Word of mouth travels pretty fast in this city, so if you've got a sweet tooth I'm sure you've already heard about Edmonton's latest sweet spot. But if you haven't, you're in for a sweet deep fried treat.

Doughnut Party - 10938 119 Street - Edmonton AB

Simon Underwood and Matthew Garrett are the minds behind Moonshine Doughnuts - the delightful treats that you can find at various farmers markets throughout the city. For the past five years Moonshine Doughnuts has been one of the main sources for vegan and gluten-free cake doughnuts for customers with specialty diets, and they're pretty darn tasty.

A few months ago the duo secured a space at Holland Plaza for their first brick & mortar shop, sharing a kitchen space with Duchess Provisions/Duchess Atelier. But the vision for this storefront is a little different from their vegan market offerings - this sister shop is expanding into the world of deep fried doughnuts. Armed with a new mascot and hot pink pastry boxes, Doughnut Party quietly opened their doors at the end of January and have been selling out everyday since. They hoped to keep their presence in the neighborhood a secret, but like I said - word travels fast!

Although Doughnut Party isn't located on a main road, this little doughnut shop isn't difficult to find. In fact, you'll have more trouble finding a parking spot in the parking lot, but the trouble is worth it. As you walk in you're greeted by a bright space with pleasing symmetry of the horizontal and vertical lines accenting the counters and floors. Next you'll find yourself in a little lineup, but service is quick so you have just a bit of time to decide just how big of a doughnut party you want!

On any given day there's six different doughnut flavours available, and the options will change fairly frequently. Depending on how many doughnuts you want to order, you can go with a Party for One ($3/1), Half a Dozen ($16/6), or a full blown Doughnut Party ($30/12).

On the day of my visit, the six flavours on rotation were:

• Almond Joy - dipped in chocolate & topped with coconut like the Hershey's candy bar
• Birthday Cake - vanilla glaze & dusted with birthday cake crumbs
• Hibiscus - light & dipped in pink glaze
• Lemon Matcha Sugar - lemony and rolled in matcha green tea sugar 
• Rhubarb Cardamom - sugar glazed with bits of rhubarb and cardamom
• Pineapple Rum - heavily glazed with chunks of pineapple 

While each donut had it's own unique flavour, I found the dough to vary slightly from one doughnut to the next. The hibiscus and lemon matcha sugar donuts were light and fluffy, without the sugar/glaze weighing them down. These two were actually my favourite of the six given their light texture. The Almond Joy and Birthday Cake donuts were more cake-like and richer due to the weight of their toppings. Rhubarb Cardamom and Pineapple Rum had a lighter dough, but came across heavier with the presence of fruit and a heavy glaze.

Although each doughnut varied from one another, two things were consistent within the box - all the doughnuts were incredibly soft and weren't greasy when bit into. Doughnut Party fries up their donuts perfectly so that you don't feel guilty when indulging in their delicious treats. It's pretty much a win-win. I will mention though that if you happen to have any donuts left over from the day you buy them, they do dry out quite quickly! So buy what you can eat in a day, and it will give you a reason to return and try more.

A good secret is hard to keep, so it's no surprise that Doughnut Party has been selling out daily. Pssst, if you want to get your hands on some delightful doughnuts, arrive early - doors open (8AM Tues-Fri, 9AM Saturday) until the shop is sold out! That's the one secret I'm willing to share.

One of my greatest weaknesses is beautiful pastry and dessert, so when I heard a new bakery had opened up in Old Strathcona, coffee and a sweet treat was my top priority this past Sunday morning.

La Boule Patisserie + Bakery - 8020 101 Street - Edmonton AB

La Boule Patisserie + Bakery opened it's doors last Tuesday in a quiet area of Old Strathcona among other local independent shops and businesses. Jennifer Strang, former pastry chef at the Shaw Conference Centre, is owner and pastry chef of this new addition to the neighborhood. This information had me especially excited because the Shaw Conference Centre is home to some pretty incredible desserts.

The space is open with a minimalist feel, but is warm and inviting with enough seating for 12-15 customers. The bakery was surprisingly busy for early on a Sunday morning, but I'm sure the residents in the area are happy to finally have a patisserie shop to call their own. -


Petit Pain au Chocolat
Walking up to the counter revealed three different pastry cases - one for eclairs, one for cakes and tarts, and a third smaller one for cookies, croissants, galettes, and scones. All of the options sounded delicious and it took all my self-restraint not to order one of everything. But that just gives me an excuse to return, right?


Pastry Case
On this visit we picked out four different treats to try: the petit pain au chocolat ($1.25), a spiced apple eclair ($4), a white chocolate raspberry tart ($4.75), and a vanilla bean cherry cheesecake ($6). The mini chocolate croissant was the perfect three-bite pastry to have with coffee. Layers of crispy, flaky, buttery dough paired perfectly with the semi-sweet chocolate, making me almost regret not ordering the larger size.

I'm not much of a white chocolate fan as I find it can be too sweet, but it was just right in the raspberry tart. The tart crust held together and was baked perfectly to not crumble apart. Each bite was creamy with just a hint of raspberry, so I found myself wanting more of the fruit flavour to come through.

La Boule plans to eventually feature 9 different flavours of eclair, but during our visit spiced apple was the only one available. The pate a choux pastry had a nice rise, giving lots of space for the pastry cream to sit in. The spices were subtle and the eclair had great texture with the bits of apple in each bite. I can't wait to try out some of their other flavours, but for now, classic, black forest, and tiramisu are the other three available.

The vanilla bean cherry cheesecake (left) was beautiful with a garnishing of dark chocolate and a leaf of edible gold. Breaking into the cake revealed a layer of cherry compote and a thin graham cracker crust. This cheesecake was nice and light, which was a nice change from the usual dense, rich cheesecake that we come to expect.


Chocolate Caramel Tart - $4.75
La Boule serves coffee and espresso using Cafe Monte, a Calgary-based coffee roaster, and their tea blends come from UK-based Tea Pigs. Depending on your drink and choice of pastry, a visit will cost you roughly $5-$10, which is very reasonable given the quality of the cakes and pastries you're paying for.

With just over a week since opening, I've seen nothing but high praise for La Boule on social media. It's definitely well deserved and it's about time the south side of Edmonton got a pastry shop to call their own! Loaves and baguettes will be available in January as the team continues to test their ovens, but the future holds lots in store for La Boule. Stop by if you're in the area for some fantastic pastry!

Just beyond the Yellowhead Highway, off 127 Street by the CN railway tracks, lives a true hidden gem in Edmonton - an unassuming bake shop selling decadent Italian pastries.

Canova Pasticceria - 12667 125 Street - Edmonton AB

Canova Pasticceria (formerly De Fazio Gourmet) is the child to Carla Roppo and Kris Owczarek, husband and wife and business partners. Despite having no formal baking training the duo took a risk and acquired De Fazio Gourmet in 2012, learning to bake and sell gourmet biscotti to local shops and cafes.


Vanilla & Nutella Cornetti
But biscotti wasn't enough. After a trip to Italy to learn about Italian pastries, Carla and Kris now make some of the most beautiful pastries in their pasticceria, using methods rooted in old-world Italian baking traditions. This means using meticulous processes to make all their goods from scratch, including their holiday panettone, which takes 36 hours to make from start to finish. There's no shortcuts here, only the highest quality wholesome ingredients like 83% New Zealand butter and pure vanilla.


Savoury Danishes
After discovering the pasticceria, I was in luck as Canova reached out and offered to send me a sampling of their pastries that were sure to impress. The beautifully designed brown packaging accented with gold was enough to draw me in, but what was waiting inside was even more impressive. A beautiful spread of vanilla and nutella cornetti, amaretti, nutella brownies, and savoury danishes were nestled together, almost too pretty to eat!


Nutella Brownies
Gathering friends for a dinner party was the perfect way to showcase these treats, and everyone raved about them. The gluten-free amaretti were lightly sweet and soft with a chew, while the brownies were dense and rich with added decadence from the nutella. Of all the treats in the box, the vanilla cornetti won me over. Flaky layers of croissant-like pastry gave way to a luscious vanilla pastry cream with every bite, making it a star in my books. The nutella cornetti were also fantastic, but I found myself partial to the vanilla version as nutella can be a bit heavy.

Now you must be thinking to yourself that pastries of this caliber must come with a high price tag, but think again! Canova's pastries are delicious and affordable, so you can impress guests on a budget. It's a win-win for everyone, so think about Canova the next time you need pastries:

• Large Pastries (such as danishes and cornetti) are priced at $2.75 each
• Brownies are $2.00 each 
• Savoury Pastries come in at $2.00 each
• Amaretti are $1.00 each
• Mini danishes are priced at $1.75 each
• Cake loaves are $10.50 each, or $1.75 per slice 

Carla and Kris continue to produce their gourmet biscotti under the De Fazio brand, and although I've seen these biscotti throughout the city I never realized that they were locally made. The biscotti come in a wide variety of flavours and are delicious dipped into a cup of hot coffee. If you stop into the Pasticceria you can actually grab a cup of Caffe Umbria coffee to pair with biscotti or pastries as a little pick-me-up!

Panettone (literally translated to 'big bread' in Italian) is a traditional holiday sweet bread made with candied oranges, raisins, and citrus zest. Using the process they learned in Milan, Carla and Kris were determined to produce their panettone using old world methods with a sweet dough starter. This is no easy feat, as the dough requires multiple feedings, additions, and time to rise. It takes 36 hours to produce a batch of Panettone, and the results show that the time commitment is well worth it.

Canova's Panettone stands tall and packed full of raisins and candied citrus. The bubbling through the bread makes it light and fluffy, and it truly is the best I've ever tried. Each panettone is wrapped by hand using beautiful packaging imported from Italy, and it makes for an impressive gift for under $20. This panettone is Canova's pride and joy, and they're ramping up for their busiest holiday season yet. Safeway and Sobeys across the country will be carrying Canova's panettone this year, as well as smaller independent stores like Sunterra and the Italian Centre in Alberta. Canova's Panettone is going to be a hot item this Christmas, so you'll want to get your hands on one before they all sell out! Click here to find one near you!

Given that the pastries are delicious and so affordable, it is recommended to call ahead and place an order as the shop does sell out daily. While Canova Pasticceria is classified as a hidden gem in our city, I have a feeling that status will change soon enough.

*Disclosure: I was sent pastries and panettone from Canova Pasticceria for potential review on my blog. Views expressed in this post are solely mine. This post is 100% my opinion, and as always, my priority is to you, the reader, to present an unbiased, thorough review.

If you've followed this blog long enough you will know it's no secret that I have a sweet tooth! Pastries, cakes, ice cream...anything sweet at any time of the day is likely to satisfy me. To make things even sweeter, Edmonton's French patisserie, Duchess Bake Shop, is releasing their cookbook today.

The cookbook has been nearly a year in the making, and it's finally here! I was fortunate enough to attend the cookbook preview and launch party over the weekend while nibbling on a few (okay, a lot) of their most popular offerings.


Maple brulee marshmallow macarons
Duchess Bake Shop has always been a dream for Giselle Courteau. Her love affair with the macaron is what lead her to pursue her dreams, and Edmonton sure is lucky to have her living here! Upon opening in 2009, Duchess Bake Shop was a small space and operated with only 4 staff. Five years later, this humble patisserie has expanded in both size and number of staff, opened a retail shop, and has become an afternoon hot spot each business day. That's no surprise, given that the National Post pinpointed that Duchess may just be the best patisserie in Canada.


Chocolate cream puffs
The kitchen is home to two large, hardworking ovens, and staff are working from 4AM - 11PM baking goods to keep up with the demand. The bakery is known for their delicate macarons, and I was shocked to find out that they are made by hand - bakers are churning out an astonishing 2000 macarons each day! The glass display cases are home to 65 different baked goods throughout the year, with seasonal flavour changes every once in a while.

Alongside her business partners Garner Beggs and Jake Pelletier, Giselle's dream to "put Edmonton on the map" with the launch of this cookbook is about to come true. Their self-published cookbook goes on sale to the public today and is available for purchase ($45+GST) at the bake shop, as well as online through the Duchess Provisions website to anywhere in Canada.

It was amazing to see how much hard work was put into making this cookbook and to hear Giselle's passion for her craft. With nearly 90 recipes in the book, everyone can try their own hand at making their favourite Duchess treat in the comfort of their own home. All the recipes in the book have been tested in a home kitchen with readily available ingredients and tools, so there's no fear of failure (hopefully!). So many of my favourite pastries are in this book, and the pictured step-by-step instructions are my favourite part. A huge congratulations to Giselle and her team for this accomplishment!

If you're not running out to get the book yet, I've got a surprise for you. Duchess Bake Shop has graciously provided me with two copies of their cookbook signed by Giselle herself to give away to two of my readers to celebrate the occasion. Follow the instructions below to enter, and hopefully this baby will be yours just in time for the holiday season!


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THE GIVEAWAY

TWO Signed Duchess Bake Shop Cookbooks
($45 value each)

DETAILS

To enter you must leave a comment on this blog post answering this question: What is your favourite treat at Duchess? If you've never visited Duchess before, tell me what you would love to try out of their offerings on their website here. Please make sure you leave a valid email address in the giveaway widget as this is how I will be contacting you.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES

1. Follow me via Twitter (@littlmissandrea)
2. Tweet about the giveaway: "The @DuchessBakeShop Cookbook is here! Enter to win a copy from @littlmissandrea! #yegfood #DuchessBook" and link back to this post
3. Follow me via Instagram (@littlmissandrea)
4. Visit (& hopefully like!) my Facebook page

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to my readers across Canada. All entrants must be 18+ years of age. You have until November 22nd to enter, and the winners will be selected by random and contacted via email. Good luck!

For many, coffee is essential to get them through the day. I'll admit that I'm not a major coffee drinker, but I definitely appreciate the aromas that come from those roasted coffee beans!

District Coffee Co. Cafe & Bakery - #101 10011 109 Street - Edmonton AB

District Coffee Co. is one of the newer cafes in downtown Edmonton and I finally had the chance to stop by for the first time a few weeks ago. Those of you that follow me through my other social media outlets will know that my boyfriend and I have already grown attached to this place as we've stopped by once a week since our first visit.

Nate Box of Elm Cafe (and the fantastic sandwiches!) is the owner of District and with this space the focus is on quality coffee and baked goods. It's a small space with limited seating, but given the downtown location I would imagine most customers will take their orders to go. And if not, there's great patio outside where I've found myself seated and soaking up the sunshine more than a few times.

District Coffee Co. is the first cafe to bring Calgary's Phil & Sebastian Coffee to Edmonton, and it doesn't disappoint. At $3 a cup it tastes great and gets the seal of approval from my boyfriend & I. Especially when I get to dip the delicious Salted Caramel Biscotti ($1) into it.

Aside from the coffee and pastries, District also offers a small food menu with oatmeal, granola, rice pudding, soup, salads and sandwiches. On my first visit I tried out the Orange Salad ($8) and it hit the spot. The combination of cucumbers, cauliflower, wild rice, carrots, radishes, snap peas and green onion in a lemon canola vinaigrette was refreshing and perfect for a sunny afternoon on the patio. The sweet and tangy vinaigrette over the crunchy vegetables and chewy bits of rice made it so easy to eat and held me over 'til dinner time.


Bacon & Egg Waffle Sandwich // Toasted Marshmallow Rice Krispie Square
District Coffee Co. is a great addition to the downtown core. Even though I live in the far south end of the city, my boyfriend and I have added a stop at District into our Saturday morning routine. The location makes it convenient for us to drop by before hitting up the City Market down on 104th street on Saturday mornings and we get delicious waffle sandwiches ($7) to munch on while walking from one vendor to the next. The bacon & egg with a tiny bit of syrup give the perfect sweet and savoury balance sandwiched between the fluffy waffles. The Toasted Marshmallow Rice Krispie ($2.50) is soft, chewy and not too sweet, making it the perfect guilt-free indulgent treat! So make a quick stop at the cafe whenever you have the chance and make sure to pick up a rice krispie square if they aren't sold out. I promise you won't regret it!

On my last trip to Calgary, I had the chance to visit one of the city's newest bakeries. The catchy name and vibrant colors of their logo captured my attention, and I had heard they had amazing croissants. Did I need more reason for a visit? Probably not.

Ohh la la Patisserie - #3118 - 8561 8A Avenue SW - Calgary AB

Located in what felt like a newer area of southwest Calgary, Ohh La La is about a 10-15 minute drive from the downtown core. Although it may be a bit of a further drive from other parts of the city, the moment you walk in and that sweet smell of baked goods hits your nose, you instantly forget everything and want to sink your teeth into flaky pastries.

The cakes and pastries here smell absolutely divine and they are beautifully presented. Just look at that macaron style cake! And the chocolate one? Man, I really wish I could've taken that one home. What I love about this bakery is the philosophy behind owner and pastry chef Sebastian Judkovski - he believes that everyone should be able to enjoy baked goods! Gluten Free? He can do that. Dairy Free? He can do that. Nut Free? He can do that. Vegan? I don't know if he can do that one but I'm sure he would try! If you have any special requests, Ohh La La can take them and make something for you.

On this particular day, I picked up some of their macarons and croissants. They have a wide variety of flavors on hand everyday, but I chose the mango, blackberry and salted caramel. The macarons themselves were not as chewy as I would prefer, but the flavours were spot on. The blackberry was probably my favorite - loved the colour of the cookie & taste of the filling!

Now the croissants are a different story. They have coconut and maple croissants and both are delicious. The pastry is rich in butter and flaky goodness, with either the maple or coconut folded inside of the layers. Warm them up slightly in the oven before eating and you're going to bite into a little bit of heaven. Mm, thinking about it again is making me salivate.

While Ohh La La is a small, local bakery, their pastries back a punch of flavour and leave you wanting more after the last bite. The owners are so humble and thankful for the growth and support of their business, so if you have a chance, make sure to check them out!