September Sweetness

Fall has arrived and it brings with it crisp mornings, clear sunlight, the occasional autumnal drizzle, and, of course, our new cupcake of the month! Growing up in orchard country, Autumn always meant one thing to me: apple harvest. Up early and up in the trees, we'd always nab a few apples before school, then leave the rest of the apples to be picked by the pros (our parents). Our own pros here at Yummy Stuff have taken freshly harvested apples and baked them into September's cupcake of the month: our Yummy Apple Cinnamon Cupcake.

The name just about says it all, but there's a secret filling missing... I've never been good with secrets so I'll spill! It an apple cinnamon cupcake with a bourbon caramel filling and a cinnamon buttercream frosting. It tastes like a cozy day in Nana's kitchen, and we all know our sassy grandmothers would add a swig of bourbon to their caramel. Even though I'm a grown (-ish) lady now, you can find me in the kitchen at Yummy Stuff begging to lick the spoon when our bakers are finished making the caramel!

With such an abundance of apples available in Autumn we couldn't help but bake them -instead of the proverbial blackbirds- into pies! When you cut into these buttery pies, a wealth of sweet and juicy apples spills out. Though no birds may be singing as in the nursery rhyme (if anything, they've started migrating south), you can still proclaim "what a dainty dish to set before the king!" (If Canada had a king that is. "Prime Minister" just doesn't seem to have the right ring to it). Either way, our apple treats are fit for royalty...and for you!

Feisty and Zesty August!

It’s August and the summer heat is about to break with a thunder storm outside the shop window.  Whenever the big fat drops of warm rain hit the ground I like to pretend I’m in a tropical storm –there’s so much humidity and power in the air!  When I was little my concerned father would tell me to come inside, for fear that lightening would mistake me for a tree.  (As I grew taller, this fear became more of a pressing concern.)  I still do usually tempt fate for a few minutes though before the thunder cracks overhead chase me back indoors.  I think that the element of danger and the ensuing fear -à la the Von Trapp children- make the sunshine that much better when the storm passes.

We’re channelling this stormy energy and refreshing sunshine in our featured cupcake for the month of August. On the heels of the Caribana Festival in Toronto, we present a feisty cupcake whose colours remind you of a bird of paradise:  our Yummy Raspberry Lime Zest(y) Cupcake!  It’s our signature raspberry cupcake with a zesty twist –literally! We’ve added lime zest to the cupcake itself, which already has delicious fresh raspberries baked right into it, and topped it off with a lime zest cream cheese buttercream frosting, raspberry drizzle, and lime wedge. Even its description is a tasty mouthful. They are dangerously delicious, and yet the lime wedge makes them refreshing –much like a summer storm!

Well, the sun has come out again so I’ll give you some more good news. Or should I say: S’more good news? We still have our classic S’mores cupcake that was featured in June. It’s a summer favourite so we’re keeping it around all season!  When you finally pack in your camping gear for the cool weather, only then will we pack up our S’mores recipe, ready and waiting for the next year. In case you’re new to our blog celebrating all things yummy, our S’mores cupcake is a delectable chocolate cupcake on a bed of toasty graham crumbs, topped with a marshmallow meringue frosting that our bakers have caramelized to perfection.  Remember the satisfaction of having toasted your marshmallow over the campfire and not catching it in the flames (thus creating a mini torch with which to explore lost archaeological treasures like Indiana Jones), but instead making it bubbly and gooey and perfect for sandwiching between two graham crackers and a hunk of chocolate, and then popping it in your mouth and possibly burning your tongue but it was totally worth it? Yes, that exact feeling. Our bakers have captured it in our S’mores cupcake.

                Whether you feel like sitting by the campfire or dancing in the rain (or possibly both) we’ve got a cupcake or two to suit your mood...and more importantly your tastebuds!

They're Baaack!

It's so great when all of a sudden, you wake up and it's Summer! Schools out! Nights are warm! You no longer need socks! No more sweater! Yup- it's Summertime folks, the most wonderful time of the year! Actually, Summer doesn't technically start for a couple of weeks, but the 25 degree sunny weather this week is telling me it's here! Yay! We all deserve a huge high five for getting through a terrifying Winter and a cold, depressing Spring. All of that icky weather is in the past though- from now until October we can look forward to sunny skies. Come October, I'm sure we'll be craving a warm pair of socks and a roaring fire.

Personally, my official sign that Summer has arrived is when the bakers whip up a batch of our famous S'mores cupcakes. To me, they mean the following things: fun long weekends are on the horizon, barefoot is the new norm, mosquito bites on my ankles and campfires! Especially campfires. I really feel like Summer wouldn't be Summer without a S'mores cupcake from Yummy Stuff. Of course, that's why I'm checking in with you today, to let you know that my Summer began on Tuesday morning, when I was happy to come into work and smell the smell of toasty marshmallow meringue.

For those of you who are new here, let me first tell you that our S'mores cupcake are an official Yummy Stuff classic. They are the favourite of many customers, who ask for them every time they come in. Our S'mores cupcake is a moist, chocolate cupcake with this delicious buttery, graham crust sitting on the bottom of the cupcake- so, when you bite into it, there's this little hidden surprise mound of yummy crust at the bottom. Totally unexpected and completely drool-worthy. The topping of this cupcake gets me every time, it's not a butter based frosting, but rather a whipped, marshmallow-y meringue. Once it's piped onto each cupcake, the bakers torch it to crispy perfection with a little torch. The smell transforms me to a warm summer night under a starry sky sitting in front of a campfire and lighting marshmallow after marshmallow on fire. We all love them!

The wait is over...

Seems as though Spring has FINALLY sprung over here in our neck of the woods! It was a long haul of a Winter, and I'm sure everyone can let out a sigh of relief that it's behind us.
We've had a busy Spring so far here in the shop- Easter kicked things off, then it was the annual "Spring into Parkdale" event (Success!) Then, last weekend, we spent time on tons of Christening and Communion cakes and Spring wedding events. Some really great looking cakes have been walking out or doors these days.

It's so great to see everyone out and about again- our little area of Parkdale certainly is seeing a renewed amount of interest, with so many great new shops opening up Parkdale is the perfect place to spend a sunny Spring afternoon!

With the ground warm and green and these lovely sunny days, we wanted to give you a cupcake this month to put a little Spring in your step. Something that is full of flavour, but still light and yummy. After much deliberation, we choose to give you something with a serious punch of flavour. I give you: a ginger lemon cupcake with a lemon cream cheese buttercream frosting. Of course, we also topped these little devils with a piece of candied ginger. These flavours go amazingly well together and pack a big bunch of flavour into a cupcake. Why not enjoy one this Saturday afternoon while perusing our great 'hood!

In other news, we've started featuring freshly baked bread at Yummy Stuff on Saturday mornings. This bread is particularly delicious and getting quite a lot of positive feedback from the entire city- it's made by Simon at Blackbird Baking co. Blackbird has finally opened a brick and mortar shop in Kensington, if you can't make it to Kensington for a loaf, c'mon by Yummy Stuff on Saturday morning! As a local resident of the neighbourhood, I'm happy to know there's a new option for some seriously delish bread!

Happy Spring!

Happy Spring people! Yay! We made it! 

I should leave it at that, I don't want to get overly excited and jinx it- there is still a chill in the air and I've not yet placed my Winter boots in the closet, from which they cannot make another appearance until at least the last week of November. I've gotten overly excited about the impending warm weather and started eyeing my bbq- is it too early? I feel somewhat weak admitting that the Winter took the best out of me, but I'm certainly not alone. How do I know? Because of all the happy people filing into the bakery with smiles on their faces, jackets unzipped and regular shoes on their feet- regular shoes! All of whom are more excited every day about the promise of long, warm days, flowers and green!

So, lets toast the arrival of Spring with something yummy, shall we? We're bringing back a favourite of mine from last year. Something about looking at these little gems just makes me feel happy- probably because of the way they look: 

These cupcakes really do pack a punch, there is something seriously magical about the batter- with chopped up maraschino cherries throughout and the sweet, lovely taste of almond in every bite. I absolutely love  maraschino cherries, so much in fact, that when I was young, I considered them as an important part of a fruit filled diet. I'd never thought adding maraschino cherries to a cupcake batter would be so life changing. But, trust me, its a good lesson learned. We've topped these little lovelies with a (teal blue) vanilla frosting and a whole cherry on top. Why teal? Why not!? 

March!

February was quite lovely, wasn't it? despite the absolute freezing cold, lack of sunshine and all the snow, it was still just great. The Winter Olympics helped get me (and, I'm guessing most Canadians) through the slump of knowing that we're still in for at least another 6 long weeks of Winter weather. Also, there was a nice break at the end of February when the sun emerged and melted enough snow that I was able to emerge from my house without Winter boots on (although, I promptly changed my mind. It's still Winter, after all). The mild weather and bare sidewalks didn't last long, but knowing that we are officially "in" the month that Spring begins really helps brighten my mood.  

So, here we are. It's March. It's still -20 and it snowed yesterday. But Spring starts in 2 weeks! 2 weeks, people! Let's celebrate, shall we? How about celebrating with a cupcake? How about with our feature cupcake flavour for March? 

I get deja-vu every time I write a post for March. We've done the same delish cupcake now for years. It's become one of our signature flavours- people call and order it up all year round, but I'm so happy when we have it for the whole month straight, and I can snack on it any time I feel like. It's also the most perfect cupcake to celebrate the other reason March is great- St. Patty's day! 

In case you're new around here, this month (and every March), we're featuring a Guinness cupcake- yes, a cupcake with Guinness in it. The darkness and dryness of the stout really compliments the chocolate in the cupcake nicely. We top this charming little fellow with a cream cheese frosting spiked with a veeeery generous amount of Baileys. 

So, swing by the shop and pick one of these coveted little gems up- Let's celebrate the impending arrival of Spring!

Happy February!

In the time it will take me to write this post, about 5 centimetres of snow will fall, add that to the other 10-15 centimetres that has already fallen, and you get a nice reason to hunker down and get cozy. Seriously people, I haven't spent this much time in socks and sweaters in years! We've been under an almost constant cold weather alert for weeks, and the snow just keeps coming! All this being said, we can handle this. We will get through it. We are Canadians. Spring will come- until then though, ignore everything on your "to do" list and really try to enjoy the coziness that results from all the snow and cold. My favourite way to enjoy this time of year involves my couch, a blanket, Downton Abbey, tea and cupcakes.

Newsflash! Valentine's day is less than 2 weeks away. Have you gotten your sweetheart something yet? How about something sweet? How about something from us?! Luckily, we've got you covered with tons of yummy stuff for Valentines day. Even better? We've got a killer feature cupcake this month, guaranteed to get you through this snowy, freezing cold, windy cozy February.  How about a Passion Fruit cupcake topped with a dreamy and delicious chocolate whipped cream? What if I told you we took this amazing cupcake to the next level and added a passion fruit curd filling? Yes- we did. Yes, it's delicious! This cupcake tastes like a decadent dessert, but is so light and fresh with the whipped cream on top and the punch of fresh, tangy curd in the middle. I'm hoping you can pick some up at sometime this month, if the snow stops for long enough to let you outside to run up to our shop. If not, stay on your couch... we deliver!