The "150 Canadian Bakeries" Dream!

This year, 2017, Canada turns 150 and in honour, Mimi's Cake Tour is taking the Great Canadian Cake Tour to a whole new level. The goal, the dream: One year, 150 Canadian bakeries reviewed from one end of the country to the other. :)

EDIT: I've done it!!!! 150 Canadian bakeries reviewed from across the country with just Newfoundland, Nunavut and Northwest Territories missing -- WOW! But it doesn't stop there. The year isn't over and the list of bakeries needing to be reviewed just keeps going and growing, so I am making this a 150+. 

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Current: 166/150

Want to get involved? Want 2017 to be Canada's Year of the Cake?

What's Brewing on Broadway

Bakery: What's Brewing on Broadway
Address: 420 Broadway St, Nakusp BC 
Website: n/a
Style: Canadian
Price: $$ 

It's December 31 and I'm trying to go through as much of my pending list of bakeries as possible before my "150 Canadian bakeries" expires. I can't believe it's pretty much done... Anyways, here's one from Nakusp. According to Google, there is supposed to be an actual bakery in town; unfortunately, this bakery no longer exists and one of your only sources for baked goods is this cozy coffee shop on the main street. Yes, at the very least, What's Brewing on Broadway does have their own selection of treats to go with your coffee, tea or smoothie. As is often the case with cafes, that selection isn't too extensive and includes such things as muffins, scones, slices of pound cakes (banana is the one I remember), and a few squares and cookies.

From this, I picked out the brownie (I forget if it had a specific name or style. It was a dense chocolate brownie, nice and moist, with a triple top featuring thick white frosting, a strip of chocolate in the middle and then drizzled with dark chocolate. Maybe a little excessively sweet, but you can't expect any less from a brownie. ;) A nice stop before or after the hot springs....

Rating: ***

Blackbird Bakery

Bakery: Blackbird Bakery
Address: 2237 2nd Ave #130, Whitehorse YT 
Website: https://blackbirdbakerywhitehorse.com/
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

The next bakery to do in Whitehose, Blackbird is just outside the downtown core and is located in  Waterfront Station. It's what I would consider "my style" of bakery; that is to say, it's sweets only. There's no bread or buns, pizza or soup. Just cakes and pies, tarts and cookies. That being said, this tiny bake shop does not have that much selection and the items they do have, there aren't really actual baked goods in terms of things that need to be eaten day-of like cinnamon buns or danishes -- actually, I noticed that no one really has any baked goods or doughnuts/apple fritters or anything along those lines (is Whitehorse my market for the taking?!). Instead, the display case features whole cakes and pies (I recall pecan and pumpkin) and the smaller case on the counter has cookies, butter tarts and squares. That about rounds things up.

I would have liked to try some pie, but slices were not available and there was no selection in terms of the cake slices. So, instead, I had the cranberry date square ($3.25). I have date squares now and then; it's one of my favourite "classic" baked goodies, but I have yet to see one with cranberries added to the mix. It was a nice choice: you had the thick sweetness of dates paired with tart cranberries, though together, I'm not sure it was that easy figuring out what the filling was if you didn't know in advance and some more of that tartness might have been a nice touch. The only thing I could say is that the topping could be improved, though; it needed a little more than a scattering of oats to get some more texture. As it was, it was a bit like a granola bar than a square.

Rating: ***

Choices Markets

Bakery: Choices Markets 
Address: 1937 Harvey Ave, Kelowna BC
Website: https://www.choicesmarkets.com/
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

Choices Markets is could probably be most likened to the BC Whole Foods, a supermarket specializing in organic and health foods (though they have a fair share of "standard" groceries) with several locations throughout parts of the province, with most in Metro Vancouver. I visited their Kelowna location to check out their bakery section and found it considerably larger than the one at the other health food grocery store in town, though I prefer the latter for shopping purposes. Nevertheless, most items in the bakery section are either pre-packed in little plastic boxes (including cake slices, squares, cupcakes and cookies) or baked goods are sold individually on a small set of shelves; that is, the "in-house" sweets, since they also have a few things from other bakeries or sources. There are some gluten-free and vegan treats, but nothing is really organic. Still, providing a list of ingredients on each boxed item is a nice touch, though I was a little disappointed, given the nature of the store, that some items didn't have the greatest list.

 My first pick was their cinnamon buns, but I thought the amount of icing on top was a little excessive and went instead for two treats from the pre-packed zone in the fridge. The first was the chocolate ganache cake ($3.69), a rich chocolate sponge cake, nice and moist, but not too sweet, with a decadent, buttery chocolate ganache on top and a little in the middle. Simple ingredients, good taste.

I also decided to try the date and oat square ($2.99). This was a pretty good one with perfectly proportioned dough, date and crumble. I liked the texture of the crumble on top and it was just the right amount of date filling. It wasn't my favourite date square, to be sure; both items did feel a bit more commercial, more "supermarket" than something from a smaller bakery.

Rating: **1/2 

Chow's Pastry Shop

Bakery: Patisserie Chow's Pastry Shop
Address: 16 Rue de la Gauchetière Est, Montreal QC
Website: facebook 
Style: Chinese 
Price: $ 

I have to confess that I've been going to and eating in Chinatown for as long as I've been going to Montreal and yet for the longest time I didn't even notice the existence of this small Chinese bakery tucked into a nook east of Saint Laurent, just off the major pedestrian zones; I can hardly believe it.

Nevertheless, Chow's Pastry Shop is perhaps the bakery for a Chinese bakery skeptic. Those that have noticed that most bakeries sell cookie-cutter clones of the same Westernized baked goods; you know the ones. So while there are no coconut cream buns here (some may breathe a sigh of relief), there's a selection of pretty traditional pastries that you're not likely to find anywhere else. It's as old-school as it gets, with goodies like sweet jellies, moon cakes, bean-stuffed flaky pastries and sesame balls, and wintermelon "wife cakes".

While staring at the shelves of sweets and wondering what to take, the owner drew my attention to the front counter, to the tray of Chinese doughnuts that were only available on weekends. It's like he read my mind (because, yes, I had spotted them from outside and was wondering what they were). I couldn't resist! Now that my favourite place for Chinese doughnuts in Chinatown closed down, I did have a bit of a craving.... So, though Chinese doughnuts it was!

These doughnuts ($0.75 each with tax) were unlike any I'd seen; I've seen/tried the traditional "oil strip" (the long ones) and "ox tongue" (the diamond shaped ones) varieties, as well as the sweeter sesame topped ones (resembling a big puffy pancake), but I'd never encountered a hole-in-the-middle doughnut. Despite its doughnut shape, it resembled more the ones I mentioned above; they weren't sweet, perhaps a little and also with a hint of saltiness, and were pretty much dough rings fried to a nice golden brown. The highlight was definitely the middle where the thinner flaps of dough turned nice and crispy. Mmm... I would have liked the rest of the doughnut to have had a more crispy outside, but I wasn't bad. One of the best and most interesting Chinese bakeries I've visited.

Rating: ***

Blue Moose

Bakery: Blue Moose Coffee House
Address: 322 Wallace St, Hope BC
Website: https://www.bluemoose.coffee/
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

While there is an actual, "proper" bakery in Hope, it's already been done, so broadening the horizons was necessary. ;) Blue Moose is a coffee shop first that likewise sells a smaller selection of baked goods (in keeping with the fact that they are a cafe) made by them along with sandwiches and other 'lunch stuff'. Of course, no one was there for lunch this time around and it was straight to the baked goodies.

These, essentially, didn't look as enticing as I had hoped; more specifically, I went with the date square, because the other baked goods, like their cinnamon buns, looked a bit dry. A date square is always a good choice in cases like this, and I do like date squares. Anyways, it pretty much tasted like it looked: alright. The proportions were a bit off, with the date filling and maybe most of the crumble layer being too thin, especially in comparison to that giant chunk of crumble plopped right in the middle like a boulder from an avalanche. It was easily the same size as the entire square. Still, not bad: not too sweet and, though oversized, the crumble was probably the highlight of the square.

Rating: **1/2 

Tombstone Interpretive Centre

Bakery: Tea & Bannock at Tombstone Park Interpretive Centre
Address: Dempster Highway, YT
Website: .../camping-parks/Tombstone-Interpretive-Centre.php
Style: Canadian
Price: --

Okay, yes, I know. This is one of my more far-fetched Cake Tours, but really, it was so hard to resist when the pictures were already taken (though I can't believe why I didn't take a picture of the building itself...) and the treat eaten. :P So: along the Dempster Highway, right at the start of the stunning Tombstone Territorial Park, there is the park's interpretive centre that happens to serve tea and bannock every Wednesday in the summer. What's more, it's all free! As luck would have it, I was there on Wednesday, at the right time; in fact, I actually ended up at the season's last tea and bannock. Lucky lucky.

 Naturally, I grabbed a mug and had some of the tea, a herbal tea brewed from wild herbs picked in the park; it was so good and the tea, at any rate, is available free throughout the day, any day (in peak season, I presume?) at the stove in the middle of the interpretive centre.

Outside, in a little enclosure right next to the entrance, the bannock was a-frying in a simple pot atop a portable stove (courtesy of one park interpreter) and the small clusters (too small for me XD) were served hot with homemade plum or rose hip (I'm pretty sure that was the empty jar of what was some sort of red stuff) jam; I had plum. I've had bannock here and there; I've even fried my own and I can say with certainty that this bannock was the best I've tried so far. This was delicious, even more so with the slightly tangy jam spooned on top. Yummy!! It took all my self-restraint to not run back for more... I wouldn't want to be accused of not letting others have some. .____.; What a fantastic and totally unexpected experience!

Rating: ***1/2

Sandrine

Bakery: Sandrine 
Address: 1865 Dilworth Dr, Kelowna BC
Website: http://www.sandrinepastry.com/
Style: French
Price: $$-$$$

Why, yes, Kelowna does have a French patisserie. I'm not actually sure why this turned into one of the last bakeries on my list, but that's how it happened. Nonetheless, located in a plaza across from the mall, it's not the most conspicuous bakery, but inside the bright, modern space, you have your classic selection of elegant cakes, cookies, colourful macarons, handmade chocolates and what I assume was a counter of flaky pastries -- at least I deduced the latter from the labels and stray crumbs. They also have a large selection of savoury items, including French sausages, quiches, and duck confit, along with a series of lovely-looking sorbet cakes. I would love to try the black currant one; it looked delicious!!

 I came in with a craving for some flaky French dough or perhaps a fruit tart, but found the first gone/sold out and the latter not available. I don't know why I always have the luck of coming and finding nothing left. :/ Someone seems to beat me to it, every time, without fail... Anyways, I was intrigued by their counter-top feature: several varieties of "tea cakes" ($3.25). Yes, madeleines. And I happen to love madeleines; I haven't one in ages! I was debating between a few, but finally settled on the apricot brandy version. How could you pass up a combination like that? Moist, dense buttery dough with a definite hint of alcohol and a touch of fruit. Madeleines are all about the butter and I felt like they could have been more... buttery, though I'm not sure if perhaps the flavour simply detracted from appreciating the classic butter taste.

The "chocolate love" ($5.95) was also tried. Many of the cake slices (as is often the case) were chocolate centred, and this was probably the choclatiest of the bunch. Rich milk chocolate mousse, sponge cake and a dark chocolate ganache on top, with two handmade chocolates on top. I think rich might not even cover it. ;D It was a lovely creation and if you love chocolate, this is for you. I just don't know what happened between it being packed and unpacked. I wish places like this had smaller, individual boxes for their pricier goodies.... ;___;

Rating: ***

Passion et Gourmandises

Bakery: Passion et Gourmandises
Address: 77 Avenue des Pins E, Montreal QC
Website: http://www.passionetgourmandises.com/
Style: French
Price: $$ 

It always amazes me how many bakeries I still have to do in the Plateau Mont-Royal. Really, it's a wonderful thing. *-* The next on that list (and the first bakery on this latest 8-day trip to Montreal) is Passion et Gourmandises, an airy, open-concept space with plenty of seating and a minimalist counter of products in one corner. Minimalist seemed to likewise cover the selection. I'm always a little stumped in these kinds of situations; do I go on the wrong day at the wrong time or are the shelves usually so... barren?  With one or two each of every item and not much variety, including fancier cake slices and flaky pastries, it took me awhile to figure out what to take, seeing as my usual patisserie favourites were nowhere to be seen.

Recalling a beyond-delicious almond croissant I had had once in Vancouver (where I was likewise a little pressed for choice), I finally settled on the same thing here: the croissant aux amandes ($3.75, with tax). Even when photographing it, I noted that the typical French layered and flaky pastry was instead composed of almost strips or bands of dough rolled to form something resembling a croissant. It didn't look really look like a croissant, nor did it have the telltale texture. The dough was simply too... doughy. The taste, specifically the almond mass inside was good, though very rich. Finishing this off, I felt like I'd downed two days' worth of caloric intake in one baked good -- and that seemed like a very un-French feeling.

Rating: **1/2

Cheekakos' Bakeshop

Bakery: Cheekakos' Bakeshop
Address: 902 Front St, Dawson YT 
Website: facebook
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$-$$$ 

The one proper, dedicated bakery in Dawson, Cheekakos is a seasonal business operating through peak season and I would say offers more options for lunch and bread than it does goodies for those coming in with a sweet tooth, with the latter focusing on scones. I was also surprised that, actually coming there in the morning, there wasn't that much to choose from and I found the fairly large space a bit... empty. Instead, I was greeted with signs with no products and empty baskets; some items had labels, some didn't; some had prices, many did not. To tell the truth, I found the two grocery stores had more exciting selection.

Nevertheless, one of my travel goals had been to review Cheekakos' (lol, should I really be admitting this?) so I absolutely could not leave empty-handed. One of the items I did want, however, were empty, so I decided on my second pick: the Dutch apple spice cake ($4.45 w/ tax). The price came as a bit of a surprise, but I do love spice cake, so I was curious to try this one out. The cake dough was moist, though I probably would have preferred a little more "spice" to it. It could have been more flavourful. Nice amount of apples, not too much to detract from the cake nor too little. The streusel on top was a particularly tasty touch; I mean, what goes better with spice cake than streusel? Mmm, in the end, it didn't turn so bad after all~

Rating: ***

Nature's Fare

Bakery: Nature's Fare
Address: 1876 Cooper Rd #120, Kelowna BC
Website: http://www.naturesfare.com
Style: North American, Gluten-free 
Price: $$ 

Nature's Fare is a smaller chain of health and organic food stores with about half a dozen stores through the Okanagan along with locations in Kamloops, Langley and White Rock. Think of it as a slightly smaller, homegrown Whole Foods. As is the case with these larger, more "gourmet" health food stores, Nature's Fare has a bakery, though the vast amount of items are packaged and brought in from other places; however, I was looking for something entirely different (yes, this was a Cake Tour done on the side, a little bonus onto my shopping trip, you could say) and spotted a teeny-tiny shelf where they do have a small selection of baked goods, either simply saran wrapped or packed in plastic containers. These included cookies, some slices of cake and possibly a few treats.

I think the one thing that did frustrate me a little was the fact that everything in their sweets section was gluten-free... I never like the assumption that because I want to eat healthy, it can never include good flour (and dairy), especially when gluten-free baking has become more attainable than in the past. On the other hand, finding organic baked goods, either entirely or with a majority of organic ingredients, is quite rare.

 Anyways, my mini rant over, I was intrigued by their gluten-free cinnamon coffee cake ($2.69), simply because it smelled so good, even through the saran wrap. Its aromas wafted through the bag and enticed me until it was finally time to bite into it. Unlike many gluten-free baked goods, the dough was a golden yellow, spongy and very moist, far from the white pasty stuff I've often  encountered. It was interlaced with plenty of fragrant and flavourful cinnamon and sprinkled with a bit of crumble. I wasn't a fan of the icing drizzled on top; there was something that bugged me about it and the crumble was, I admit, a little too sandy. Actually, the topping detracted a little bit from the texture of the cake, but it was pretty tasty. For all skeptics out there, you'd never know....

Rating: **1/2

Bonanza Market

Bakery: Bonanza Market
Address: 926 Second Ave, Dawson YT
Website: http://bonanzamarket.ca/
Style: Canadian 
Price: $ 

I was speaking of there being two grocery stores with their own bakeries in Dawson; this is the other one. Bonanza is, one could say, the more gourmet of the two; of course, this may be a bit of an overstatement, since both stores feature a nice selection of classic baked goods of the scone, muffin and cinnamon bun variety, but while Dawson General Store is simpler, more or less what you'd expect from a small-town bakery, Bonanza's goods are a little more rustic, artisan almost (with the addition of croissants and other flaky pastries, sweet and savoury). Naturally, one type isn't necessarily better than the other; just different.

 Bonanza Market's baked goods are located behind the counter in one corner of the shop, along with ready-made sandwiches and prepared foods. I couldn't resist their cinnamon bun (a steal of a deal at $1.99). Yes, the photo turned out horrible (I swear, it looked so much better when I checked it), but what the photo lacked in photographic skill, the bun itself made up for it in taste. Delicious dough rolled with cinnamon; the dough was soft, yet quite dense with the exposed sides adding a nice "crust", especially with the sugary glaze poured on top of it. Yummy! I love my cinnamon buns and this took top honours for best bun in the Yukon (and also my top pick for baked goods in Dawson).

Rating: ***1/2  

Bread Co.

Bakery: Bread Co. 
Address: 363 Bernard Ave, Kelowna BC 
Website: https://www.thebreadcompany.ca/
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was in downtown Kelowna for the purpose of going to one bakery (which turned into two); this was that bakery.

Bread Co. has two locations, one downtown and another in Pandosy Village, and serves what I like to call the Canadian hodgepodge of baked goods and treats. Think macarons served alongside cannoli and Nanaimo bars; in some ways, you could say they have some of the most varied selection in town. Sometimes that's a great thing, and sometimes it leads to problems in picking something out. I know, it's a bit difficult.

 I'd been on a cinnamon roll roll lately and wasn't sure if I'd give this bakery's a try when I spotted something that I knew I had to try then and there: the cinnamon pretzel ($2.99). Yup, that was the final choice and I was very happy I made it. A huge flaky pretzel braided with cinnamon and then rolled in cinnamon and powdered sugar. Perfect texture: flaky and crusty on the outside; peeling it apart, you had soft, almost chewy dough with just the right amount of cinnamon. Not too gooey, not too dry. Despite its size, it's hard not to eat this in one go. ;) Mmm, this was a good one.

Rating: *** 

Dawson City General Store

Bakery: Dawson City General Store 
Address: 1000 Front St, Dawson YT 
Website: facebook 
Style: Canadian 
Price: $-$$ 

Turns out that the "city" of Dawson has two independent grocery stores, both with their own in-house bakeries, in addition to a dedicated bakery (which, judging by the name, I believe to be seasonal). What? This is amazing! Going in to this, I was hoping to get one and came back with three Cake Tours. *-*

The first is the Dawson City General Store, where I actually went to buy some milk. At first, I only spotted boxed baked goods, sold in packs of six. However, soon afterwards, I noticed that those same baked goods were also available for individual purchase from the rows of self-serve bins. In some ways, it is what you what you would expect from a grocery store: simple, reasonably priced baked goods like a few types of doughnuts, cinnamon buns and danishes.

I was in the mood for a treat and I couldn't resist my first doughnut of the trip. ^^ More specifically, I went for the raspberry bismark ($1.29), a classic raspberry jelly doughnut coated in sugar. It looked good. However, biting into one probably within an hour of purchase, I was a little disappointed to find it not at peak freshness. And a jelly doughnut needs to be fresh in order for it to be enjoyable. Or maybe it was also the denser, flatter dough that made it not as soft as I would have liked it?  Pretty good, but I was hoping for better with my inaugural Dawson stop.

Rating: **1/2

350 Bakehouse and Cafe

Bakery: 350 Bakehouse and Cafe
Address: 567 Bernard Ave, Kelowna BC 
Website: http://www.350bakehousecafe.ca/
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

While in downtown Kelowna to take care of another Cake Tour, I walked past the following sign on the sidewalk... and ran inside immediately. ;D I hadn't even noticed this place the first few times I'd been in the neighbourhood and this seemed strangely unforgivable. However, 350 had succeeded in luring me in and I was ready to take on this assignment. 

 This amply stocked bakeshop seems to have two specialties in the sweets department: cinnamon buns (available in two or three varieties) and doughnuts, slightly on the gourmet side with several flavours, but nothing too extravagant or distracting. Besides this, they have some slices of cakes, cookies available by the entrance, and additional squares and baked goodies. While I had a few items I would have liked to try the first time around, my mind kept going back to the sign outside. Even then, which doughnut to take? Ah, it was a difficult choice, but one had to be made. 

That came in the form of the jelly doughnut ($1.60), a unique, open concept take on the classic jelly doughnut with the filling sitting almost in a shell-like doughnut. At least it let you appreciate the thick fruity jam. The dough was nicely fried with a slight crunch on the outside and soft, moist dough on the inside; this dusted with granulated sugar. I only thought that the jelly in the middle became a little overwhelming with just a little dough underneath it and none above. Nothing too fancy, nothing crazy, just a good, classic doughnut.

Rating: *** 

Tatchun Centre General Store

Bakery: Tatchun Centre General Store
Address: 35607 Klondike Hwy, Carmacks YT
Website: http://www.hotelcarmacks.com/tatchun-centre-general-store
Style: Canadian 
Price: $

Well, yes, some of my Yukon tours were a little far-fetched to say the least, but I just couldn't resist the idea of having a little cake plopped right on top of Carmacks. And, granted, it is a little difficult to do Cake Tours when relying on public transportation, so I couldn't stop at the "cinnamon bun airstrip" over at Braeburn Lodge. :( Nonetheless, the bus makes at a bathroom stop at Tatchun Centre and it does come up when you search for bakeries on Google. So there. Let's begin!

Tatchun Centre is the local general store, a sort of mini supermarket with a lot of what you need; the bakery section itself, located in the left corner, is a pretty pathetic one with most products being packaged factory breads and boxed Vachon sweets, but while waiting in line for the bathroom (yes, the truth has been revealed), I was examining the fridge of prepared foods and spotted a row of pre-sliced, saran-wrapped squares and muffins. Simple goodies somewhat unevenly cut and clumsily packaged; it had to be either made by them or made by someone in town. The website above also says they make baked goods in store, so there we go! All (or all I was interested in) items were priced at a super reasonable $1.79 and I jumped at my unexpected chance. Take that, Braeburn Lodge!

It was a difficult choice and I could have gone with a few, but in the end I went with the triple berry crumble. It may not be presented all that nicely, but it makes up for it in taste: delicious shortbread crust, a tasty, fruit-loaded filling with blueberry being the most dominant berry, and a yummy crumble on top. Chewy texture, not too sweet -- thanks for letting me put Carmacks on the map! :)

Rating: ***

Log Barn 1912

Bakery: Log Barn 1912 
Address: 4782 Hwy 97A, Armstrong BC 
Website: https://www.logbarn.ca/
Style: Canadian, Mennonite?
Price: $$$

What exactly is Log Barn 1912? Halfway between Armstrong and Enderby, there's one of the most bizarre tourist attractions in the country. And yes, that's factoring in giant geese and a rotating pysanka. Most bizarre because, from the dinosaurs and lions to the coin-operated goat walkway it's simply so random, so... deliberately incoherent; it's the definition of a tourist trap. Knowing that you kind of expect it to be overpriced/over-hyped and it certainly is (not to mention you can't buy individual items).

 However, there is more head-scratching in store when you take a look at their in-house baked goods, including butter tarts, cinnamon buns and cookies. I say this, because you're presented with racks of butter tarts on display and, upon ordering, are handed a prepackaged box of three for around $10. Ouch. Then there's that prepackaged box with "Mennonite Pies" written in trademarked Log Barn font and featuring corny photos of farmer children. It looks painfully commercial and, at first glance, I assumed that their in-house baked goods are actually made for them by some commercial bakery, but no, everything on that factory box indicates it is made by the Log Barn. And yet, I still can't get rid of my doubts.

But let's get past the box and give these "Mennonite butter tarts" a try. The perfect, taller shells are supposedly homemade (definitely not handmade), all-butter and were definitely the highlight of the tart. Slightly flaky, good texture, and far superior to the indistinguishable mush on the inside. Thick, gloopy, almost doughy and possessing no distinct taste, I have to say I wasn't a fan.  At the very least, it made for an interesting location shot?

Rating: *1/2

Caribou Crossing Coffee

Bakery: Caribou Crossing Coffee 
Address: Carcross Commons, Carcross YT
Website: facebook
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

I've done it! I've done it -- this is the 150th Canadian bakery review of the year and I'm still going strong. :) And here I was thinking I wouldn't succeed in this dream of mine.

Anyways, that 150th Canadian bakery review belongs to Caribou Crossing Coffee, a coffee shop and bakery located in the lovely small town of Carcross. In my Yukon bakery research, I came across this place and was thinking I HAVE to do this; just look at it! It is so cool. Having done an organized tour the day before and managing to get in Village Bakery in Haines Junction, I was hoping that the same tour company would give me some time in Carcross to make a mad dash to the bakery. And I got more than enough time, not to mention the chance to make a mad dash to the other bakery in town, only to find it closed for the season. Curse you! 

Caribou Crossing Coffee is a small coffee shop with a small selection of baked goods: one side dedicated to gluten-free baked goods including macarons. On both sides, you could find scones, muffins, cupcakes, squares and cookies. Labelled and priced. Judging by the sign, their specialty seems to be cinnamon buns and I went in there with a purpose; after all, I love cinnamon buns. Asking at the front, the worker went to the shelf in the back and I was getting ready to have a hot bun; he returned to inform me that they weren't baked yet, but would be ready in 1.5 hours. O.O Noooo!! My cinnamon buns!

After recovering from my devastation, I picked out the cranberry muffin ($3.50). This was one massive muffin with a delicious, slightly chewy dough with lots of plump, tart cranberries. I really enjoyed the top with that slightly baked crust and soft inside that made you want to just rip it apart and gobble it all down. A great muffin as muffins go, but uh, I'm still disappointed about those cinnamon buns... -_-

Rating: ***

The Beanery Cafe

Bakery: The Beanery Cafe
Address: 13016 Victoria Rd N, Summerland BC
Website: http://www.thebeanerycafe.com
Style: Canadian
Price: $$

Hey, it's another Cake Tour in Summerland! [Summerland tag created] The Beanery, at first glance, comes across as a standard coffee shop; the name should say it all, I suppose. Except that they're not your average coffee shop and likewise feature a surprisingly large selection -- at least in terms of a coffee shop -- of assorted baked goods including buns, muffins, some sort of raw treats, and what seems to be their specialty: cheese buns. And it's all theirs, too.

But of course I wasn't there for their cheese buns (though cheese buns can be good); instead, I took the cinnamon bun, which was recommended by another customer. This was a tall, fluffy square cinnamon bun with a thick coating of icing on top that kind of got into the grooves, making some parts sweet and sticky and others less so. Overall, it was alright as far as cinnamon buns go;  nothing really special, but not bad either.

Rating: **1/2 

Village Bakery

Bakery: Village Bakery
Address: 116 Auriol St, Haines Junction YT
Website: http://www.villagebakeryyukon.com/
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

Well, I feel it only fair to confess right away that I didn't actually go to the actual Village Bakery, much to my disappointment. However, having gone on an organized tour of Kluane, I only expected to drive by the bakery and be unable to go in (an absolutely devastating idea, I know!), so I was fortunate enough that the tour bus stopped at the FasGas gas station to refuel -- the sign in the picture really is how close I got to the actual Village Bakery. We were told that we could pick up coffee and snacks inside the station store and I, hoping for the impossible, popped inside to find... a basket of goodies from Village Bakery! :) That being said, now that I'm looking at the photos online, I would have loved to pop into the log cabin bakery and grab one of their cinnamon buns, danishes, or squares. Instead, I had to content myself with a choice of muffin or scone. Not the biggest of fan of either, I was actually considering whether to take anything at all, but then that little blip on the map on Haines Junction came to mind and I... ran back inside before we had to drive off. Thank you to Who What Where Tours for making that stop and helping Mimi's Cake Tour! ^^

Having to choose between the aforementioned muffin or scone, I went for the scone ($4 @FasGas). After all, I noticed it seemed a quintessential Yukon bakery find: the big, triangular scone stuffed with fruit. In this case, it was the blueberry variety. Slightly flaky dough on the outside, more airy and moist than I expected a scone to be, and filled with fruit. This would go great with butter or clotted cream, but unfortunately, I had none, so it was a little dry on its own. Still didn't convert me to the scone side, but a good treat... from Haines Junction. Yes!!

Rating: **1/2