Cupcakes -- Montreal take two!

Last time I went to Montreal, my efforts to try a cupcake north of the border were thwarted. This time.... we were able to get cupcakes from THREE different bakeries. Stop #1 was a place that J had not tried yet called Les Glaceurs. It was next to the Notre Dame Basilica and it was a winner!

Above is my cupcake (Vanilla/Vanilla) which was beautifully decorated. J and Kathy both got red velvet with cream cheese frosting piled high. I may have stolen a bit of their frosting because there was a lot of it and it was really good. They didn't have a big selection of cupcakes, which is usually fine for me, but I was in the mood to try something different. Also, it may sound strange coming from this New Yorker, but their customer service really left a lot to be desired.

Next up was Petits Gateaux, which is the place closest to J's apartment. We went there with low expectations, but a plan to get a dozen minis so we could taste all of their different options. I had high hopes that at least one of those options would be maple flavored. We should have known better. When we arrived, we found that all their options were sold out for the day... except for these three. Only one flavor of mini remained and two flavors of regular cupcakes. Our favorite turned out to be the Tea Cranberry Violet (the purple one on the left). The Vanilla/Vanilla one on the right was pretty good, and the two mini ones in front were so unremarkable, I don't even remember what that flavor was. Vanilla cake with some weird spongy frosting with some other fruity thing baked in. When you touched the frosting, it didn't move. I don't know what that whole thing was about.


The following day we hit the mother lode when we went to Cocoa Locale! We went early to be sure we did not suffer the same fate as last time. We met the owner and I might have said something like, "I recognize you from your website!" like she was some celebrity. They have three flavors, Lemon coconut, Vanilla/Vanilla and Chocolate Chai. All three were delicious and really blew the other two bakeries out of the water. Honestly, that Vanilla/Vanilla is definitely top five in my book (although my photography is not). The cake is the perfect moistness and the perfect density. Actually it reminded me of Magnolia in flavor, but the texture was different. The frosting is the perfect sweetness. Some people complain if there is too much frosting, but I don't think anyone would complain about the amount of frosting on these cupcakes, even someone that thinks the cake is just a necessary evil to get to the frosting (like me).

I don't always go for chocolate because often it is too rich for me. These Chocolate Chai cupcakes were really good, and yes, really rich chocoalte with a hint of spiciness, so after my sample, I left them for Kathy who thinks "why bother?" when dealing with desserts that are not chocolate. The Lemon Coconut was also to die for, even the next day, it was the perfect moistness.

I look forward to my next trip north.... which will not be happening until after winter!