Is there a better way than starting your day off with a nice morning walk and a freshly brewed cup of jo’? I truly don’t think there is. Well, maybe ditch the walk and take a cozy drive instead and you’ve made it just a bit better. But that wasn’t the case for Chris and I.
After a brisk walk to Canteen, Chris and I decided we weren’t quite ready to head home yet. Why not do some exploring? That sense of adventure and early morning whimsy was enough to lead us to #LilacBakery just down the street.
Scanning the treats, it’s clear that #slices or bars must be Lilac Bakery’s thing. Sure, they have cupcakes and pies and cakes, but slices are what fill the majority of two display cases and fill the bakery with sweet scents.
Taking that into consideration, we finally decided on two squares: Millionaire Shortbread and Birthday Cake. But I’m sure we could have sampled the entire display case if we could have but that’s a lot of sugar and I’m sure I’d be rambunctious, bouncing off the walls like those little plastic bouncy balls you used to get as a prize in gum ball machines.
Though we remained strong the whole walk home, we couldn’t help giving in once we reached the threshold of Chris’s apartment. Dessert before dinner anyone?
Like two big kids whose parents aren’t around to stop their kids from sticking their hands into the restricted cookie jar, we tore that box up.
That’s not to say we devoured the slices like animals; we didn't, at least not all at once. With a hand washed knife—yes, Mom, I'm capable of doing dishes when left to my own devices— I cut into one square. Just a thin little taster of each bar, that’s all we were supposed to sample. Sample, easier said than done. Lilac squares are too addictive. I can guarantee that if my dad lived in WPG, he’d been stopping to treat himself daily.
The millionaire slice was your traditional shortbread, caramel and chocolate layered bar.
Made with all whole ingredients, it’s no wonder these treats taste buttery and rich; they’re made with the real thing!
Maybe that’s why the shortbread crust on the millionaire square was so crumbly and the caramel was so sweet and gooey it tasted like butterscotch custard. And that chocolate ganache, forgot it, chocolate ganache is always a winner unless you hate chocolate and pizza and all other earthly foodie pleasures.
Birthday cake—my choice—was a confetti cake with a healthy smear of vanilla frosting with colourful sprinkles. Created for the owner’s six year old nephew, I’m not ashamed to say that these twentysomething customers were drooling with delight biting into this square.
Buttery, sugary and most of all, familiar like licking the raw cake batter of the mixing spoon of a cake you baked with your mom. A happy little treat seemingly flavoured with nostalgia. Yeah, it’s stolen my heart. But you be the judge!
Give this place a try next time you’re in the neighbourhood! Grab a slice or a tiny pie and head over to Canteen for a coffee and you’ll find a little bit of happiness to lift you through the rest of your day.
Have you been to Lilac Bakery? What’s your favourite slice?