Kawartha Coffee Company is located in Bobcaygeon. I had not been to Bobcaygeon since I was very young and we used to travel here by boat.  Seeing the locks and marina brought back a lot of memories.  When we would wait for the locks Poppa and I would always scout out somewhere to get an ice cream cone

The Tart

First Impressions – we were not impressed, crust looked hard, it was very heavy

The Verdict

Jen

- ok
- appearance not good
- mediocre crust
- filling tasty good consistency
6/10

Erica

- crust was hard and dense, didn’t really like it
- despite the look of the filling, I really liked the taste, was a little thick
7/10

We also had lunch at the Kawartha Coffee Company, it was delicious!  Excellent panini sandwiches.

The Country Mart is located in Buckhorn.  For some reason I forgot to get a picture of the bakery!! This is where I was finally able to get a picture of the Butter Tart Tour logo.  Country Mart won best tart crust in the competition!

The tart

First Impressions – looked delicious, very flaky and buttery

***there are pecans in this tart, only because they were sold out of plain ones when we got there.  I picked them out as I HATE nuts in my tarts, and to make it fair

The Verdict

Jen

- rich, flaky and buttery crust
- good consistency of the filling
- good sweetness
9/10

Erica

- excellent crust, light, flaky and very buttery
- filling was thick, not so sweet, but good taste
- 8.5

These were very good tarts.   I would go back again for more and try other varieties like the raisin!  The judges were right this crust was delicious!

The Nutshell Next Door is located in Lakefield.  This is another place I have driven by many times but never gone in.  It was a nice cafe that had indoor and patio seating.  I will return one day to try lunch.

The Tart

First Impressions – crust looked good, small.

The Verdict

Jen

- crust was buttery and flakey
- underwhelming filling
5/10

Erica

- great crust, very buttery
- unusual thick filling
- did not remind me of a butter tart
4/10

I will return to the Nutshell Next Door, but not for butter tarts.

Kawartha Bakery is located in Lakefield.  I can remember going here a very long time ago when my Poppa, I don’t think we got butter tarts though.

The Tart

First impressions – did not like the look of the curst

The Verdict

Jen

- blah
- dry
- jam like texture of filling
- Tenderflake cheater crust
2/10

Erica

- awful
- seemed like a store-bought crust, wet uncooked on the bottom
- honey textured filling, with very little flavour
- yuck
1/10

We both did not like these tarts.  Actually, after one bite we threw the rest out.  Will not return.

Doo Doo’s is the first stop on our Butter Tart Tour!  This is a bakery that I have driven by at least 1,000 times but yet never been into.  Doo Doo’s won best filling and best specialty tart.

The Tart

First impressions – looked delicious!

The Verdict

Jen

- dense crust, not buttery enough
- enjoyed dense filling
- very sweet
7/10

Erica

- Hard crust
- not runny, but good flavour
- not very sweeet
- 7/10

Over all these tarts were pretty good. I would go back.  In fact, I went back in on the way home to bring a few more home to try.

Maple Bacon

OMG! This butter tart was amazing! I can see how it won Best Specialty Tart.  I was skeptical about adding meat to a butter tart, but wow, it was delicious! I did not really notice the maple, but the addition of the bacon was heavenly!  You could definitely taste the bacon and I enjoyed the texture of the bacon in the tart.  The salt from the bacon brought this tart to a whole new level.  This is amazing! I will be going back for more of these.  I might be a bad thing that I finally went it to this place, I may never drive by it again without stopping!

A few weeks ago in our local paper there was a map of the surrounding area with 26 bakeries who had entered a local butter tart competition. Check out the map here. As soon as I saw it, I knew I would have to go on the tour!  Each of the bakeries entered their butter tarts in a competition that was held at a local Flavour Festival.  There were winners in many categories as well as the best butter tart, BUT, who am I to trust them? I had to taste for myself!

Today was the day!  As part of my birthday present/experience my friend Jen (also my guest baker) took me on day 1 of the tour.  We decided the tour will take place over the remainder of the summer.  Don’t get me wrong, I love sweets and butter tarts but there is no way I could have 26 in one day!  To make it fair we decided to get one plain butter tart at each bakery, cut it in half and share it. Stay tuned over the summer for the results of the tour.  Each entry will have a photo of the bakery, photo of the tart and how WE rated it.   Let the tasting begin…..

Butter Tart Tour

Doo Doo’s  – Bailieboro

Kawartha Bakery – Lakefield

Nutshell Next Door – Lakefield

Country Mart – Bobcaygeon

Kawartha Coffee Company – Bobcaygeon

As a baker I do a lot of cakes and I love doing them, but I refuse to do my own!  I couldn’t careless what kind it was, what it looked like, just as long as someone took the time to make me one, it means so much.  This year I decided on something a little different.  A while ago I saw a recipe on Pinterest for Popcorn Cake.  I’m sure your face just shriveled up and you thought ‘ewww… that’s gross’ as most people did when I told them that I was having Popcorn Cake for my 33rd Birthday.

Before you decide that you don’t like it just because of the name….give me a minute!  This is not an ordinary cake, this is something quite different.  Replace the ‘cake’ with popcorn and candy and the ‘icing’ with melted marshmallows and you come up with this delicious concoction….

Popcorn Cake

Adapted from  Cookies & Cups

2 bags of microwave popcorn, cooked to directions
Marshmallows***
Mini Eggs***
Pretzels***
Butter***

*** Mom does not measure, she adds until it ‘looks right’

1. Pop popcorn and allow to cool

2. Combine marshmallows and butter, melt in microwave or on stove

3. While marshmallows are melting prepare your bunt pan by liberally spraying it with cooking spray

4. Combine cool popcorn with mini eggs and pretzels

5. Pour melted marshmallows over popcorn mixture and stir

6. Pour into prepared bunt pan, cover with foil and allow to cool

This is when I arrive…all excited to see my ‘cake’.  It is still in the bunt pan….Fingers are crossed hoping the thing will come out in once piece!

Ta-da!!!

Look at that!!!

I will mention that Mom decided to make her famous Rice Crispy Squares with the left over marshmallows, ‘just in-case’

Company arrived and time to slice into it

Getting a little nervous as it is looking like a horrid rice cake….

but I am optimistic!!

Looks can be deciving…it was delicious!

I loved this Popcorn cake!  It was different than anything I had ever had.  There were so many different textures, from the light popcorn to the hard mini eggs,  every bite was a whole new adventure.  The flavour was amazing…each bite was different.  It was perfectly balanced, not too sweet, not too salty.  When you bit down on a chunk of salt from the pretzels it brought your mouth to life and just seemed to accent all the flavours.  This was a very light dessert that doesn’t weigh you down and you wont feel guilty for eating it, which is good because it is addicting! The flavour possibilities are endless as you could add anything you like to the mixture.  I would recommend this and will be definitely be making it again! We were surprised that even the next day it was good, it didn’t go all soggy as we expected.

Though Mom’s Rice Crispy Squares are delicious, ‘the back up plan’ was not needed!

I am so glad I am back on my feet and able to bake again, this is the 3rd cake in 3 weeks! I love it!  This cake is for Charlotte’s 1st Birthday.  Everyone got their own “block of cake”.  I had some difficulties doing this one.  The smaller cakes were a challenge to cover with fondant, they are quite bumpy and uneven, but I tried!  You will notice there is one that looks out-of-place, that was Charlotte’s.  It is only covered in icing so she could just go at it   Happy Birthday Charlotte!

This year was my Dad’s 60th Birthday!  Each year his request is usually ‘just a lemon on lemon cake would be wonderful’, meaning lemon cake with lemon filling with lemon icing. I have made one that looked like a lemon, and several that were just round layers cakes with icing, but this year I wanted to do something a little different.  Dad is one of those guys that they don’t seem to make anymore, he is quite handy.  He can fix most anything!  When I was little, and now, I generally try to help out so I like to think I am kinda handy myself.  Having a tools cake just seemed appropriate.  He loved it! Happy 60th Birthday Dad, Love you!

This is a recipe that I have done before, check it out here, but I must say the post was very boring!  It was early on in my posting days and I only had an after picture.  I have made these a few times, but figured I would post ‘properly’ about them.  I am sure not everyone likes to see a photo of each and every step, but I do!  I am a very visual person, I like to see what I am supposed to do or what it should look like.  Often if I am looking for a recipe and there is no photo, I just leave because I just can’t visualize how it will turn out.  I did make a few changes from the original recipe.

Raisin Scones

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Barefoot Contessa, Episode: Big Breakfast, from Food Network

Ingredients

4 cups plus 1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream (I had half & half so I used that)
3/4 cup raisins
1 extra-large egg beaten with 2 tablespoons milk or water, for egg wash
*I added a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Combine 4 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, salt  and cinnamon in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

3.Blend in the cold butter at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.

There is a lot of butter in these scones, but don’t skimp, it’s worth it!
Kinda funny that i am weighing 3/4 pound of butter on a Weight Watchers scale (FYI, they are not points friendly!)

4. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add to the flour/butter mixture. Combine until just blended.

5. Combine the raisins and 1 tablespoon flour and then add to the dough and mix quickly. The dough may be a bit sticky. (Forgot to take a picture of this one)

6. Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and be sure it is well combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough out to 3/4-inch to 1-inch thick.  Cut into desired shape, I make my scones into triangles

7. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

8. Brush the scones with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the outsides are crisp and the insides are done.

Once again, these were amazing! I have yet to make anything of Ina Garten’s that was not fantastic!  The addition of the cinnamon was quite nice.  They have a wonderful texture.  They are not rich and heavy as you would assume with all the butter.  They are nice and light, you can see the many layers from the butter. Delicious!  I took a bunch into Poppa and Gramma’s, they loved them, covering them in more butter.  Gramma said I could make them anytime