Birthday Treats!

I was fortunate enough to be treated to fancy cake and macarons for my 20th birthday this past weekend! I put on my fanciest dress (and unfortunately didn't take pictures of myself) and made the trip with my sweetheart to La Bamboche, a pretty little patisserie just south of Eglinton. 

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a sucker for macarons. I love their decadency, their soft and still somehow crispy texture, their sweet little pastel colours, and all of the amazing and innovative flavours utilized by various patisseries. I've spent years trying to perfect the technique in my own baking, as well as frequently searching for macarons in any city I happen to be in. I've had the opportunity to try out macarons in Quebec City, Edmonton, Kelowna, as well as in many different shops in my current city, Toronto. 

The La Bamboche location near Eglinton is on the first floor of a brick building and has a pretty patio with a few tables just outside. The ladies I spoke to were very knowledgeable and patient with my questions . We went fairly late in the evening so there weren't a lot of items to look at, but I was able to pick out a few items to take home and try. 

This pretty little mermaid green macaron is Strawberry Champagne and it was easily my favourite. Additionally, I tried the Yuzu, Lavender, Mystery, and the Green Tea and Mango flavours. The shop clearly had a bit of Japanese influence to their french baking which was reflected in the flavours offered.

I also picked up a small, individual cake that I believe was guava and mango flavoured.

My big treat was a beautiful cake featuring gold flakes and tiny macarons, and was flavoured with Cassis. Cassis is a liqueur made from black currents, so the cake had a bit of a tart taste to it. It had cassis ganache, cassis chocolate and cassis flavoured macarons. 

There are a few other places I hope to try macarons from, but when I've satisfied my curiousity about a few other shops, I would definitely return to La Bamboche for a few more pastel treats. 

Photos taken by my fella.