Archive | August, 2008

Cupcake serendipity

While in Calgary last week, I finally made it to Crave Cupcakes!

Three summers ago, on my first visit to Calgary since the late 90′s (aack), I was shopping in the very popular Kensington district.  My mate and I happened upon Crave, but much to our disappointment, the super-cute specialty cupcakery was closed for the day.  As I peered through the window at the dark store and empty shelves, I recall sensing strongly that I was missing something really good.

Undaunted, I returned last summer again.  This time more comfortable in Kensington, and knowing which shops I wanted to hit, I planned a smart route…with a stop for a cupcake as my grand finale.  It was my expressed mission to get at least one cupcake, and this time, I had the other girl about town in tow.  I even went to so far as to elicit her shopping cooperation, with the promise of a cupcake in exchange for good behaviour (shameless, I know).  Imagine my shock when we finally arrived in the sweet smelling bakery, primed in anticipation, only to discover they had sold their last cupcake.   Ice cream saved the day with the younger girl about town, but for me…the cravings just grew stronger.

Since then, cupcakes have become a bit of a theme for me.  For a time, I subscribed to cupcake blogs like Cupcakes Take the Cake, and welcomed the daily dose of sugary temptation delivered directly.  Eventually though, I had to cancel my feed.  It seemed I was hungry all the time.

Then, I began to look for reasons to make cupcakes.  I whipped up a batch of these delicious Red Velvets for my Mom’s birthday, and began inquiring with friends whether they were aware of the cupcake revolution underway all across North America.  I went online to see if I might catch wind a local cupcakery where I could indulge my cravings once in awhile without having a whole dozen sitting around the house screaming my name loudly, and was surprised to find that few in Ottawa seemed to have jumped on the cupcake bandwagon.  I secretly harboured cubicle escape fantasies about setting up a cupcake shop and taking the town by storm…but quickly remembered that baking has never been my specialty.  The Red Velvets were good, but not that good, and I was resigned to let someone else fill this niche.

Fast forward to last week in Calgary.  The little girl about town, with her amazing memory and wry sense of humour, began making cupcake jokes.  Seriously.  It was like she knew I hadn’t forgotten, and that our trip west to visit friends and family was more specifically a cupcake pilgrimage.  She kindly reminded me we needed to get there early, and mused about the flavours and colours she might select, if there were any cupcakes left at all.   She even went so far as to suggest we stop for cupcakes BEFORE the zoo, which was a generous offer from an animal lover, in spite of her sweet tooth!  

Anyway, we made it – and I finally had a Crave Cupcake.   Just after breakfast.  Actually, I had several.  Well really…I had more than I would like to admit to.  Put it this way – I have tried all of the most appealing Crave flavours, and I can honestly say that I am officially in love with cupcakes.  Such a small treat…and so deliciously moist and sweet!  So many permutations and combinations of chocolate, vanilla and red velvet cake topped with vanilla butter cream, rich milky chocolate and fruit laden icing!  Such pretty colours and intense flavours!  

So serendipity you wonder?  I returned to find this post from The Materialist.  It seems the Ottawa cupcake scene may in fact be heating up.  The Ottawa Cupcakery is a new Etsy shop offering a variety of cupcake flavours and sizes by special order, with 72 hours notice.  This is definitely good news for me, although I still long for a storefront bakery where I can be guaranteed of a quick cupcake hit. 


1. cupcake sign, 2. cupcake shop, 3. cupcake love, 4. cupcake frenzy

Comments { 5 }

Vacation Recap

Phew.  It was a busy trip west, with lots of family, fun and summer sun.  

♥ As it turns out, I’m not so much a fan of mountain climbing.  Mountains are beautiful to gawk at in awe, especially those in and around Fairmont, BC, but getting to the top of a relatively small one was a feat of physical strength and emotional courage – at least for an Ontario girl like me.  What was supposed to be an easy morning hike with family ended up a test of my nerves, as the further we went up, the more afraid I became. Yikes!

Anyway, the view was spectacular, the weather perfect and my fear only a small detraction from an otherwise amazing experience.  That said, it is pretty clear to me now, I most definitely prefer cultural adventures to extreme physical ones!   This picture offers a glimpse from my perspective…while sitting, clutching the ground and strongly urging caution as those with me nudged nearer and nearer toward the edge.  Eeek!

♥ BC’s famous hot springs are really worth a stop.  We did, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the hot, mineral rich water – even in the heat of summer.  First, at the Fairmont Hot Springs, I managed a quick, night time dip under the stars, and then at Radium, where the hot pool made the air feel pleasantly cool. 

♥ Given I was with my other girl about town, the Calgary Zoo was a necessary addition to the itinerary.  If accompanied, as I was, by a huge fan of animals and a playground aficionado, the zoo can take a whole day to discover.  My advice?  Go early in the morning or later in the afternoon, as many animals tend towards a post-lunch siesta, especially in the summer sun.  For a couple of girly girls though, seeing a peacock – in full glorious colour – was a genuine treat!

 ♥ Calgary offers some great shopping too, and we did manage to squeeze some in before heading back to Ottawa.  Covering two distinct neighbourhoods, the focus was on decor and design, vintage and consignment, as well as shoes.

17th Ave. SW, or Uptown 17th, offers some of Calgary’s best shopping, with some very unique and intriguing boutiques.  My favourite – hands down – was Gravity Pope, an amazing shoe store where I was actually tempted by a pair of knee high, brown leather cowboy heels by Frye.  I resisted though, but quite likely because they just didn’t fit.  Oh well!

Inglewood is Calgary’s original main street, and has been revitalized with shops, restaurants and pubs.  There are a great many design, decor and furniture stores, ranging from the eclectic Leo’s Secondhand Store to the high end and established Montauk. As usual though, I was most at home in the vintage consignment store The Pendulum, where I could have spent much more time and money than I actually had. 

Related Posts with Thumbnails
Comments { 0 }