Best cupcakes in T.O.?

[tuttebene]

I know this trend has probably jumped the shark but I tried some great cupcakes in Calgary recently and wondered what's good here. Red velvet, vanilla cake with choc icing, coconut. etc.?

[Teffub]

In my view, the cupcakes at Flour on Eglinton near Bathurst is to die for.

[lamaranthe]

Are you referring to Flour -- 883 Eglinton Ave West [phone] ?
[e-mail] -- http://www.flourstudio.com

[Ediblethoughts]

I bought a half dozen from Flour yesterday and while they aren't in my top two faves, they're definitely good. Moist cake (though the cupcakes aren't as chocolaty as I'd like) and nice icing though it's is a tad too insubstantial for my personal desire for "fudgier" icing. Still, tasty icing. I've tried the strawberry on chocolate and the chocolate on chocolate and I'll try more flavours today. So I think I'd say Flour is a good back-up cupcake stop.

[wazoo]

They are okay. I'm just sick of the same old cupcakes

[atomeyes]

Flour's been my hands-down favourite. Its a wee step behind Calgary's Crave.
Went there today after a two-month absence.
the plan was to get two cupcakes.
left with 1/2 dozen.

my selections:
mocha icing/choco cake
oreo icing/marble cake
fleur de sel
mint icing/choco cake
choco ganache

the first two were new ones that I hadn't seen at Flour before. shared the mocha cupcake with my lady. we bought thought it was ok. i thought it wasn't nearly espressoey enough.

i have a sweet tooth today, so i was going to try a bite of the oreo cupcake. a bite? no way. while Oreo seems so passe and boring, this was one of the best cupcakes i've had. amazing icing consistency (really silky and soft and airy) and the oreo crumbles on it worked amazingly. the marble cake was great as well. this is probably my favourite cupcake (although their mint choco cake is damn fine as well).

still haven't had some of the west end cakes people talk about, but Flour is still #1 in my Toronto books.

[red dragon]

Where is flours?

[atomeyes]

eglinton just west of Bathurst, right beside the PharmaPLus (south side of the road)

[Arcadiaseeker]

I am a fan of the Cupcakery at St. Clair and Oakwood -- light and fluffy with buttercream icing that is delicious. I just polished off a pack of six this weekend (this batch was the tastiest I have had from them since they opened)! They also do a red velvet from time to time which is very yummy (had a couple of these on the w/e in fact).

[Ediblethoughts]

Just bought a half dozen from the Cupcakery. I was a little unimpressed with the size vs. price---and I rarely complain about the price of a cupcake. If they were a dollar more and normal cupcake size, I probably wouldn't have noticed anything amiss. However, I just tried the cookies and cream and I love the icing! Definitely more on the fudgier side of buttercream. This place has become my third fave with Flour at fourth.

[watt]

Red Velvet at Yummy Stuff on Queen near Roncesvalles.... soooooo good! Really moist, love the cream cheese icing. I make excuses to bring cupcakes to events so I can justify eating them :)

[Ediblethoughts]

I totally agree on the red velvet at Yummy Stuff. I dno't like cream cheese but the the mix of sugar and butter with just the right hint of cream cheese is so good. And the raspberry-chocolate cup cake is a very good counter-point. It's hard to beat these cupcakes.

[tuttebene]

I found myself in Parkdale and finally had a chance to try Yummy Stuff. I tried a mini red velvet and choc with choc icing. Icing was just the right amount of creaminess and sweetness. The cake was hard on the outside and overall dry. I thought maybe it was because of their size. Then I tried a full size lemon - lemon buttercream icing with lemon cake filled with lemon curd. The icing was delish, the curd really full of lemon flavour and tart but not very much of it. Again the cake was dry and disappointing which is too bad because the other ingredients were spot on. I'll keep looking for just the right cupcake.....

[Ediblethoughts]

I'd suggest trying a full size red velvet. I wasn't that impressed with the chocolate on chocolate cup cake but the red velvet was very good--moist cupcake every time I've tried it. (Though I've also tried a very good cupcake from Pussateris from a bakery called Main Street---chocolate chip chocolate cupcake with very good buttercream icing. That's my other favourite cupcake.)

[watt]

I agree with Ediblethoughts that you should give the full size red velvet a try - I've been disappointed when I got the mini ones as well. I'm sure that in part it's about how fresh the cupcake is, but in fact the only complaint I've heard from friends about the red velvet is that the cake is almost TOO moist!

[dannyboy]

I love yummy stuff - the raspberry ones are my fave and the mrs. loves the cream cheese icing ones : P

[Ender]

Ms. Cora's Kitchen on Kensington in the Market makes amazing mini cupcakes.

I like the vegan coconut the best, which says a ton because I usually can't stand vegan food.

[wazoo]

Both my sister and I were completely dissapointed by Miss Cora's Kitchen. They did not have regular size cupcakes and the bit size were so small and nothing special

[Yum2MyTum]

There is an older, bald, bearded gentleman in the North Market at St. Lawrence on Saturday mornings in the middle aisle about 1/3 of the way in from the Front St. entrance who has AMAZING cupcakes.

Get there early, they sell out well before noon.

[Atahualpa]

Have never had the cupcakes, but his double chocolate cookies are stupendous. I've bought a few other things too – never been disappointed.

[Yum2MyTum]

I just tried out his date square. Pretty solid, if you like date squares. The cakes are also awesome. Do try the cupcakes Atahualpa -- they're his best product! Only, get there early...

[vaiguy777]

Sweet Bliss on Queen Street East is the best I have ever had...especially Red Velvet. http://www.sweetblissbakingcompany.com/

[wazoo]

Have not been to sweet bliss yet, but have only heard GREAT things about it

[jlunar]

Eating one right now. Pretty good. MMM... breakfast.

Cake > thought the cupcake needs a better hit of chocolate IMO. Tastes too much like regular vanilla base. But that may be my preference on red velvets, since I don't think there's a globally accepted baseline on chocolate levels in red velvets. Aside from that, it's moist enough, but more dense than airy. I liked that.

creamcheese icing - held its shape as it had formed a crust on the outside. Inside is soft, minimally "gritty" for those wondering. Very sweet. Tasty, but the sugar is high and wears the palate down after a while.

I like Wedding Cake Shoppe's cupcakes in general but I wouldn't hesitate to finish one of these, (my plate is almost clear - I thought I'd only eat a bite).

I recently got a batch of The Cupcake Shoppe's cupcakes and of the 6-8 I tried, I only liked the caramel, and that was more because I like caramel.

I took some photos. They'll be up later this week.

--
http://www.foodpr0n.com/ -- food. is. love.

[atomeyes]

just a warning: if you get Red Velvet cupcakes, always ask if they use food colouring. i am a person with few allergies, but the red food colouring that some places use for red velvet REALLY bugs me (makes my mouth feel like i've consumed a litre of MSG).

L'il Baci has interesting cupcake flavours.
Sweet Tooth promotes theirs as being the best in the city, but we had 2 cakes that tasted dry (almost past their shelf life).

but the chain in Calgary (its name escapes me) is phenominal and, sadly, i haven't had any Toronto cupcakes that come close to the Calgary 'cakes

[keloran]

I was in Calgary recently. I would hazard a guess that you are either thinking of Crave or Buttercream.

-Kel

[atomeyes]

it was Crave

[canadianbeaver]

I ordered cupcakes for my sister's baby shower from http://www.batchesgourmet.com/. We had mango, raspberry and blackberry icing. It was amazing, they were beautiful, and everyone raved about them.

[hautecocoa]

I'm ADDICTED to cupcakes and have tried some from the following places. I usually get a "six-pack" so I could try a variety of flavors. I also made it a point to get cupcakes from the same place more than once to allow for, you know, off days.

The Cupcake Shoppe (Yonge and Eglinton):

Very pretty cakes. Nice variety of flavors. The cakes, unfortunately, didn't taste as nice as they looked. They weren't THAT bad, but nothing to rave about either. Some of the cakes were a bit on the dry side and the buttercream frosting's just not that good. The caramel frosting was too sweet with none of that hint of dark, burnt sugar edge I want in a caramel frosting.

The Cupcakery (St. Clair and Oakwood)

I had high hopes for this one because it's so near my workplace and the window looks so charming. The menu lists an impressive array of flavors although not all of them are available everyday. These cakes were the driest I've tried. And it's not as if I bought them at the end of the day (once shortly after they opened in the morning, once during lunch break). Not a big fan of American buttercream as a rule, but theirs was TOO, TOO sweet.

Dessert Lady (Yorkville)

They only serve chocolate and vanilla, although I think you could order amaretto ones. The cakes were moist and tasty. I had an issue with their frosting the first time I tried the cakes a couple of years back because it seemed like they used shortening. I'm pretty sure they didn't but it tasted like that, the icing just left this greasy, clingy aftertaste. I'm happy to say that this was absent the last time I tried their cakes. The icing's smooth and silky and not excessively sweet.

Yummy Stuff:

I liked the red velvet and raspberry cake the best. Carrot cake was moist enough but the vanilla cake tasted old and stale. The cream cheese on the carrot cake was good and the raspberry had actual berries in them! The rest of the buttercream frosting though was too sugary-sweet.

The Wedding Cake Shoppe (College and Ossington)

I didn't know they sold anything other than custom-made wedding cakes but I walked by and saw a sign that said $5 could get you a cupcake and a latte. Considering how cupcakes average from $2.50-$3.00 and how lattes that cost $2.50 and under aren't that readily seen anywhere in the city, I went in and was wowed by the cakes. Easily my favorite. The cakes come in chocolate and vanilla (Although I think I saw a banana cake the last time I went. I'm not a big fan of banana cake so I decided to try that another time.) and are very, very moist and delicious. I know they're moist because somehow a cake was left behind and was found in the fridge the next day and guess what, it was still edible and not dry as a cracker (Yes, I eat day-old cakes when I'm desperate.). The shop's strongest point, though, is the frosting. I could eat that frosting by spoonfuls. They offer a staggering variety of buttercreams and everything I've tried was on the money. Silky smooth and never too sweet. My favorite is the chocolate toffee. Absolutely delicious. The Dulce de Leche avoids the pitfall of being sickeningly sweet and is truly yummy as well. Lemon would have to be my least favorite but still, it's still better than the lemon icing available everywhere else.

I tried cupcakes from Pusateri's but I've forgotten where they got them from and Queen St. E. is still unexplored territory for me so I might have to do another round of taste tests soon. But so far, The Wedding Cake Shoppe's my pick for best cupcakes. :)

[Ediblethoughts]

I'll add the Wedding Cake Shoppe to my list of To Go To!

[Splendid Wine Snob]

The one and only time I tried the Yummy Stuff cupcakes, they were completely stale. Gross.

SWS

[tuttebene]

That's what I thought too but didn't want to believe that they would sell me stale goods.

[Full tummy]

Thanks, hautecocoa. I don't like the sugary, gritty uncooked "buttercream" found on many cupcakes, but it sounds like the WCS is a winner. Will have to try them.

Have you tried flourgirls (www.flourgirls.com)? They have to be ordered or purchased in their shop in Malton?, but I thought they were excellent. All the flavours I had were moist and tasty, and the cooked buttercream was light and luscious.

[dannyboy]

I have had flourgirls once and only once - they were completely stale, all the flavours were gross and yucky - and the burned buttercream was heavy and smelly

[Full tummy]

Wow, did someone feed you some that had been sitting in their cupboard for a while? Burned buttercream...never heard of such a phenomenon. Hmmm. That is totally not my experience. Perhaps you could tell us more... Like, did you go all the way to Malton to buy them? What flavours did you try? How was the buttercream burnt? I mean, did they bake them again after they iced them???

[hautecocoa]

I think I had one of their chocolate mini-cupcakes from Pusateri's a couple of years back and loved it. I'll have to try them again. Too bad my father's not really into sweet things, cupcakes would've been a lovely way to celebrate Father's Day. I just might have to make up an occasion :)

[Ediblethoughts]

Could you give an example of the gritty uncooked buttercream? I'm trying to figure out where I stand in this buttecream discussion.

[Full tummy]

Oh my, didn't even see this. Sorry! An uncooked "buttercream" is usually a mix of butter, icing sugar, milk, etc. I find that some, not all, of these frostings have a slightly gritty texture. I can't explain this better, but it's something about the icing sugar not being fully dissolved or cooked into the frosting. A cooked icing, I find, is much smoother. I just prefer it, but to each his/her own. It's what I grew up with. It's also generally harder to make, more time consuming, typically.

Here's some info:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art5772.asp

This article actually mentions the "grit" I've been talking about:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/a...

[Ediblethoughts]

Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I do understand what you mean in theory by the gritty. I was just trying to find a cupcake I'd tried that had that gritty b/c in it. I've tried cupcakes at quite a few places now and if you could tell me one that fit your take on gritty, then I could see where my grit/fudgy line lies----if you see what I mean?

[Full tummy]

Oh!!! Well, I'm pretty sensitive to it. So, The Cupcakery (St. Clair West), Life is Sweet (Beaches), Sweet Bliss Baking Company (Leslieville) all have gritty frosting, to me. Probably most places, haha, since this type of frosting is easier to make, I find it's the most common type. Another example of a frosting that I find gritty is Costco cake frosting. Now, I don't think that frosting is made with butter either, so that is a second mark against it; I tend to stay away from eating Costco cakes for both those reasons.

So, it's not just that it's gritty, but it's overly sweet, too, most of the time, for me.

That said, depending on the actual frosting and the cake part, and the flavour combinations, I will often eat such a cupcake, though not enjoying it as much as I would if it had Italian or Swiss buttercream for the frosting. Just as often, though, I take a bite and give the rest to my husband, who isn't as fussed about such things. Makes life more enjoyable for him, hahaha!!

Actually, I pretty much avoid cupcakes aside from those at the Wedding Cake Shoppe, which is unfortunately--but thankfully--inconveniently located for me.

[Boodah]

Let me take a stab at it...I find uncooked buttercream to be "chalky" and cooked buttercream to be "silky".

[Full tummy]

O.K., but nowhere near as chalky as roasted chickpeas (have you ever tried that?) And chalky dry, which is doubly chalky than chalky wet, haha.

[Ediblethoughts]

I haven't been to Life is Sweet but I have to the Cupcakery quite a few times--so by that standard, I like the gritty icing! Never tried a Costco cake but the likely ingredients on those grocery store cake's icing scare me! I tried a Loblaws slab cake some time back (bought it for a birthday party) and the icing made me almost ill.

I found the Wedding Cake Shoppe's icing not fudgy enough---or, from other perspectives (though likely not a turn of phrase I'd open with when inquiring about a shop's cupcake icing----"Is your icing nice and gritty?" yeah, probably not doing that), not gritty enough!

Thanks for explaining.

[JPJ]

I recently had the pleasure of attending Flourgirls shop in Milton, Ontario.

Bar none the best cupcake I have had in the GTA which includes cupcakes from Life is Sweet, The Wedding Cake Shoppe, Sweet Bliss, Babycakes, Swirls, Yummy Stuff, the Cupcakery, the Cupcake Shop and Dufflets.

The key is in fact their buttercream. The meringue gives it a lightness that makes those heavier and yes, at times gritty (especially if its been refridgerated) uncooked buttercream icings just seem like second class citizens.

At Flourgirls, the Marisol with the dolce du leche buttercream is a winner. The Lemon zinger is also a can't miss option.

I have also never heard of a burned buttercream, I think it would be quite obvious if a buttercream was burned and I don't understand how it would come to be purchased in that state. I got a box with 6 different flavours, 5 of which had completely different cooked buttercreams, none were burned.

As for the cake itself, every one I had was very moist, but what really sets these babies apart is the buttercream.

The funny thing is the only one I didn't like as much was the red velvet cupcake, it had a cream cheese frosting that was sweetened with icing sugar. I ended up putting it in the fridge and despite bringing it up to room temperature before eating it, the grittiness was still evident. I also didn't find it as moist as the other cakes. I guess I am just not a fan of uncooked buttercream.

[Full tummy]

My favourite two are definitely Flourgirls and The Wedding Cake Shoppe. Both cooked buttercreams, but the Flourgirls one is definitely lighter -- I like the heavier buttercream at TWCS, too, though. Both too far away to become regular indulgences for me, alas.

[Ediblethoughts]

I tried Dessert Lady yesterday and I found the icing too buttery for me. So, hautcocoa, can you tell me if WCS has icing that is more heavy on the sugar/fudgy side like Yummy Stuff or more buttery like Dessert Lady?

[hautecocoa]

WCS's more buttery than sugary. I had the same problem with Dessert Lady before but I think they've made changes to their icing because it wasn't as "oily" the last time I tried them. Too bad you didn't enjoy it. I hope they're not using their old recipe.

I like WCS's icing better. But then I do prefer cooked buttercream. The shop has the Dulce de Leche and the chocolate ganache frosting if you're really not into buttercream. Plus, I have yet to get a stale, dry cake from them so I hope you'd like the cake part at least. Happy cupcake eating!

[Ediblethoughts]

As a point of reference, I love the Main Street cupcake's buttercream icing. But you might consider that more grainy/sweet? I also love the buttercream with cream cheese taste of the Yummy Stuff cupcake. I also recently found I like the buttercream (but not love) of Flour's cupcakes. I really do prefer that kind of buttercream to the ganache type of icing (even though I am a chocolate lover).

[hautecocoa]

Ediblethoughts, I went to TWCS this Saturday and they had red velvet cupcakes with the cream cheese buttercream that you seem to like. It's the uncooked buttercream and it is grainy/sweet. :)

[Ediblethoughts]

Hmmm, interesting. When I was there they didn't have the red velvet. If I'm near there again, I'll try out the red velvet if it's there. Thanks.

[Ediblethoughts]

I tried out Wedding Shoppe and the chocolate cup cakes (cake part) is quite good. The butter cream is, alas, too buttery for me though the cookies and cream icing made it more sweet/fudgy so more to my taste. I also liked the mocha icing quite a bit. I'm concluding that most butter cream is more buttery than I'd like. But I'll keep testing out places just to be on the safe side.

[LemonLauren]

has anyone tried Lollicake on Mt Pleasant?

[Ediblethoughts]

I did once. I don't recall much except I wasn't impressed.

[Full tummy]

They're non-dairy, so if you're fine with a vegetable shortening frosting, you might like them. Not me, though.

[balthazar]

I'd also like to hear more feedback from those who have tried Lollicakes and what they liked or didn't like. That and The Cupcake Shoppe are the only two I know for sure are advertised as nut-free. Any preferences between the two (some here would probably say they are both not the best choices, but still)...

[Full tummy]

They are both pricey; I haven't had a Cupcake Shoppe cupcake for a long time, but I believe in the interim it's changed hands, and I'm not sure if it's an all-butter icing anymore. I did like them when they first opened, but I like buttery buttercreams of the cooked variety (as opposed to the "buttercreams" that are made with some butter, plus icing sugar, plus milk, etc. -- these seem gritty to me), and a lot of people don't. It's just what I grew up eating, I suppose. If CS has changed their icing formula since the early days, then I probably wouldn't like it. If they've added vegetable oil shortening to the icing, then it might even be similar to Lollicakes. You may want to just make a trip to both shops and purchase a cupcake to taste-test what is currently on offer. They are fairly close to each other, in terms of location, at least...

[wazoo]

The cupcake shoppe is forgettiable and nothing special...

[wazoo]

I've tried Lolicakes and I actually like them... It's simple and plain, but well done. The only choice is chocolate or vanillia - nothing fancy

[Moimoi]

This question has been posed already on several other threads in T.O. with much passion, so while I don't know if I've actually tasted the BEST cupcakes in Toronto yet, my passive quest to date has only generated two suggestions...

The Dessert Lady in Yorkville makes "organic" vanilla and chocolate only cupcakes with buttercream frosting daily (no carry-overs) which are quite lovely. Gotta respect this woman and the little business she's built on hard work, integrity and reasonable prices - only 99¢ last time I bought them, versus several dollars at some places.

I also strangely enough find the simple chocolate cupcakes with sprinkles (definitely eye candy for the kids who line up at the bakery) at United Baker's at Lawrence and Bathurst.

Please note that any mention of ANY cupcakes at the Cupcake Shopped should be immediately disregarded. Waxy, manufactured, fake.... I'm sure their objective was to mass-produce the concept because there ain't nothin' real about these cupcakes. Go to Metro and you'll find the equivalent in the marked down baked goods rack daily at 90% less. The only reason that place is in business is because of the location and their adorable, nostalgic decor and marketing... Same reason why Chakra Spa (absolutely horrific spa) on Eglinton is still in business... but I digress to spas - sorry.

I would recommend doing a search on CH or on Google on the subject. Here's a link to an article I enjoyed on the subject when I was first determined to find the best cupcake...
http://unknowntoronto.blogspot.com/2007/02/great-toronto-cupcake-hunt.html
Here's another one which I haven't read, but it's got great pictures... again, ignore the listing for The Cupcake Shoppe... it's an unfortunately obvious choice for any journalism who didn't ACTUALLY try the cupcakes but was fooled to believe they were good by a well-marketed illusion. p.s. no I'm not a disgruntled ex-employee.... just a vigilant foodie :-
)http://www.blogto.com/toronto/the_bes...

[ksapd]

I always buy from the Cupcake Shoppe at Yonge and Eg. They are nothing like what you buy at the grocery store. We have served them to large crowds upwards of 50 adults ALL of which raved about them.

[atomeyes]

really?

[haggisdragon]

just because a large crowd approves of something, it doesn't mean that its good. Infact the larger the crowd the dummer the crowd. I think we all know that.

[Arcadiaseeker]

I have to say I agree overall with your assessment of the Cupcake Shoppe -- although I like the cupcakes from supermarkets, particularly Loblaws, waaay better.

[Ediblethoughts]

I so wanted to like Cupcake Shoppe since it's so convenient for me but, yeah, I find them awful.

[always_eating]

They were good in the beginning, when they first opened, and then it all went to pot.

[ksapd]

WOW - I have not tasted some of the others mentioned here...perhaps I am missing out!?!

[Idas]

I have to agree. They used to taste very nice, years ago, toothy, full textured, original and home made. The suddenly, the cake portion tasted very "box mix" which when I make them for the kids twice a year for novelty, I don't mind having one but paying such a premium, pshawww. Also, their icings are bland, not creamy and flavourful like they used to be and don't seem to sit well in your tummy afterwards. A ptiy. I will try the shop in Yorkville when I get a chance.

[balthazar]

I've bought from the Cupcake Shoppe, and they look good, have nice varieties and taste OK. I wouldn't call them the best, but better (or at least more interesting) than the supermarket. To be honest, I'm not an icing person and as for the cupcake part I've made taster cakes at home with the help of Duncan Hines.... However, I buy from Cupcake Shoppe because it's usually for group of friends, one of whom has a young daughter with a nut allergy (not peanuts, but tree nuts) and requests that I get the cakes there. Cupcake Shoppe's cakes are nut free. I seem to remember that Whole Foods has some supermarket style cupcakes that are nut-free too (but don't quote me on that :) ).

Does anyone know if some of the other places mentioned here that are located in central/mid-TO also make nut free cakes? E.g. Wedding Cake Shoppe, Dessert Lady?

[Degustation]

Try Half-Baked Ideas, bakery and cafe. I first reported on this place on another thread. Essentially this place is fairly new (open last Nov?) and specializes in nut-free products - cupcakes, tarts, cookies, custom cakes, pull-apart cakes (essentially cupcakes formed together to look like a one big flat cake but you can just pull out a cupcake portion, no cutting required), pies, savoury tarts.etc.

Great customer service. I wanted a lemon tart but when I noted that they had run out for the day, the pastry chef said he would make one up for me immediately, since he had the tart shells and all he had to do was pipe in the lemon curd.

And it was a very good lemon tart -- smooth, tart, not too sweet curd, in a pâte sucrée.

Half-Baked Ideas Inc.
516 Mount Pleasant Road (just north of Davisville) on the west side. Just south of Lollicakes.

http://hbibakerycafe.com/

[Ediblethoughts]

Is the icing more buttery or more fudgy/sugary? I'll definitely try it out though. I can't believe I didn't know about this place...

[Ediblethoughts]

Tried out the cupcakes and while the chocolate cupcake was quite good--chocolatey and right amount of moist, for me the icing is too buttery---but for those who like their buttercream more buttery, it's probably good icing.

[lily.violet]

One of my favourite locations would have to be Life is Sweet on Queen E. in the Beaches area. Their cupcakes are always moist and flavourful! The butterscotch is my number one favourite and the Earl Grey with an orange cream frosting comes in as a close second. SO good! Unfortunately their website only has contact info: http://lifeissweet.ca/

[scarberian]

I second that! One of the best cupcake shops in T.O. Their icing reminds me of a butter cream/ cream cheese variety. The Cupcake Shoppe is okay, but they haven't been consistent. I've had very bland and sometimes dry cupcakes there and I'm not too crazy about their icing (too plain, not much flavour). Life is Sweet seem to know how to make the stuff. The cupcakes are always moist and the flavours just pop out.

[atomeyes]

we went there yesterday based on your recommendation (thank you).
wow, its really far east in the Beach!
the girl working there was supernice and i really hope her boss doesn't read this, and she let us try two mini cupcakes. it was closing and we bought 2 large cupcakes and she also gave us a 3rd large and 1 mini to take home. super sweet!
i wanted the butterscotch but my lady didn't. so i tried a mini cupcake and it was really sweet but very good.
next was mango with orange icing. it was very good as well.
had the chocolate mint. the mint icing was great. the chocolate cupcape was good but not incredible. almost bland and dry and lacking chocolate oomph. but it did pair well with the icing.
we have the Earl Grey w/orange cream in the fridge for a lunch snack.

Life Is Sweet has GREAT selection and variations. the mini cupcakes are a nice twist if you want a sampler of sorts. i'd give their cupcakes a 4 out of 5. not sure if i would crown them the best in the city yet, but they definitely fall a little short of the cupcakes talked about above that you can get in Calgary.

[CCK1]

They are not the best in the city and you must have caught the owner on a good day or had someone else serving you, because my only experiences visiting that shop have been negative. The owner is horrible and totally lacks any gratitude for people coming in and spending money in her store. I was disgusted by her attitude and will not be back.
Cupcakes good, owner, not so much...she is young, and clearly has a lot to learn about customer service.

[scarberian]

I'm not sure if you're talking about the same store (Life Is Sweet). My wife, daughter and I have only had good experiences there and we started going there for our cupcake fix at least since January of this year. As for customer service, when my daughter wanted a cupcake with pink frosting and couldn't find one, the owner told my wife that if she could wait a couple of minutes she would ice a new batch with pink frosting. I've been in a few of times with my daughter and the owner has always greeted us and thanked us afterwards. Now she doesn't chat up a storm with her customers, but she seems polite and friendly. Maybe CCK1 caught her on a bad day.

[helmut22]

Red velvet at Cafe doria in rosedale. Number 1.

[Ediblethoughts]

Caffe Doria doesn't make those (I like to go to CD now and then since they're more convenient than travelling to the "source"). I think those red velvet are from Yummy Stuff.

[Gourmista]

I really like Yummy Stuff. My favourite are the chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream -- but I think you have to pre-order those. The red velvet are also good. Mmmmmm.

[Ediblethoughts]

Oh, that would be a great combo! Definitely that must be a special order since it's just chocolate/chocolate and vanilla/buttercream... hmm... I must try to special order when I'll be in the neighbourhood...

[dannyboy]

I grabbed 6 assorted at Yummy Stuff on Saturday - Carrot/Creamcheese (wife loves), 2 raspberry (which are amazing, big raspberry slabs in the cake), a chocolate for the little 'un, red velvet, AND a chocolate w/chips with maple bacon with little bacon's on top...
it was AWESOME all the sweetness and saltiness mixed together ---
and they were very fresh I asked her (based no SWS's) comments and she says she bakes fresh daily ; )

[Splendid Wine Snob]

Actually, not just my comments, but tuttebene and hautecocoa above had similar statements about stale vanilla cakes. Do you honestly think the owner would say "Why yes, occasionally I sell stale cakes". I stand by my comment above.

SWS

[Ediblethoughts]

I've since special ordered the chocolate with vanilla cream and VERY good! I just wish there was a YS closer to where I live...

[Ediblethoughts]

I don`t see Baby Cakes in this thread but I tried out a couple yesterday (down on Queen East distributed at a restaurant that incidentally apparently has a smoke-free patio that I plan to try) called Lìl Baci. I loved them---definitely added to my top two cupcake places. Large amount of buttercream (more like the vanilla fudge kind); I tried vanilla on chocolate cupcake and red velvet.

So now it`s official; there is an inverse relationship between how much I love a cupcake and how close it is to my house.

[LovelyAsia]

I wanted to thank those who recommended The Wedding Cake Shop for cupcakes!

I decided to do a taste test and bought some from Yummy Stuff and Wedding Cake Shop to see which I liked better.

Wedding Cake Shop won hands down...

Yummy Stuff cupcakes were fresh and they had very interesting flavours - red velvet, maple chocolate and bacon, and black forest, but they had too much icing and it was the very sugary - almost crunchy - kind.

Wedding Cake Shop had a Dulce de Lece and a chocolate ganache that were wonderful... ideal for people like me who love cake, but don't want it so sweet it makes your teeth ache! Even their buttercream icing was not cloyingly sweet and is more the Italian style buttercream that I prefer.

I had given up on cupcakes (unless I made them myself) after trying Lollicakes and Cupcake shop, but after stumbling on this thread I decided to give a few other shops a try and I am glad I did!

I will definitely be back to The Wedding Cake Shop for more cupcakes in the future!

Thanks again to those who posted about this great find!

[Full tummy]

I want to thank everybody, too. Wedding Cake Shop beats almost anything I've had so far. I wasn't too fond of the red velvet, but the cake and frosting (a cooked buttercream, as far as I could tell) on the vanilla were excellent, and those are the base for other flavours, as well (lemon, coconut). Too bad for me they are so far away from my east end home and work.

[freelancer]

Hands down, the best cupcakes I've found in TO are from LIFE IS SWEET, at the end of Queen East.

The size is hefty - nice and large! Cake is moist and dense, not airy like a cake mix. The icing is smooth and not too sweet - just the perfect amount. And their flavor combinations are incredibly inventive. At $2.25 each it's a steal.

I've tried Dufflets (dry, crumbly, tasteless)
Wedding Cake Shoppe (Truffle cupcake - nothing to rave about)
Dessert Lady (bland, oily frosting, terrible)
Yummy Stuff (pretty good - had them at Caffe Doria last year)
Miss Cora's Kitchen (pretty decent, but kind of expensive and the cake itself was a bit on the greasy side, though contained a very homemade feel - and was pretty dense in a good way)

Having the best cupcakes ever in California at Sprinkles, my cupcake reviews can be ruthless and I was totally wowed by Life is Sweet. When I bit into the Mango tea cake with lime frosting, I had a knee drop reaction (literally).

Try it out. They've also got Earl Grey with orange frosting, butterscotch, and some other fabulous flavors.

[Full tummy]

For those who, like me, prefer a "cooked" buttercream, Life is Sweet will not satisfy. I did like the cake part, nice and fluffy, but the frosting, not so much.

[freelancer]

I've never had a cooked buttercream - can you elaborate on the difference?

[LovelyAsia]

I think Full Tummy is referring to Italian Buttercream as "cooked" because it is basically boiled - almost caramelized - sugar beaten into whipped egg whites and then butter whipped in - so more fluffy and less sweet than the North American style Buttercream - which is usually butter and icing sugar and flavouring.

Like Full Tummy, I also prefer the Italian style because it is less sweet and more silky and not as sweet and crunchy as the North American style

That said, having read about Life Is Sweet's Lemon Drop cupcake - I might have to give it a try because I love lemon curd and good cake!

[Full tummy]

Thanks for responding LovelyAsia! I'm with you. Either a Swiss or Italian Meringue Buttercream, as you described.

freelancer, most bakeries will likely have an "uncooked" American-style buttercream, since it is a fair bit easier to make. There's no cooking involved (as compared to the meringue buttercreams which involve egg whites, temperature taking, etc.) and it's basically just butter mixed with icing sugar, and perhaps some milk. However, the American "buttercream" is definitely preferred by some, perhaps because they find a Swiss or Italian buttercream overly buttery, or perhaps because it's what they grew up with. To each his/her own!!

If you have one of the cupcakes at the Wedding Cake Shoppe with a vanilla frosting on it, that is definitely the "cooked" buttercream LovelyAsia and I are referring to. However, if you had a "truffle" cupcake, you most likely had a chocolate frosting, and that has its own textural properties and may not have been made the same way as the vanilla, since chocolate frostings have a large amount of chocolate in them!!! (So, try the vanilla next time!! You may still prefer Life is Sweet.)

Here is some more information, in case you're interested.

Uncooked buttercream:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art5772.asp

Cooked buttercream:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/a...

Next time you have frosting, you could ask the baker how it was made; that way, you'll be able to see which style you prefer.

[freelancer]

Thanks Lovely Asia and Full Tummy for the explanation! I guess I have never had a cooked buttercream before. I only tried the Truffle one at Wedding Cake Shoppe and wish I had tried a vanilla! I do prefer a smoother, less sweet icing. Is the wedding cake shoppe the only place that uses a cooked buttercream? Unfortunately I was visiting so it will be probably another year before I can stop by again! :(

[Full tummy]

Well, the icing will still be quite sweet, but generally less so... Other of their cupcakes will have the same buttercream as the vanilla, because they've got the same base but a different flavouring. Also, some of their cupcakes use the vanilla icing, as far as I can tell, but have something else sprinkled on top for the flavour (for example, the coconut cupcake). It's important, also, to keep in mind that all icings are affected by temperature. Some people would greatly prefer a room temperature buttercream (whether American, Swiss, or Italian); others don't mind it cold. What I do notice with a Swiss or Italian buttercream is that when it's cold it really has a butter texture, almost like you're biting into pure butter. I don't mind that, but you might.

Next time you're in Toronto, give it a try, and let us know what you think.

[Ediblethoughts]

Such a good point! I MUST have a cold cupcake! Otherwise the icing tastes like sweet butter to me and I don't like that.

[freelancer]

You won't regret Life is Sweet's Lemon Drop cupcake. It was incredible!

[Ediblethoughts]

So is Yummy Stuff's icing cooked? Does anyone know? Looking for that frame of tangible reference...

[Full tummy]

I have never been there or tried any of their products, so I have no idea. Maybe LovelyAsia has been and will chime in.

[Full tummy]

Just noticed that LovelyAsia addressed this, sort of, above, and it seems as though it's not cooked, as she describes it as "crunchy".

[Ediblethoughts]

Huh. Crunchy. I guess it is compared to the very smooth icings--which bother me.

[freelancer]

I'm pretty sure it's uncooked, as it's what I'm used to - really sweet. It's been a long time since I tried theirs but it seems to be uncooked.

[Ediblethoughts]

It's that "end of" part that foils me. It's a long way to go for a cupcake! But given that I pretty much agree with your likes and dislikes above (though I haven't tried Miss Cora's), I may have to make the trek...

[freelancer]

I was in town visiting from Saskatchewan so hunting down the best cupcake shop in Toronto, even if it was at the end of the beaches, was necessary!!

[Ediblethoughts]

I completely understand. I've gone to some completely insane lengths (not to mention distances) for that one treat/dish that I've heard sooooo much about. And there's nothing like the pressure of knowing your time to try said treat/dish is about to expire!

[freelancer]

I was in the area anyway and was upset not to see a single cupcake shoppe in the beaches. Totally didn't realize that a ton of them are in Leslieville, earlier on. Sadly I did not have time to visit those, and had to walk BY "It's Icing on the Cake" without going in :( Has anyone tried those ones?

And yes, the pressure to explore it all while time ticks away is frustrating! Too many cupcakes to eat, not enough time!

[Eatertainer]

This thread should begin and end with Sweet Bliss. They are without a doubt the best in the city.

[Full tummy]

I have been buying their baked goods since they opened, and enjoy many of them. That said, they use an uncooked frosting which I don't prefer. Have you tried cupcakes from the Wedding Cake Shoppe?

[babybluepowder]

I love Life is sweet for the variety of flavours. I love how you can taste different flavours in the icing as well the cake. They all look so pretty too and the shop is cozy and sweet too. I bought a dozen of minis and couldn't believe that I ate it in one sitting with a friend. We couldn't stop ourselves from trying every flavour - fav - lemon drop, & earl grey..more than once :P
Babycakes (at Lil'Baci) - best chocolate cupcake - choco funk - I love the icing and the moist cake
Sweet Bliss - really good red velvet cupcake
LPK's Culinary Groove Inc - best new flavour for me - mini cupcake - banana cupcake with maple icing....amazing combo, a little pricey for a mini as I recall. I'm not sure this is a regular flavour there.
Lolicakes - love the chocolate mini cupcakes there. Moist cake and yummy icing. Tried in the regular size and it was way too sweet.
Sugar Plum Sweet Creations - prettiest cupcakes - beautiful icing designs, but the most stale and dry cupcakes I've ever had. Had it only once, hopefully it was just an off day.
Cupcake Shoppe - Pretty looking cupcakes. Tastewise, nothing special for me. Icing too buttery for my taste.
The best red velvet cupcake I had so far was Starbucks. I know some people didn't like it but I loved it, icing and cake. Too bad they don't sell it anymore. I'd love to find out where I could find the same cupcakes.
Went to NYC over the summer and was kind of dissapointed with the red velvet cupcake at Magnolia's. It was alright but it I've tasted better cupcakes in Toronto.

[Full tummy]

Thanks for the comprehensive review. You should try the Cupcakery and the Wedding Cake Shoppe when you have a chance. I'm going to put LPK's Culinary Groove on my list, but last time I was in front of the shop it was closed. Lollicakes' frosting is made with shortening, no dairy, fyi. I liked the vanilla cupcakes at Starbucks, haha, better than many I've had. Didn't try the red velvet one. The one time I bought a cupcake at Sugar Plum, they were all sold out, but the owner (I think) frosted another for me, and it was quite good, but the icing was of the uncooked sort that I enjoy less. I find her cupcakes to be quite pretty with all those little flowers dotting the top. Let's hope your experience was an off day.

[scarberian]

I agree with your review of the Cupcake Shoppe. My wife bought some last night since she passes by the shop on her way home. The cake itself is fine, but the icing was bland... no flavour. So far our favourite is still Life Is Sweet; best cupcakes we've had so far.

[Atahualpa]

I agree with Eatertainer. Sweet Bliss' are best and I have tried WCS.

I think Sweet Bliss' icing is perfect. I like that bit of texture in it. I am not a fan of disturbingly smooth frosting.

[Ediblethoughts]

That's a perfect way to describe how I feel about some icing---"disturbingly smooth"!

[JPJ]

Differences in taste aside, I am not sure what is meant by "disturbingly smooth". My sister who is a professional pastry chef was taught in school that buttercream is supposed to be completely smooth. If it had lumps or any grit you would fail.

For me the only issue is when it is smooth but dense, if it is light as a real buttercream should be, it is perfection.

[Ediblethoughts]

I find when it's too smoooth, it's like sweet butter. I like smooth but I like it fudgy smooth--i.e. more icing sugar in the mix.

[Atahualpa]

Exactly, it should be firm when cold, faintly pliable – like a cold ganache.

Too smooth and too light and it can feel like it is coating the mouth.

[JPJ]

I think the buttercream you don't like is the French buttercreams, they tend to melt very quickly because they have a high fat content and that fat can of course leave a slight coating behind. They rely on a sugar syrup/egg yolk mixture for the base. An italian butter cream which is just as light and smooth relies on a meringue (the egg whites of course, no yolk) for the base to create the light texture. It melts slower and I have never had one leave a coating. For me Italian buttercream is king. American buttercream is by far the worse. At least the french and italian buttercreams use a dissolve sugar to sweeten, the american/lazy version uses icing sugar which leaves a definite grit, especially if refridgerated. Theoretically if you bring it back to room temperature the gritiness is supposed to dissipate, but I find it often does not.

[Atahualpa]

I'm just not sure why lightness is a desired attribute here. I quite like buttercream icing that is dense enough that when you bite through it, you can see teeth marks in firm, fudgy icing.

[Full tummy]

Only because some people feel that eating a cooked buttercream (Swiss, Italian) is like biting into butter, which it shouldn't be if it's made properly and allowed to come to room temperature.

Fudgy works for me when it's a ganache and chocolate's the base, but not when it's "fudgy" because it's full of undissolved icing sugar.

[Ediblethoughts]

Fudge typically is kind of like that, though, isn't it? There's a bit of a grittiness to it---it's not "silkly smooth". (I like vanilla fudge too!)

[JPJ]

Sounds like you enjoy the American style buttercream. I guess that's why they make different kinds, personally I find is diabetic coma inducing sweet and the texture is pasty.

Lightness is a standard by which pastry chefs measure the quality of a cupcake, it is traditionally supposed to be light. That doesn't mean of course that people can't like something different, just trying to explain why lightness is one of the criteria I think is important.

[Ediblethoughts]

Me too! When I make my own icing, it's butter, icing sugar and vanilla and a tiny bit of milk and I love it.

[Full tummy]

And never the twain shall meet... hahaha.

[Ediblethoughts]

Actually, when they don't meet, it's really bad icing.

[LTL]

I recently discovered Swirls, formerly in Leslieville, relocated to a storefront 5 minutes away from my house (about 4 blocks west of Jane/Dundas). I tried a half dozen on my first visit, and have been back a few more times for singles. I'm addicted to the Hostess cupcake (chocolate cupcake with chocolate ganache frosting with white cream inside) and the Red Velvet. Other notable mentions: Oreo (chocolate cake w/ oreo buttercream), Raspberry (vanilla cake with raspberry buttercream that tastes like real raspberries and isn't cloyingly sweet). As far as I can tell, it is cooked buttercream, which I prefer (no grittiness and not overly sweet). Quality has been consistent as well - moist flavourful cupcakes and an interesting array of buttercream flavours that don't all taste the same. I definitely recommend Swirls.

For the record, I've also tried Wedding Cake Shoppe including the passionfruit which is amazing. I would say they're on par in terms of taste and quality, with WCS perhaps having more selection of flavours (Swirls only has 8). However, a half dozen at Swirls will only set you back $10.95.

[Full tummy]

When were they in Leslieville?

[LTL]

Sorry, mixed it up though I don't think it makes a difference to the important part of my post - the review :) Either way, the Dundas St. W location opened a few months ago in September.

[Full tummy]

Oh, thanks. I live near Leslieville and I thought I'd missed something.

[Boodah]

Finally made it over to Swirls today. I don't know if it was an off day or what, but the chocolate cupcake was unpleasantly dry and the vanilla cupcake tasted EXACTLY like a boxed cupcake mix, a real letdown for a boutique bakery. I still have 4 left out of the half-dozen I hadn't tried yet including the Oreo, Hostess, Lemon Coconut and some kind of chocolate caramel or something. It's definitely a cooked buttercream, very light which is a good thing. Certain not bad but I was hoping for a bit more.

[Boodah]

Ok, I've eaten a few more from there and now I've nailed down what's bothering me about them (besides the fact that they've all been pretty dry so far)...the chocolate ones barely have a chocolate flavor. I'm guessing they're either using a really mild cocoa or not using much of it but when I get something chocolate I want to taste chocolate, not just sort of a hint of chocolate. Also, the Hostess cupcake knockoff was just flat-out unimpressive. Edible, but nothing about it would make me buy it again. I really don't want to rip on this place as I really liked the decor and the staff was great, but I can't really find much to like about their cupcakes.

[Full tummy]

Me, too, like a Devil's Food Cake, not like a Red Velvet Cake... Real, rich chocolate. Too bad!!!

[Boodah]

Valrhona cocoa for chocolate cupcakes is where it's at, it doesn't get much better than that.

[andygirl]

I love the Tickle your Tummy cupcakes - sold at wholefoods, and sometimes vince's market in my neighbourhood.
They are packaged so i make sure to get them when they're fresh to the store and come in chocolate and vanilla. made with butter, and so light and delicious i can eat three in a row.
they also happen to be nut-free and therefore allowed in my kids schools. whenever i've brought them in, the teachers rave about them.

[LovelyAsia]

Picked up some more cupcakes from the Wedding Cake Shoppe the other day and the Peanut Butter one's were incredible... if you like Peanut Butter and chocolate you will love these! Hubby could not believe how "peanut buttery" the icing was!

[TorontoJo]

I'm so irritated -- I was down in the area and went to the Wedding Cake Shoppe to pick up what I hoped would finally be good cupcakes (I've now had 3 icky cupcake experiences in a row). I checked their website for hours, but when I got there, they were closed. A sign in the window said they were closed this weekend for the bridal show. It would have been nice to post that on their web site. Grr.

[Toronto Chower]

I went to Prairie Girl at King and Victoria this week and the cupcakes were delicious. We tried six of the minis and I want to go back and try the rest. We had red velvet, coconut, banana cake with peanut butter frosting, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, lemon, and vanilla cake with strawberry frosting. There's a lot of frosting pm the cakes and they are pretty sweet but the minis make a wonderful treat. I think they have 12 regular varieties and then a special flavour. I will definitely return.

[jlunar]

There's a recent thread on Prarie Girl. Have to say, they're pretty darn good! Tried six of the minis as well. Thought the strawberry was the best one.