made (as a side note, this would kill me since I’m notorious for eating cake batter, ask my roommates). As a result of her inability to eat her own baking, Joanna recruited assistance. Whenever she wanted to test her cakes, she brought them to family and friends.  They kindly served as Joanna’s taste buds for the experience and, if you ask me, benefited quite nicely along the way.  Now Joanna says her mission is to make GF products that she can actually eat and that taste exactly like the non-GF desserts she remembers.

While she stuck with baking cakes for a while, it wasn’t until last May, at the Ottawa Farmer’s Market, that Joanna really got her start. As one of the only GF vendors at the Lansdowne Market, Joanna says she quickly developed a loyal following. Not only did throngs of customers come flocking to her booth, but she also had several local businesses express an interest in selling her products. Today, Dolci’s products are sold in more than five different stores across Ottawa, from Credible Edibles in Hintonburg, to Life of Pie in Old Ottawa South.

Dolci started selling at the Lansdowne Farmers Market

But the farmer’s market was just the start for cupcakes. 

Eventually Joanna says she wants to start her own shop, and the farmer’s market was just a testing ground for flavours. It was only in February that Joanna started selling GF cupcakes at The Flour Shoppe on Saturdays. Every weekend Joanna provides the cupcakes and the shop crowns them with a delightful iced topping. New this month: GF cupcake lovers can now also get Dolci’s cupcakes at Market Organics on Tuesdays, where the flavours change weekly.

I got to try two different flavours. The first was a chocolate cupcake with chocolate hazelnut icing and the second, a chocolate cupcake with a vanilla bean buttercream. Now, unfortunately for me, I had to work at the university immediately after meeting with Joanna. Since I had gotten way too into discussing cupcakes and had lost track of time, I had no more than 10 minutes to bike to Carleton from the edge of the Glebe, some three kilometres away. What comes next will hopefully impress you. Not only did I make it on time for my shift, but on my way I managed to dodge a Bank Street driver who was determined to hit me while parallel parking, and maneuver my way over speed bumps on Sunnyside, all while keeping the tower of icing in tact. Oh right, I was also biking with one hand.  Not to brag or anything, but it was possibly the proudest moment of my life.

Chocolate, with hazelnut frosting

But anyways, after the cupcakes taunted me for my entire shift, I finally got to dig in. You know that cupcake sandwich technique that I’ve referred to in the past?  I definitely took advantage of it for these cupcakes, and tore off the bottom cake, smushing it down on top of the icing. My co-worker laughed at me, but it was a completely necessary procedure.

Chocolate, with vanilla bean buttercream

The cupcakes were good, albeit excruciatingly messy (mostly my fault).  The vanilla buttercream reminded me of marshmallow fluff, and was a great contrast to the chocolate cake. For any GF clientele, you won’t be disappointed with these and, while the cupcake may taste average to everyday cupcake lovers, they would provide an exceptionally tasty treat for the restricted eater.

In the end, I think Joanna most certainly accomplished her mission of taste and dietary practicality. Dear readers, these Ottawa bakers are great – gluten free or non-gluten free, both just read as “delicious” in my books.

Cupcake personality: ***

Cake: ***

Icing: ***½

Cupcake overall: ***

Has Hilary missed a single shop yet while on her cupcake tour? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

Healthy living: Hilary discovers vegetables disguised in cupcake form

Jackie Moore and Holly Hutchings from L'Oven

Hilary Duff (blog/Twitter) is a quirky 21-year-old who loves multimedia journalism, cycling, food blogging, and churning massive amounts of baked goods out of her cramped student kitchen. She is currently writing an LTOttawa series on her hunt for Ottawa’s perfect cupcake.

Eating a cupcake from L’Oven is a completely guilt free experience.

Okay, well almost completely guilt free.  While all the cupcakes I’ve sampled so far have had one unique selling point, L’Oven’s cupcakes are chalked full of these USPs.  In fact, they may be the most innovative cupcakes so far.

Tea Party Cafe in the ByWard Market

But before I explain more about that, let me introduce you to Jackie Moore and Holly Hutchings, the sisters behind the creation of L’Oven.  Late last month I went to meet Jackie and Holly at the Tea Party Café, an intimate and adorable teashop in the ByWard Market.  Inside, two enthusiastic blondes greeted me, both eager to explain the inner workings of their sisterly enterprise.

It started like this.  Jackie and Holly had grown up baking.  To them, baking was like a chemistry experiment, and their actions fiddling around in the kitchen with their mom and grandma’s recipes were apparently comparable to a mad scientist’s experiments.  This love for kitchen chemistry led Jackie and Holly to get their degree in health sciences and meant that the two were well on their way to continuing their lives as recreational bakers.

Everything changed, however, a few years ago when Jackie was diagnosed with colon cancer.

From this point on, baking became not just a hobby, but also a way to help keep spirits high, in and outside the kitchen.  Since traditional cupcakes weren’t the healthiest option for recovery food, Jackie and Holly put a spin on the conventional ingredients, and instead created a product meant to be both healthy and delicious.  And so the “immune boosting” alternative cupcake was born. Looking back on Jackie’s diagnoses, the sisters say their story is a true example of this “from the worst comes the best” mentality.  Jackie’s cancer is now in remission, and L’Oven has been operating their on-demand, virtual bakery ever since.

Cupcakes from L'Oven

If you’re wondering what I mean when I say “untraditional cupcakes,” let me break down L’Oven’s product for you.

Jackie and Holly take pride in their use of alternative ingredients to replace the things that make normal cupcakes so unhealthy.  For example, pureed beets or parsnips replace all fats and oils.  This means that L’Oven can also cut back on the amount of sugar they put in their cupcakes, since it comes naturally from the vegetables.  All the flour used is whole grain, which is a healthier choice than the traditional white flour.

Cupcakes from L'Oven

 

The cupcakes contain no artificial flavours or colours and the fruity ingredients contained within come from local sources, when possible.  On top of all this, half the cupcakes I tried were vegan and all were made with organic ingredients.

Crazy right?  Sustainable, healthy and tasty – these seem to be the founding principles of L’Oven’s business.

Cosmo: Vanilla organic cake with fresh cranberries topped with organic lime cream cheese icing

Speaking of taste, I wasn’t really sure what to expect of these cupcakes.  I’m a little hesitant of trying new things (even when it involves cupcakes), so wasn’t sure if I would be able to taste a major difference with the use of all these unconventional ingredients.

Luckily my worries evaporated as soon as I took the first bite of cupcake.

The ‘wow’ factor for me was the icing.  While only a small amount of icing rested atop each cupcake, the flavours were creative and delicious.  The use of natural ingredients meant that every flavour tasted exactly like it should.

Snipits: Vanilla organic cake (with pureed local parsnips), with dairy-free icing (coloured pink naturally using fresh beet juice)

Be it the dark chocolate avocado icing, maple buttercream or matcha green tea buttercream, all were unique and refreshing.  I particularly loved the lime cream cheese icing, and the speckles of lime zest gave the icing a citrusy zing.  The flavours of the cupcakes themselves were nothing to scoff at either – a dark chocolate and red wine cake (a twist on the traditional red velvet) and an organic vanilla cake with fresh cranberries from Greeley.

Cocoa-Merlot: Dark chocolate and red wine organic cake topped with cream cheese icing

All were fantastic.

The only cake that took a bit of getting used to was the vanilla cupcake with pureed parsnips.  The taste of the cake surprised me at first, and my mouth was filled with a fresh garden sensation when I took a bite.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but may be enough to turn off the picky cupcake eater and starved sugar lover.

Green with Envy: Chocolate organic cake with matcha green tea buttercream icing, topped with premium dark chocolate

If the allure of healthy desserts is calling your name, you might soon get the chance to try out Jackie and Holly’s recipes for yourself.  The sisters are currently working on their first cookbook that is meant to be a learning tool for those looking to be healthier in the kitchen.  The book won’t just be limited to cupcakes, and will contain a whole slew of new baked goods that even the most nutrition-conscious people will love.  Jackie and Holly say they’re expecting the first draft to be done in May, so keep your eyes peeled for L’Oven’s book debut sometime in the near future.

As for the final verdict on L’Oven?  It’s definitely possible to be healthy and delicious simultaneously.

Added bonus: parents can trick their health-defying five-year-old into eating vegetables disguised in cupcake form.

Cupcake personality: ***½

Cake: ****½

Icing: *****

Cupcake overall: ****

Do you know of a cupcake shop that Hilary should check out? Leave a comment below!

Geek Sweets’ cupcakes play dress up for Hilary

Cupcakes from Geek Sweets

Hilary Duff (blog/Twitter) is a quirky 21-year-old who loves multimedia journalism, cycling, food blogging, and churning massive amounts of baked goods out of her cramped student kitchen. She is currently writing an LTOttawa series on her hunt for Ottawa’s perfect cupcake.

You know how sometimes food looks too good to eat?

This saying almost applied to the experience I had sampling cupcakes the other week (I say “almost” only because I would never not eat a cupcake…).  Put it this way: if there were a “best dressed” list for baked goods, these cupcakes would have been at the top of the chart.

Jenny Burgesse, Geek Sweets

The cupcake designer extraordinaire was Jenny Burgesse from Geek Sweets, another small, privately operated home bakery.  I first began talking with Jenny over Twitter after we both baked for Capital Cupcake Camp last September.  It was also around this time that Geek Sweets first began selling to the public.  At Capital Cupcake Camp, Jenny’s “Death by Chocolate” cupcakes won the best decorated award.  Looking back at my iPhone pictures from last fall, I noticed that I still had the photos of Jenny’s chocolate cupcake saved to my album.

Little did I know that I would have the chance for a second tasting…

Meeting Jenny gave me the chance to combine my love of cupcakes with one of my other favourite hobbies: riding my bike with one hand while carrying baked products. This may sound like a strange and overly specific hobby, but I’m actually quite good at it.

With the thought of cupcakes fueling my ride home, I don’t think I’ve ever biked faster.  As a safeguard to a potentially cupcake-harming bike ride, I took pictures of the cupcakes at the park bench where I met Jenny, an action that garnered several suspicious sidelong glances from the folks sitting in a local pub.

Learn more about Geek Sweets at http://www.geeksweets.net

In regards to a unique selling point, dessert lovers need not stray far to discover what makes Geek Sweets special.  Let’s start with the name.  Just as “Geek Sweets” alludes to, Jenny considers herself to be a bit of a geek.  She caters to those who want something a little different, be it superhero cupcakes to Call of Duty cupcakes.  Jenny’s creativity doesn’t stop with cupcakes, however, and she also sells an assortment of intricately decorated cookies and cakes.  The cupcakes she brought for my tasting were a little less geeky than her normal fare, but no less dramatically decorated.

It seems to me like Jenny’s decorating abilities can be attributed to her background as a freelance graphic designer.  As a side note, she’s currently working on some new graphics for Ottawa’s favourite food blog, foodiePrints, which I am very excited to see!

Out of the four different cupcakes Jenny brought, they all had a unique personality.  I felt as though my cupcakes had played dress up, each picking out the perfect outfit for our tasting.  They even had four different kinds of cupcake liners – the perfect finishing touch for an already beyond-adorable cake.  Of course with such elaborate outer garments, the cupcake innards had to be just as impressive.

On that note, check out these mind-numbing cupcake flavours:

Chocolate Cherry Bomb: devil’s food chocolate cupcake filled with cherry pie filling with cherry buttercream and topped with a maraschino cherry.

Chocolate Cherry Bomb from Geek Sweets

Secret of Monkey Island: spiced rum banana cupcake with caramel cream cheese, topped with toffee bits and a chocolate dipped banana chip.

Secret of Monkey Island, from Geek Sweets

Strawberry Shortcake: vanilla shortcake filled with strawberry whipped cream, topped with a white chocolate vanilla buttercream.

Strawberry Shortcake from Geek Sweets

Raspberry Tart: lemon cake filled with raspberry citrus coulis and topped with raspberry and lemon frosting.

Raspberry Tart from Geek Sweets

So were Jenny’s cupcakes as delicious as they were visually stunning?

Simply put: yes.

Out of the four cupcakes, my favourite was the strawberry shortcake.  The flavours were light, flowery and fruitful, and it was the perfect cupcake for an early spring day.  I had also been craving a chocolate covered strawberry, and the one topping this cupcake was perfectly dipped.  As for two of my other roommates, they preferred the banana cupcake, a special creation Jenny had made for the weekend.  The icing in that one was decadent, although more butterscotch than caramel.  The raspberry tart cupcake provided a jam-filled explosion, and tasted exactly like the cake my mom used to make for my dad’s birthday.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the chocolate and cherry cupcake, but this was likely due to personal flavour preferences.  My roommate Ariel, on the other hand, loved this one, and proudly considers herself to be a cherry and chocolate-aholic.

Check out that filling!

For me, the really great part about Geek Sweets’ cupcakes was the filling.  I think fillings are the perfect way to add another dimension to a cupcake and create a delicious surprise for the eater.  They can be a little messy though.  Halfway through my barbaric handfuls of cupcake, I guiltily remembered that Jenny suggested I eat them with a fork.  Oops!  Words of wisdom for next time.

There are only two words that can describe these cupcakes, and those words are “fantastically fun.”  If you plan on having any sort of theme party, want to please your video game loving child, or have the urge to experience art in the form of baked goods, give Jenny a call.  I promise she won’t disappoint.

Cupcake personality: *****

Cake: ***

Icing: ***½

Cupcake overall: ****

Okay Hilary.  We’re officially jealous. And hungry.

Ottawa Cupcake Challenge part VIII: Hilary receives a visit from the Cupcake Fairy

The Cupcake Fairy

Hilary Duff (blog/Twitter) is a quirky 21-year-old who loves multimedia journalism, cycling, food blogging, and churning massive amounts of baked goods out of her cramped student kitchen. She is currently writing an LTOttawa series on her hunt for Ottawa’s perfect cupcake.

Last Sunday the sun was shining and birds were chirping as I made my way down to the Bridgehead for my next cupcake sampling.  As an aside, I’m mildly concerned that the baristas at Bridgehead hate me.  I’m the girl who goes in, gets an enormous box of cupcakes, and talks about nothing but baked goods before promptly leaving.  I’m going to become notorious for my shady baking-related Bridgehead dealings, and apologize for my frequent visitation.  Please don’t kick me out, I like your tea, I swear!

Now, if there is one thing I’ve learned from this cupcake challenge, it’s that the bakers’ stories are as good as the cupcakes themselves.

Daphney Deroneth aka the Cupcake Fairy

Such was the case with Daphney Deroneth or, as she likes to be called, the Cupcake Fairy (not to be confused with the tooth fairy who would be less than happy with all the sugary treats I’ve been eating).

As with all the bakeries I try, I’m always curious to the origin of their name.  “The Cupcake Fairy” seemed like a particularly strange choice, and when trying to imagine where it was conceived, I came up only with a mental picture of Tinker Bell delivering cupcakes around to the Lost Boys.

Daphney’s start-up story was the most heart warming I’ve heard on my search so far.

Daphney brought Hilary three cupcakes to try: strawberry, coconut and chocolate Guinness

The Cupcake Fairy began in July 2010.  Prior to this Daphney had been baking only for friends and family, ignoring their suggestion that she should open her own bakery.  She preferred to perform cupcake ambushes.

Let me explain: whenever Daphney logged onto Facebook and saw that her friends were having a bad day, she would whip up a batch of cupcakes and deposit them on their doorstep.  Accompanying the cupcakes would be a tiny note, jokingly signed “The Cupcake Fairy.”  One day, Daphney says her husband answered the door, only to find a KitchenAid stand mixer sitting on the doorstep. There was a note attached to the box that said, “follow your dreams” and was signed The KitchenAid Fairy.  Daphney launched her website and has been baking for the public ever since.  Her glossy red KitchenAid mixer is named Scarlett and serves as her partner in crime.

Is this not one of the happiest stories you’ve ever heard?  Daphney says she still doesn’t know who the KitchenAid Fairy is, and has delivered cupcakes to too many friends to narrow down her search.  Whoever you are, if you are reading this, just know that she is grateful.  PS: KitchenAid Fairy, want to know where I live…?

But on to the cupcakes.

Daphney brought me three different kinds to try: strawberry, coconut and chocolate Guinness cupcakes.

As per usual, I was aided in my cupcake tasting by a few of my roommates.

A strawberry cupcake from the Cupcake Fairy

We tried the strawberry one first, which had chunks of fresh strawberries scattered throughout.  The strawberry mousse on top was light and lush.

A coconut cupcake from the Cupcake Fairy

Next was the coconut cupcake.  The cake had the consistency of shredded coconut (you know the one that I mean, that satisfying soft chew), but not necessarily the flavour.  The lemon meringue on top was awesome though, and exploded in my mouth like a fragrant lemon gumdrop.

Guinness cupcake from the Cupcake Fairy

Last, was the Guinness cupcake with a Bailey’s liquor filling and frosting.  This was the cupcake that I was arguably most looking forward to trying and, being half Irish, expected the most from.  I’ve never tried Guinness before, so perhaps I wasn’t the best one to diagnose the flavour.  I have, however, tried Bailey’s on numerous occasions, and found this to be the flavour that won out.  Regardless, the cupcake was extremely original.  Even though there could have been a tad more of a Guinness flavour, this cupcake was still a stellar post-St. Patty’s day treat.

Overall, all three were really good, and each had a   particularly nice cupcake topper.  The chocolate fondant rose on top of the Guinness cupcake was adorned with edible gold dust and made my first fondant tasting experience a memorable one.

You can also follow the Cupcake Fairy on twitter @_cupcakefairy

Another neat thing that the Cupcake Fairy started in October was a Cupcake of the Month Club.  Club members get a dozen cupcakes each month, all in a specialty flavour that Daphney has specially developed.  Past flavours have included champagne, eggnog rum, and the Guinness cupcake that I tried.  For cupcake lovers looking to expand their tasting palate, this is the club for you.

Daphney herself is not only a cupcake baker, but a cupcake lover as well.  She mentioned that she’d love to have her cupcake club expand to include other bakers in the city.  For a change of pace, she’d like to try cupcakes she didn’t have to make.

In the meantime, try out the Cupcake Fairy for yourself, and let Daphney cast a sugary spell over you.

Cupcake personality: ***½

Cake: **½

Icing: ***

Cupcake overall: ***½

Thanks for sharing your story with us Daphney!

Hilary discovers the most gorgeous cupcakes yet, at a tasting with Ottawa’s Harmony Bakeshop

Harmony Bakeshop

Hilary Duff (blog/Twitter) is a quirky 21-year-old who loves multimedia journalism, cycling, food blogging, and churning massive amounts of baked goods out of her cramped student kitchen. She is currently writing an LTOttawa series on her hunt for Ottawa’s perfect cupcake.

Candace Collins, Harmony Bakeshop

Account manager by day, baker by night.

This might sound like the tagline for a new superhero movie, but it’s actually just the story of Candace Collins’ life.

Candace’s home-based Harmony Bakeshop is operated out of Barrhaven and was the second private bakery to be sampled as part of my quest to find Ottawa’s best cupcake.

When Candace and the Harmony Bakeshop account started following me on Twitter a few weeks ago, I was perplexed. How could there possibly be an Ottawa bakery that I hadn’t heard of?  When I looked at the people Harmony Bakeshop was following, I saw that I was among good company. Jamie Oliver, the Food Network, Martha Stewart and Starbucks were the other accounts. And then me. How wicked is that?

Candace presented me with a challenge when I contacted her to arrange a testing. She said she was going to bring me three different flavours of cupcakes, two of which were normal cupcakes and one that was gluten free.  Candace started experimenting with gluten free flavours at the beginning of 2010 when her friend was experimenting with a GF diet.  This was also when Candace started developing the other flavours for her cupcake debut.

A package for Hilary from Harmony Bakeshop

By the time May 2010 rolled around, Candace was ready to have the public test out Harmony’s products.  Selling her cupcakes and other goods at the North Gower Farmers’ Market, she says she developed a loyal following.  She set up her website in the summer, taking orders from co-workers and even people out of town looking to buy gluten free baked goods for their Ottawa relatives.

In addition to getting to meet the fantastic people behind the cupcakes, the other thing I love about sampling from home-based bakeries is that they always generously bring along a few flavours to try. Candace even came equipped with a tiny Harmony Bakeshop card that outlined the flavours and “best served when” information (she called these the “care instructions” which I thought was hilarious).

The cupcake flavours I sampled were:

1. Carrot cupcake with cream cheese icing;

2. Toffee coffee chocolate cupcake (try saying that 10 times fast) with coffee Italian buttercream; and,

3. Toasted hazelnut cupcake with Nutella icing.

I am so ridiculously spoiled.

Cupcakes from Harmony Bakeshop: Toffee coffee chocolate cupcake with coffee Italian buttercream, toasted hazelnut cupcake with Nutella icing, and a carrot cupcake with cream cheese icing

After my meeting with Candace I walked home as quickly as possible, got a big glass of milk and plopped myself down on the living room floor to begin my sampling.  Three of my roommates were in the room, anxiously awaiting the leftovers.

A toffee chocolate cupcake from Harmony Bakeshop

I started with the toffee chocolate cupcake.  What Candace said about the cupcakes being moist was definitely true.  Candace had told me that the icing on this one would be extremely creamy and not as sweet as the traditional sugar icing.  It was, indeed, extremely smooth, if not a tad too buttery.  The coffee flavour was really light and could have featured in more prominently as well. The toffee crisps sprinkled on top offered a divine Skor bar crunch.

A toasted hazelnut cupcake from Harmony Bakeshop

The hazelnut cupcake was my roommate Brittany’s favourite. Small pieces of chopped hazelnut were scattered throughout the cake, leading to a refreshingly original and creative texture.  The real brilliance of this cupcake was in the icing, however.  NUTELLA. IN ICING.  Need I say more?  It was a revelation.  On top of the cupcake was the cutest little toasted hazelnut dipped in candied sugar.  The sugar swirled at the top like a small cherry stem.

A carrot cupcake from Harmony Bakeshop

I’d like to add that Harmony’s cupcakes were the most gorgeously decorated ones I’ve encountered on my search so far.  Particularly attractive was the carrot cupcake, which was topped with a pearly swirl of cream cheese icing and a small earth berry. Candace says she thought it resembled a carrot, and was therefore the perfect match for this cupcake.

As for my gluten free identification challenge, I’m going to be honest. I really had no idea which cupcake was the gluten free one.  I think this truly speaks to Candace’s abilities and her well-refined GF baking skills.  If I could take one guess, it would probably be the hazelnut cupcake. Candace: am I right? The suspense is killing me!

Which cupcake is gluten free?

For any celiacs out there, I definitely recommend Harmony’s cupcakes, since they apparently taste identical to the traditional gluten-infused cupcake.  For everyone else, Harmony offers truly unique flavours and will give eager cupcake explorers a break from the traditional chocolate and vanilla.

This past weekend has been a busy one for cupcake sampling, so stay tuned over the next few weeks as I continue to explore the realms of Ottawa’s talented home-based bakers.

An aside: For those of you with home-based bakeries, I may not know about you.  That does not mean I don’t want to try your cupcakes, it just means that I am currently oblivious as to the wonder that emerges from your kitchen.  Candace suggested that I post my e-mail on here so that people could contact me directly.  So here we are: hilary.dot.duff@gmail.com.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Cupcake personality: *****

Cake: ***

Icing: ***

Cupcake overall: ***½

The suspense is killing us too! Which do you think is the gluten free cupcake?

The Ottawa Cupcake Challenge heats up: Hilary visits Auntie Loo’s Treats and reaches cupcake nirvana

Auntie Loo, from Auntie Loo's Treats

Hilary Duff (blog/Twitter) is a quirky 21-year-old who loves multimedia journalism, cycling, food blogging, and churning massive amounts of baked goods out of her cramped student kitchen. She is currently writing an LTOttawa series on her hunt for Ottawa’s perfect cupcake.

After an insanely busy week, I thought I deserved a treat by the time Friday afternoon rolled around (not that I ever need an excuse to treat myself).

My two good friends Laura Jane and Gord (check out his food blog: The Savoury Starving Student) were kind enough to accompany me on this week’s mission.  It’s always nice when I cupcake test with roommates and friends.  I can only try so many cupcake flavours after all, and any help from them is always a welcome treat.

On the docket for this week’s cupcake tasting was Auntie Loo’s Treats, which appears to be the only vegan bakery in eastern Ontario.

Auntie Loo's Treats is located at 507 Bronson Avenue

This means that cupcake eating is an inclusive experience for all, regardless of whether you have a dairy allergy, egg allergy, intolerance to gluten or are just vegan by choice.  If you’re one of those people who make a face whenever the term “vegan” is mentioned (like Laura Jane), you’re definitely making a mistake.  I too was a tad hesitant at trying a vegan cupcake but, as you will read later, my reservations were quickly forgotten.

The bakery location on Bronson opened in October 2009, but Auntie Loo has been baking far longer than that. She first started selling cupcakes in 2004 at craft sales, and eventually at the Herb & Spice where she used to work.

Gord and Laura Jane at Auntie Loo's

For those of you who have never been to Auntie Loo’s, it’s pretty easy to find – the door and window frames, as well as part of the roof, are painted a cotton candy pink, making it impossible to miss.

The colour continues inside, with pastel greens and accent pinks stretching throughout.  Pictures of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean hang by the front door, making the entranceway a star studded affair.

Auntie Loo's Treats sells everything from cupcakes to brownies and flax carrot cake

Something extra exciting also happened at Auntie Loo’s – Auntie Loo herself recognized me and knew about my search for the perfect cupcake!

Like many other bakers in Ottawa, Auntie Loo is fairly active online, and I was excited to hear she had seen the tweets and posts I had written about the Ottawa cupcake challenge.  She also had one special request of me: Auntie Loo’s should never be referred to as a cupcakerie.

Yes, she sells cupcakes, but her bakery is also chalked full of other baked goods, ranging from vegan brownies to flax carrot cake.

For more information on Auntie Loo's, visit http://auntieloostreats.blogspot.com/

Similar to the other bakeries I’ve been to, Auntie Loo’s has an open concept kitchen.

As soon as you walk into the store, you see it all.  A pink KitchenAid mixer. Huge bowls with kitchen utensils peeking out the top. Polka dot curtains.  Everything is out in the open so that, as Auntie Loo says, you get to see exactly what’s going into your product.

But lets move on to the cupcakes themselves.

Hilary was told through Twitter to try either the peanut butter chocolate, earl grey lemon, or mint chocolate cupcake from Auntie Loo's

A few weeks ago I received my first cupcake flavour recommendation.

Although I was already planning to try Auntie Loo’s cupcakes, I had absolutely no idea what flavour to try. Evan Hughes tweeted at me saying that I needed to choose the peanut butter chocolate cupcake, the earl grey lemon cupcake or the mint chocolate one.

Being the hardcore peanut butter lover that I am, I chose the first, and am happy to report that I reached cupcake nirvana.

Auntie Loo's is located at 507 Bronson Avenue

While I was talking to Auntie Loo about her bakery, Gord and Laura Jane had already gobbled down their cupcake and were eager for me to try mine so that we could discuss.

Since Auntie Loo’s doesn’t have a seating area, the three of us rushed through puddles back to Laura Jane’s car.

Once there, I gingerly lifted my cupcake out of its brown paper bag home, and had an impromptu cupcake photo shoot on the back of Laura Jane’s car.  Finally it was time to eat.

My cupcake was like nothing I’ve ever tasted before.

Auntie Loo's peanut butter chocolate cupcake

The peanut butter flavour in the icing made it taste more savoury than the traditional cupcake, and I felt like I was eating a creamy peanut butter cookie, only better.

The chocolate cake pleasantly surprised me as well. I’m not a huge fan of chocolate cupcakes, but found that Auntie Loo’s cake lacked that occasionally bitter chocolate zing that dominates all other flavours.

Not only that, but the cake was gloriously moist.

As Gord commented, there was also the perfect balance between icing and cake.  To solve an unproportional cupcake to icing ratio problem, Gord normally tears off the bottom of his cupcake and squishes it down on top of the icing, creating a homemade cupcake sandwich.

For more info on Auntie Loo's products, click this photo.

That action wasn’t necessary with Auntie Loo’s cupcake, since every delicious bite of cake was met with an equally good mouthful of icing.

The cupcake itself had an inherently homemade look to it and, like Auntie Loo told me, was supposed to look like the ones your mom used to bake from her kitchen.

My trip to Auntie Loo’s most certainly means that my current cupcake rankings need to be rearranged.

Auntie Loo’s Treats is officially tied for first place with Isobel’s Cupcakes and my first sampling of a vegan cupcake led to the sweetest of successes.

Cupcake personality: ***½

Cake: *****

Icing: ****½

Cupcake overall: ****½

So, who else is hungry? And where should Hilary go next?

A highlight reel: Backstage at the Genies with Hilary Duff

A snapshot from backstage at the Genies

Hilary Duff (blog/Twitter) is a quirky 21-year-old who loves multimedia journalism, cycling, food blogging, and churning massive amounts of baked goods out of her cramped student kitchen. She took a break from cupcakes this past week to share her experience about helping out backstage at the Genie Awards.

This past Thursday I had one of those days that make you say “wow.”

If anyone is unfortunate enough to follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that I was spamming everyone’s homepage with backstage tweets from the 31^st annual Genie Awards taking place at the National Arts Centre.  I was working as a talent wrangler for the event, meaning that I was responsible for looking out for several celebrity presenters and guests.

Since I tried and failed to write a post that could sum up the amazing experience I had (it’s seriously impossible, I got to 1,500 words before deciding that this could not be an essay), I’ve decided to, in true award show fashion, create for you a highlight reel.

Rachelle Lefevre in her second dress of the evening, a stunning Ports 1961 gown

Highlight 1: Working with my talent

This past Wednesday I eagerly awaited the email that would outline which talent I was assigned for the award show.  I was thrilled and honoured to have helped out Rachelle Lefevre (Barney’s Version), Jian Ghomeshi (CBC Radio One’s Q), Amanda Crew (Charlie St. Cloud), and Rémy Girard (Incendies, CBC Television’s InSecurity).  All four were wonderful to work with and extremely gracious and accepting of the day’s events.  They all have such dynamic personalities and I was thrilled to be a small part of their Genie Award experience.

Highlight 2: Meeting George Stroumboulopoulos

Hilary Duff meets idol George!

When George walked on set Wednesday night, I somehow managed to contain my extreme enthusiasm.  As a journalism student and complete fan, I couldn’t believe that I was in the same building as one of my idols. (I experienced a similar nerdy j-school moment when I met Jian.)

Obviously my excitement meant that I had to tweet about this event.  Later that evening, George’s wrangler Mike walkie-talkied me and told me to wait outside the production room.  Apparently George had read my tweet and was questioning the authenticity of my celebrity name.

Anyways, Mike overheard him mention me and, to make a long story short, this is how I met George and had the most exciting experience of my week.  We even fist pounded on Thursday and he remembered my name!  Sometimes this whole famous name thing actually works in my favour…

Highlight 3: Experiencing the energy of a live show

This was my first time working backstage for any sort of show, so to have that show be a live national broadcast was simultaneously a terrifying and exhilarating experience.  In the hour-long broadcast, I did not watch a single award be presented (I still don’t actually know who won, I guess I should check that out), and was too busy referring to my green rundown sheet (the night’s Bible) to know where I was going and when.

 

The "paparazzi" line up at the Genies' red carpet

Since we were live, it meant that any sort of movement on set had to happen during short commercial breaks.  At one point in the show we got Jian, Amanda and Remy into position with just two seconds to spare.  People were talking through my headset the entire night, and I swear it was pure adrenaline that kept me going.  Life backstage seems to be an environment that stressed out workaholic types like me thrive in. In the end, I loved the rush of live television, and think I might actually want to work to produce one of these shows one day.

Fancy headsets!

Highlight 4: Getting to wear a headset

Okay, this might seem like a kind of lame highlight, but to me carrying around a fancy walkie-talkie was wicked.  Not only did I get to feel like a 10-year-old again, but I also got to resemble a fashionable pilot with a headset (sans the aviators) for the entire day.

I felt a little schizophrenic at the beginning of the day with all the voices floating around on the walkie-talkie channel, but I quickly got used to it.  I’m currently trying to convince my roommates that walkie-talkies are a necessity for our student home, I’m hooked.

Highlight 5: Seeing (and meeting) some old friends

Genie statuette cookies, made by Geek Sweets

The final highlight of my Genie experience was seeing three of my favourite Ottawa bakers catering the celebrity gift lounge.  Shakira and Colleen from Little Cakes were providing guests with some of their delicious and impeccably decorated cupcakes.  I also finally got to meet Jenny Burgesse from Geek Sweets, who I have been talking to over Twitter for the past half a year.  It was nice to finally put a face to the tweets and, of course, to eat one of her amazing Genie-themed cookies.

There were cookies in the form of mini popcorn buckets (with marshmallow popcorn kernels), sparkly reels of film and, le pièce de résistance: Genie statuette cookies.  Congrats to Little Cakes and Geek Sweets for landing such a sweet gig – you’re making Ottawa bakers proud!

All in all, if I tried to sum up all my highlights, I’d be typing until next year’s Genies.  Looking back on my experiences, it all still seems so surreal.  I can now truly appreciate the behind-the-scene work that goes into an award show.  The Genies were only an hour – can you imagine what those poor folks down at the Oscars must be dealing with?

BUT if this blog post were an acceptance speech, I’d be getting that special “get off the stage” music.

Ladies and gentlemen, that’s a wrap on the Genie Awards 2011.

The Ottawa Cupcake Challenge: Part VI – The ByWard Market’s Glitz Cupcakes

 

Glitz Cupcakes and Company are located at 11 Murray Street Ottawa

Hilary Duff (blog/Twitter) is a quirky 21-year-old who loves multimedia journalism, cycling, food blogging, and churning massive amounts of baked goods out of her cramped student kitchen. She is currently writing an LTOttawa series on her hunt for Ottawa’s perfect cupcake.

Even a disgusting, rainy day cannot deter me from my cupcake hunt.  Despite the slush, ice, and variety of cats and dogs falling from the sky this past Saturday, I refused to cower away in my home, and decided it had to be a cupcake-sampling day.

Glitz Cupcakes, located in the ByWard Market

I was so excited a few weeks ago when I heard there was a new cupcake store opening in the ByWard Market.  It seems like Thimble Cakes didn’t hold its “newest cupcake venue” throne for very long – Glitz Cupcakes and Company now has the honour of hosting that title.  Glitz opened at the beginning of February, bringing the addictive sugary sweetness of cupcakes to one of Ottawa’s most popular tourist neighbourhoods.

Sloshing through the roads of the Market, I found Glitz nestled away next to the Arts Court, inconspicuously marked by a small purple sandwich board outside.  Sure enough a quick glance in the window showed shelves of cupcakes on display, calling me in out of the weather.  Walking into Glitz, the first thing I noticed was that the shop was a shadow of its clothing store past.  On the left wall, a floor to ceiling mirror remains, now listing cupcake flavours written in pearly purple ink.

Glitz Cupcakes, located in the ByWard Market

Track lights stretch across the ceiling, though are fairly unnecessary thanks to the huge shop windows that may make cupcake eaters feel like mannequins on display.  Two wrought iron tables sit on the wooden plank floor, and appear to be part of a glitzy patio furniture set.  They’re comfy anyways and fit in with the theme of the store.  A luxurious leather sofa also sits against one of the windows, inviting people to experience their cupcake comas in plushed comfort.

Since Ottawa has so many different choices for cupcake hunters, I like it when shops try to differentiate themselves from the other cupcakeries.  For Glitz, their USP (unique selling point) is that they are the only store in Ottawa to sell cake pops.

Cake Pops, by Bakerella

For those of you who just gave your computer screen a quizzical look, a cake pop is basically exactly what it sounds like: a mini cake on a lollipop stick.  As far as I know, the term and sheer genius of the dessert can be accredited to one of my favourite bloggers, Bakerella.  I’m guessing that this culinary goddess also inspired Glitz, since her cake pop cookbook sits on one of the side tables, along with Martha Stewart cupcake books and other inspiring reads.

I wasn’t sure how many different flavours Glitz would have, since they are still fairly new to this whole cupcake thing.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that in addition to the traditional vanilla and chocolate, their behind the counter display also boasted flavours like mango, sugar shack (maple), and chocolate espresso.  As for me, I got the red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing, the one the cashier recommended.

Red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing

It seemed as though my cupcake was still wearing its Valentine’s Day wardrobe.  Small red sugar sprinkles were scattered on my icing, and little heart sprinkles rested at the summit of Icing Mountain.  The cupcake was pretty good.  I’m a huge fan of anything with cream cheese icing, so I’m pretty biased as far as that goes.  For the average cupcake goer there was probably a bit too much icing, and it easily dominated the modestly sized cupcake underneath.  The cake itself was a good consistency, but there were areas where the batter wasn’t mixed, and I got the occasional crunch of sugar or glob of red dye.  My cupcake was also a little under baked, which made it almost too moist in some places.  Overall, I was still perfectly content with my afternoon choice, and it was a decent indulgent treat on a chilly day.

Mango cupcake

I brought home half a dozen mini cupcakes for my roommates (they begged me) and a normal sized sugar shack cupcake for myself.  When I tried the latter at home, I was disappointed to taste not even a tad of maple flavour.  What could have been a Canadian classic wasn’t quite up to par.

My final verdict is that while the cupcakes were average in taste, I’d recommend letting Glitz get a little more established before ordering a large amount of cupcakes for your next birthday party.

Glitz Cupcakes

The cake pops – however – might be something you want to look into.  I think they’re the perfect thing for a kid’s party and, lets face it, who doesn’t love cake on a stick?  Cake pops are also cute-as-a-button and are guaranteed to be interesting conversation starters for your guests.

Throughout the hour that I was there, I was surprised to see a steady flow of people come into the store.  What I considered to be miserable weather was apparently not enough to stop people from fulfilling their cupcake cravings.

With this observation, I make the following statement: bake cupcakes, and they will come.

And so I wonder, where will Ottawa’s next cupcake store be?

Cupcake personality: *½

Cake: **

Icing: *

Cupcake overall: **

Have an idea of where Hilary should visit next? Please leave a comment below!

The hunt for Ottawa’s perfect cupcake: Part V – Three Bakers & A Bike

Three Bakers & a Bike is located at 1281 Wellington Street, Ottawa

Hilary Duff (blog/Twitter) is a quirky 20-year-old who loves multimedia journalism, cycling, food blogging, and churning massive amounts of baked goods out of her cramped student kitchen. She is currently writing an LTOttawa series on her hunt for Ottawa’s perfect cupcake.

Three Bakers & A Bike

Remember that gorgeous afternoon a couple of Fridays ago?  Well on that day I was exploring aimlessly in Westboro and I unintentionally walked past the neighbourhood’s boundaries and found myself in front of Three Bakers & A Bike.  As you can imagine, it was a pleasant surprise.  I was famished and had been shoving pieces of bready Montreal-style bagel into my mouth in a revoltingly un-ladylike way for the entire afternoon.

But of course I was never too full for a cupcake.

Three Bakers & A Bike had a rather inconspicuous front entrance, and I may have missed it completely in the shadows of the sunny day, had it not been for the map on my phone.

As I walked in the door, I was immediately struck by the relaxed hominess of the shop.  It kind of felt like the place was a combination of an old school classroom and the kitchen of a country farmhouse.  A track from the Backstreet Boys played over the speakers, and I had to restrain myself from bursting out into song.

My feet walked over the dark red flood, where paint has faded to reveal the grey concrete underneath.  The floor meets walls painted a creamy yellow, a colour that reminded me of a buttery hollandaise sauce.  Navy blue chairs and tables sit against the left wall, the latter holding colourful teacups and saucers on its polished surface.  To my right, there’s a seating area near the window, with comfy looking leather chairs ideal for a friendly meeting or an afternoon of solitary reading.  Above this seating area, as well as behind the main counter, is shelving containing several eccentric and bizarre teapots shaped like animals and ornately decorated with porcelain figures.

But of course I wasn’t there to ogle over collectibles. Walking up to the counter, I admired the “baby cakes” on display.  They’re miniature cakes that are as cute as a button.  The cakes are decorated with vanilla or chocolate icing and an assortment of brightly hued sprinkles.

Cupcakes at Three Bakers & A Bike

In addition to these cakes, there are bunches of sugar cookies, all wrapped in clear plastic packaging and labeled carefully with homemade lilac tags.  Other than these small cakes and cookies there are, of course, a variety of cupcakes – both regular and miniature sized.  It appears that Three Bakers & A Bike is big on this whole “mini-size” phenomenon.  No complaints though, as it allows me to sample two of their smaller cupcakes in favour of just one Hulk-sized regular.  I ask the cashier which ones she recommends and end up with the vanilla cupcake with chocolate icing and a double chocolate cupcake.

HIlary's selection from Three Bakers & A Bike

Before I could get my paws on the cupcakes, however, I had to run to the nearest bank after discovering the shop only accepts cash and cheque, neither of which I had in my university-student wallet.  Keep this in mind when planning your visit, dear cupcake lovers.

Now, before I go on with my review, I would just like to say that no cupcake is ever bad.  I believe it is absolutely impossible to destroy a cupcake.  Even if I criticize one, the worst cupcake I ever eat will likely still be semi-delicious to me.  On that note, the two cupcakes I ate from Three Bakers & A Bike were nothing special.  To be honest (and I hate sounding mean, I’m so sorry!), it tasted like the cake came from a box and the icing was of the canned variety.  I’m not sure if the flavour just had a strikingly similar taste to the boxed mixes my mom used to make for my elementary school classes, but it contributed to an overall mediocre vibe.

Three Bakers & A Bike

The cake was still moist, but it was moist in the sense that it left a discomforting cakey layer on my tongue; a cakey paste that I’ve never experienced from cupcakes made from scratch.  If you were in the neighbourhood looking for a quick sugar fix, these cupcakes would definitely suffice, but in my search for Ottawa’s perfect cupcake I came up a little short here.  Three Bakers & A Bike also only had three flavours that day: chocolate, vanilla and lemon.  I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt – a small menu told me that they sold “designer cupcakes” at $4.50 a pop in flavours such as strawberries and cream, Kahlua mousse, and mocha almond.  Consider, however, that other shops I’ve visited have sold similar “designer” flavours for a significant $2 less.

In the end, I don’t want to doubt the credibility of the baking at Three Bakers & A Bike.  Half a dozen people came in to buy cupcakes or a cake in the hour and a half that I was there, so clearly there isn’t this issue of taste for everyone.  The focus of the shop isn’t strictly cupcakes either, and they had a generous looking brunch menu that was enough to make my mouth water.  The cashier was also extremely nice and helpful, and service overall was great.  So my verdict is that if you’re in the neighbourhood and looking for a place to swing by for a bite to eat, Three Bakers & A Bike is an ideal destination.  If you’re looking for Ottawa best cupcake, however, you might want to consider continuing your search.

Cupcake personality: *½

Cake: *½

Icing: *

Cupcake overall: *½

Do you want to help Hilary find Ottawa’s perfect cupcake? Leave a note below!