With fresh, handmade delicacies, unique cross-cultural concoctions and an array of flavours — delicate to decadent — to discover, North Calgary is home to some of the city’s best bakeries.
Let’s indulge in a little sweet or savoury baked goodness that can help celebrate any occasion.
It’s no secret that we at University District have a soft spot for artisan treats and with options like BOLO Cakery, Éclair de Lune in Cambrian Heights and authentic Nigerian fare at Flavours Restaurant, we are spoiled for choice.
Whether traditional, trend-forward, international or niche, NW and NE Calgary have some of the sweetest treats and savoury delights this city has to offer. Here’s our list of the best bakeries in our neck of the woods that are guaranteed to delight your appetite!
No celebration is complete without some good old-fashioned dishes! Channel the chef within and bring joy to the table with traditional food fare with a twist. Get started here.
From popular pastries and internationally inspired desserts to crusty loaves and special-occasion cakes, these bakery displays are stocked! Whether you’re craving a warm buttery scone to go with your morning tea, a savoury stuffed croissant during lunch with friends, or a simple delicate dessert to complete dinner at home, North Calgary bakeshops rise to every occasion!
Oh pastries, how we love thee! BOLO Cakery is home to an array of dainty-delicious concoctions. In addition to turning out hot tartlets and sandwiches, this bakery has a beautifully arranged counter full of cakes (with gluten-free and vegan options too) and bakes. From cronuts and kouign amann, every BOLO serving delights!
Celebration worthy: Try its do-not-miss Black Velvet or Vanilla Latte cake. Looking for something smaller? Opt for a bite-sized option like its famous cronuts. These buttery, croissant-doughnut pastries are a bite of heaven!
Visit BOLO Cakery: 107 – 5403 Crowchild Trail NW | 587.231.9069 | www.BoloCakery.com
Celebrate with cookies! Satisfy your (and your guests!) inner cookie monster with perfectly crispy, chewy, sweet cookies. Need some inspiration? Check out these cookie tips that will take your game from good to great, along with some must-try recipes that can help you celebrate any occasion.
Éclair de Lune lures in the locals with its seductive scent of freshly baked French pastries. With cookies to die for, light and fluffy quiche Lorraine to devour, or a delectable pain au chocolat, this bakery is like no other in the city. From crème brûlée, fancy cream puffs and fruit tarts to croissants, milk breads and more, Éclair de Lune has something yummy to tempt and tantalize!
Celebration worthy: Chocolate lovers indulge! Éclair de Lune’s chocolate ganache cake is a definite must-try with its layers of luscious chocolate genoise cake soaked in a vanilla syrup, topped with a light and airy whipped chocolate ganache, and covered with a decadent chocolate ganache icing and chocolate chantilly cream. It’s a chocoholics’ dream!
Visit Eclair de Lune: 4127 6th Street NE | 403.398.8803
Adebola Esan of Flavours Restaurant brings authentic Nigerian cuisine right to the heart of the Northwest. Its menu is predominantly centered around hearty and traditional savoury Nigerian dishes, but its authentic meat pies and delightful, slightly sweet and sometimes spiced fried dough balls known as puff puffs are sure to hit your sweet and savoury spot! So, if you’re looking for a taste of West African cuisine and sweets, Flavours is the place to be.
Celebration worthy: Traditional Nigerian fruit cake! This moist and rich cake soaked in alcohol, ginger beer or malt milk, is dark, dense, spicy, fruity and indulgent. Confection lovers take note!
Visit Flavours Restaurant: 4129 4th Street NW | 403.719.2770 | www.flavourcuisineandcatering.com
Got baked goods on your mind? Stop in at Sweet Home Bakery! Known for its apple rings, poppyseed butterhorns and cinnamon twists, this nostalgic gem has been satisfying sweet tooth lovers for more than 50 years.
Nigerian puff puffs
Depending on your experience with Asian bakeries, Logos Bakery and Cake House is either an obvious go-to or a fresh discovery. While known for its delicate and flaky egg tarts, red bean sesame buns and sugar-coated deep-fried donuts on a skewer, the real highlight is its swoon-worthy pineapple bun (bo lo bao). These fluffy, moist and buttery buns are mildly sweet with a crumbly pineapple-like pattern on top and are so, so delicious!
Celebration worthy: Enjoy a tower of pineapple or flavour-filled cream buns, or go big and order a mixed fruit cake (a must-have for birthdays!). Regardless of what you choose, walking through the door of Logos inevitably means leaving with something delicious.
Visit Logos Bakery and Cake House: 1623 Centre Street North | 403.230.1688
Looking for a spot to enjoy your box of baked goodies? Make your way to U/D for an afternoon stroll around the pathways of North Pond or NW Commons Park. The beautiful surroundings make it the ideal place for a break, whether you’re on your own or with your family.
At first glance, the alfajor is entirely unassuming. But this classic South American sandwich cookie with its crumbly, buttery texture and layer of silky smooth dulce de leche, is a petite and decadent morsel of heavenly goodness. There’s a reason this simple cookie defines the café scene all across Latin America.
Try your hand at making a batch of alfajores. So soft, they will melt in your mouth!
Ingredients
*Recipe courtesy of Pretty Simple Sweet
Step 1: Combine dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, sift dry ingredients until well combined. This includes flour, cornstarch, baking powder and baking side. Set aside.
Step 2: Mix wet ingredients
In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients, which include butter, sugar and lemon zest. Using an electric beater on medium speed, mix until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract until just combined.
On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat just until combined. Once well blended, form the dough into a slightly flattened disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for one to two hours.
Tip: Do not over mix the dough or your Alfajores will be tough!
Step 3: Let’s roll
Once chilled, roll the dough to a 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. For easy rolling, allow the dough to sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften.
Cut out into rounds using a round cookie cutter. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 7 to 10 minutes at 350 F or until cookies appear golden brown at the edges.
Tip: To prevent spreading, place your baking sheets with cookies in the freezer or fridge for at least 15 minutes.
Step 4: Sandwich your cookies and time to eat!
Take your completely cooled cookies and spread the bottom half with dulce de leche (one teaspoon). Once the bottom half cookie is covered, sandwich together with the top half, pressing slightly so that the caramel oozes out of the sides. Then roll the sides in powdered sugar or shredded coconut and eat away!
Tip: Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze for up to two months.
Whichever neighbourhood you find yourself in, delicious baked goods are never far away in this city. We hope you enjoy the shining stars of our quadrant’s bakery scene as much as we do!
Have an international baking recipe of your own? Know a great hidden gem we missed off the list? Share your suggestions with us and the community on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
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