The first stop on my quest for the best cupcake Toronto can serve up was the Sweet Escape Patisserie in the Distillery District.  Though the their sign displays a pretty pink cupcake, the Sweet Escape Patisserie is not just for cupcakes, it is a cafe with a large selection of baked goods and sandwiches.  I ventured down there last Sunday, and enjoyed a cup of coffee with my cupcake.

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake from Sweet Escape Patisserie(Leah Wong)

Flavour: Chocolate Raspberry

Cake: 4/5
Icing: 3/5
Presentation: 5/5
Flavour Variety: 3/5
Location: 4/5
Total Points: 19/25

While I enjoyed the chocolate cake, I found it to be very moist. Though the icing had a slight raspberry taste, it was too heavy and I would have preferred a stronger flavour. Visually, the cupcakes were very appealing.  Sweet Escape Patisserie offers a large variety of cupcakes on their website, but as they offer a variety of baked goods, the selection varies depending on when you are there.  However, if you are frequenting this cafe with a non-cupcake eater, there are many other options of baked goods for them to enjoy, including several gluten-free vegan treats which are hard to come by.  When I visited the store, they had five flavours available: vanilla, chocolate raspberry, red velvet, black forest and lemon.  There are many flavours on their website I would like to sample in the future, creating a need to return.  The cafe is located in the Distillery District, so while it is a bit out of the way to go for a cupcake, it is in a nice area with lots of things to see.  The cafe itself has many sit down tables, which a nice way to take a break and regroup if you’ve been exploring the Distillery District for a while.  If you’re in the area I would highly recommend trying a cupcake from Sweet Escape Patisserie, but it wasn’t good enough to warrant a special trip.

The Princess (Crave Cupcakes)

My favourite place to go in Calgary when I am home, is Crave Cupcakes.  These are not only the most amazing cupcakes, but they also hold sentimental value for me.  Many a special occasion in my life has been enjoyed over a Crave cupcake – no event is too minor for a cupcake.

When I moved away from Calgary, I knew one of the things I’d miss most was Crave.  Sad, but true, one of the things I love most about my hometown is our cupcakes.  Most times I am home, I am greeted with a pack of Crave cupcakes purchased before my arrival by my mom.

I am constantly on the search for a cupcake better than or even comparable to Crave.  So far, despite the many cupcake places I’ve tried, there has yet to be one that comes close to being as good.  Despite living in Toronto for over a year, I have yet to really venture to the cupcake shops.  Most of them are out of my way, but I have decided that a quest for a comparable cupcake to Crave is necessary, especially since I plan to stay here in the summer.  My plan is, using Crave as my standard, to rate cupcake shops based on five categories: Cake, icing, presentation, flavour selection and store location.

While the first four categories are relatively straight forward, the last requires a small explanation.  One of the best things about Crave is that the first two locations were opened in my favourite areas of Calgary, Kensington and 17th Avenue.  As much as I love cupcakes, if the only thing I can do near the cupcake shop is eat cupcakes, I am unlikely to go out of my way.

So, the quest for the best cupcake in Toronto is now underway.