Springtime Tea

 

Who could have known that the day I chose to have a clothes swap and tea would be the day we woke up to a snowstorm with blustery winds to create whiteout conditions?

 

 

But with all the baking ready to be consumed, there was nothing for it but to forge ahead. It was rather ironic that I had picked a yellow and green "spring" theme!

 

With vanilla cake Lemon Queens filled with freshly made lemon curd, as well as

 

 

lemon tarts, amond crescents and two types of shortbread: the soft kind with piped yellow icing flowers and traditional Scottish shortbread.

 

 

We ignored the snowy conditions outside, making pot after pot of tea. After all, there's nothing like a treat-filled tea to raise the spirits!   

Cocoa Locale, Success at Last

My blog post of May 20th, 2009 told the sad tale of my attempt to visit the delightful cake shop called Cocoa Locale. I had arrived a short time after opening hours only to find that everything was already sold out and the place was already closed for the day. So on my latest visit to Montreal, I tried once again, and in my eagerness I arrived an hour early! But persistence pays off, so after whiling away the time at some of the neighbourhood's other delightful boutiques I returned minutes after their noon opening. Crossing the threshold, I could hardly believe I was actually inside. And what a delightful wee shop it is. As you can see from the photos, it's chock full of charm and whimsy. And oh, the sweet cakes... some large, some wee-sized for two and of course cupcakes if you want one all to yourself, all with Reema's signature flourish of sprinkled flower petals across the tops. They all looked so sweet sitting there in the display case waiting for me to arrive! And there was owner Reema herself, ready to box up my selections and listen to the tale of my pilgrimages. I was so excited to finally experience Cocoa Locale that in my enthusiasm to take a few more pictures, I left the shop without my boxed cakes! So I popped back in and collected my little cake box at the counter where I'd left it and where Reema had been watching for me. The thought of me heading back home without my cakes was too much for the lovely kind Reema, who said "my heart was crying for you." And she flashed one of her warm smiles and wished me a safe drive home.

Pumpkin Muffins

When I bought this stand from a thrift shop I had no idea what it was for, but later learned that it is actually half of a set that wraps around the pole of a patio umbrella and is meant to hold tea-light votives. I have re-purposed it as a cupcake stand, though these are actually pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting.

The stand’s quirkiness seems well matched for my Halloween-themed treat!

Happy 1st Anniversary

It hardly seems possible that I wrote my first blog entry a year ago. And yet here I am celebrating one year today. Hurray! A big thanks to all of you who have visited and continue to visit. To help me celebrate this coming week, would you please do me a wee favour? Would you leave me a comment when you visit? I can't think of a better way to celebrate this milestone than to know that you're here with me! Thanks so much... please help yourself to a cupcake.

Cupcake Anyone?

I wonder how many people were baking Valentine's Day treats for their children to take to school this week? This chocolate cupcake was topped with buttercream icing, some candy sprinkles and a candy heart sentiment.