Qualicum Beach Bakery

Bakery: Qualicum Beach Bakery
Address: 130 W 2nd Ave, Qualicum Beach BC
Website: n/a 
Style: German, Canadian
Price: $$  

It is a lot more common to stumble upon a German bakery in Western Canada, even in smaller towns, and that's always a pleasant surprise, because that often means poppy seed! ;) Yes, there is usually a wider selection including Canadian classics like Nanaimo bars, squares and carrot cakes, but it's so nice when a Cake Tour involves such treats as poppy seed squares and plum cakes, both of which I love.

This was certainly the case at Qualicum Beach Bakery, where I happened to get both. The poppy seed was good: just the right amount of poppy seed mass for this kind of cake with a tasty crumble on top and shortbread crust on the bottom. The mass may have been a little too grainy and not as cohesive as I would have wanted it, but the taste was very good.

The plum cake was also good. Fresh, moist dough topped generously with plums and delicious crumble that did get soggy in some places, but this is a common problem with this cake, so it is difficult to get perfect. At the very least, it wasn't dry and therefore, a delicious treat. 

Vancouver Island had, in general, amazing bakeries, and while this one didn't knock my socks off like others did, it was a great addition to the list. 

Rating: ***