Old Firehall Confectionery

Bakery: Old Firehall Confectionery 
Address: 170 Main St, Unionville ON
Website: http://www.oldfirehallconfectionery.com/index.php
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$$ 

In an attempt to develop my selection of bakeries in the eastern part (here northeastern) of the GTA -- especially as it's the biggest pocket on my lovely Google map ^^ -- I decided to stop by historic Unionville for the first time since starting up my Cake Tour. At least, I'm told that I had to have seen it many years ago, but I don't remember....

Anyways, I was hoping for a few more stops in this pedestrian-heavy strip of stores; the Old Firehall is as close as one gets to a bakery, though they are, as the name suggests, a confectionery more than a bakery and/or pastry shop. Without a doubt, their dozens of chocolates seem to be their specialty -- at least they look the tastiest. Crowds flock for the ice cream (not made by them) on waffle cones made in-store, but they do have several cases of sweets, though the vast majority of these are square-shaped cupcakes ($2.99). Other items include similarly loaf-shaped cakes and brownies ($3.99) along with fancier products such as macarons, tarts and tortes ($6+).

As mentioned above, it seemed as though their several specialties (and what everyone else was buying) didn't include baked treats, so I thought the simpler carrot cake ($3.99) the safest bet. And I had the self-proclaimed 'carrot cake expert' on hand that day, so why not take advantage of the opportunity? ;) Outwardly, it was different than most carrot cakes: besides its loaf shape, the classic cream cheese icing was topped with a layer of crumble and chunks of walnut. Prodding it with a fork, it seemed hard and the expert was initially skeptical. However, digging into it, the texture was nice and moist. Good icing and the crumble and walnut blend on top was a nice, very tasty touch. The only real thing lacking was a richer carrot taste versus a more standard spice cake dough.

A good, though pricier place for treats in an otherwise barren Unionville and surrounding area, I would nonetheless probably try the chocolates next time.

Rating: ***