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Prairie Girl Bakery
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 10 am - 6 pm
Sun 11 am - 5 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
34 reviews for Prairie Girl Bakery
Review Highlights
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"...I would recommend trying the chocolate banana cupcake." In 21 reviews -
"I especially want to try a red velvet or vanilla." In 10 reviews -
"The chocolate peanut butter one was def the best." In 3 reviews
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34 reviews in English
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Review from marija k.
Toronto, ON
5/3/2012
If only I could do a rating of 3.75, but such is life.
I had never even heard of this place, but I was looking for a way to have a dessert for my assistant's baby shower. I didn't want to go with the bog-standard vanilla sponge cake with sugary icing. Cupcakes are all the rage, and this one is very close to the office, so why not.
Ordering for delivery was very easy with the website. With a minimum order of 2 dozen you get free delivery, which is a god-send for anyone placing a cupcake order for an office function. The cupcakes were delivered an hour before the scheduled baby shower, which was wonderful - gave me a chance to setup the room without too much worries.
The cakes were a hit, especially the red velvet with vanilla icing.
It was suggested that placing an order for 2 dozen of regular sized cupcakes wouldn't be enough for a department of 17, but the cupcakes were so lush and filling that there was plenty of leftovers. We just couldn't stuff ourselves with so much goodness or we'd all have been like Mr Creoste from Monty Python's "Meaning of Life" - exploding with just one more mouthful.
I'm not the greatest fan of cupcakes, to be honest, but these more than lived up to expectation. And there is now a desire by other departments in my company to use this firm instead of getting a cake at Longo's or Metro. -
Review from Zaid S.
Toronto, ON
4/26/2012
These guys have the most limited range of any bakery you'll ever see. They do cupcakes. That's all. That said, they do it pretty near perfectly. So for cupcakes? 5 stars. Since that's all they do, that's all I'm giving them.
I mean, some cupcakes are too sweet, not sweet enough, have too cream cheesy or not cheesy enough icing or are good for one shots but not really addictive.
These things are just perfect, addictive, soft, wonderful. The balance between their icing and flavor is great. They have great rotating flavors and the regulars, chocolate and buttermilk. You'll find yourself swearing allegiance for all time to one but then try the other and become a quick turncoat then, then go back and forth like ball in a game of Pong. They're seriously all good. The only complaint I've ever heard is that there's too much icing.
It's better than too little. Don't like it? Scrape some off and give it to me, that stuff is gold. -
Review from Lisa B.
Toronto, ON
4/9/2012
I'm not a big cupcake fan, but this place has won me over. There are some interesting combinations, but my favorite is actually the Vanilla. It's not your average Vanilla cupcake. Whatever they put in it makes it taste just heavenly. I really like that they have mini cupcakes for those (like me) who just want a little taste, or are trying to watch their waistline!
My only qualm is that they are quite expensive. However, it helps because I don't want to buy them as often! -
Review from Laurie G.
North York, ON
5/17/2012
Lovely cupcakes! I prefer the vanilla ones because I tend to go with the classic flavours. They're all good though. They make amazing frosting! The cakes are nice and moist. Regular sized ones are bigger than your average cupcake. Their mini cupcakes aren't that "mini" compared to other places. I am a fan
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Review from Sara K. P.
Toronto, ON
1/11/2012
I unexpectedly picked up a Prairie Girl cupcake (as one does!) at Pusateri's in Yorkville as the damn thing was so tantalizingly zaftig and gussied up with pink frosting, plus it was labelled as being gluten-free so the "healthy" food whore in me couldn't stop sideways glancing at it and gave in to it's gluten free will. So I caved and got the chocolate cupcake with Strawberry icing, but sadly my Prairie Girl experience was not that great.
First off this cupcake suffers from severe icing overkill, so much that by the time I got home the cupcake capsized inside the Pusateri's box and had face planted on it's side the frosting all mashed up and flattened :( The cake part was a little dryish, which is sort of expected of gluten-free baked goods but it had a starchy aftertaste.
The one really redeeming thing about this cupcake was that the frosting has real strawberry bits intermingled within the buttercream which made it taste more fruity and less like the stuff that rots your teeth in nano-seconds, but still I must have scraped three quarters of the superflous frosting off the poor over frosted cake.
The worst part is I felt like a sucka for doling out $4.25 for this mutha-effer!
Grrrr...I raise my fist in anger at both Pusateri's and Prairie Girl for steering me so wrong!
Damn you too PMS cravings!!! -
Review from Vicky W.
North York, ON
1/11/2012
Coudnt believe that I visited this bakery at 230 p.m on a weekday and there were 5 men in line.
That says in all!
Im not a cupcake expert - but I did enjoy my cupcake. The icing, the cupcake itself and the flavors they offer.
Not to mention, I love the space.
I havent returned for a while but I should!! -
Review from J Y.
Toronto, ON
4/13/2012
I'm normally not big on cupcakes. The stuff I've tried, regardless of whether it's from a grocery store or some other bakery, has never convinced me to ever bait out cash for a cupcake. The frosting is too hard and tastes too processed, and the cake is dry and lacking in flavour.
However, the cupcakes here - they're good!
Cake is nice and moist. Icing is loaded with flavour. It doesn't taste cheap like a flavour developed for kids with a sweet tooth.
I was introduced to chocolate with peppermint by a colleague. I didn't think I'd like peppermint, so I was very surprised that this cupcake made me crave for some more.
I've since tried chocolate with vanilla and buttermilk with vanilla/coconut sprinkles. All were good.
I'd give this a higher rating, but it gets downgraded because this makes me feel guilty when I eat it. Though it doesn't taste as cheap as the other cupcakes I've had, it still feels fattening when I eat it (particularly the icing on the regular sized cupcakes). I didn't have a gym membership at the time, so what was supposed to be a $4 cupcake splurge turned into a $404 one after I signed up for a corporate gym membership. I haven't gone to the gym yet, so that membership feels like a splurge too.
Try the mini if you're in the area to avoid feeling like you've eaten 600 calories in a single snack! -
Review from Precilla C.
Scarborough, ON
10/2/2011
I really don't understand all the hype about this place. Sure, the decor is super cute and people are friendly, but I didn't find the cupcakes special at all!
After studying all the flavours, My friend and I settled to share a Grandma's dark cocoa cake topped with peanut butter icing. Honestly, I wasn't very impressed. Although the cake was moist, I didn't think it tasted that much different from the store-bought ones from Walmart. Perhaps I'm being a little harsh, or perhaps I don't know how to appreciate high-quality cupcakes, but this one really wasn't special to me at all in any way. The peanut butter icing was pretty tasty, but way too sweet for me. My favourite cupcake is still the one I had from Crumbs in the States. I haven't had another cupcake in Toronto that measures up.Listed in: 30-Day Yelp Challenge
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Review from Mel C.
9/17/2011
First off, this bakery's address may be 18 King St East but it's actually more on Victoria St, north of King so don't get lost looking for this place!
I got the regular size Grandma's dark cocoa cake with peanut butter icing for $3.33. For this price, which I think is very expensive, I expected something wonderful. Maybe I chose the wrong flavour or something but I thought this cupcake tasted more like store bought chocolate cake with cheap frosting. I can taste the peanut butter in the icing and the chocolate cake was moist but there's something about this cupcake that made it taste cheap. I rather spend $3.33 towards a store bought cake instead if I knew the cupcake would taste like this! -
Review from Yvonne T.
11/28/2011 3 Check-ins Here
First things first, you will pay a premium to enjoy this treat. But then again, bad for your wallet probably equates to better for your waistline?!
As per their website Prairie Girl "...never use preservatives, hydrogenated or "trans" fats, or artificial flavours, and we'll never sell "day old" cupcakes."
The cupcakes come in 2 sizes, regular or mini. Minis ring in at $1.75 and regulars ring in at $2.95. They have also recently opened up another location at First Canadian Place.
While these cupcakes are good, there were a few things that weren't quite up to snuff. For example I found that their cake base is drier than others, and word of warning, if you try to refrigerate these babies, the buttercream becomes pretty hard. So word to the wise - eat it ASAP!
Prairie Girl does make very pretty cupcakes and I wouldn't hesitate to buy a half dozen or so as a gift for the hostess or for a party.
Although their address says 18 King Street E, they are tucked into Victoria Street. So don't be discouraged if you can't find it on King Street. Just turn a corner and you're there! -
Review from Laura T.
Toronto, ON
8/31/2011
Moving to Toronto from the west coast where Cupcakes is an institution I found the cupcake shops here in Toronto uninspiring and disappointing...until Prairie Girl opened its doors. Added to the lack of inspiration was the fact that I was diagnosed with Celiac disease last year and can no longer eat gluten.
Most gluten free cupcakes are disgusting so when I learned that Prairie Girl made them I was skeptical until the first bite. Was I ever ecstatic! Even the gluten free cupcakes exceed the taste and quality of all "regular" cupcakes I've consumed in my life and blew all other gluten free cupcakes out of the water. They keep the supply of gluten free cupcakes pretty well stocked throughout the day but do often sell out. Ive been told i can order a day in advance and that there are only one or two of their flavors that can't be made to accommodate.
My favorite flavors so far are the vanilla with strawberry frosting, vanilla with lemon frosting and the chocolate with peanut butter frosting. Yes, the cupcakes are sweet and buttery but...well that's what proper cupcakes are!!
I'm a cupcake purist so for those complaining about no beverages or seating - go down the street for that and let Prairie Girl do what they do best and produce fantastic cupcakes rather than waste time and expensive financial district space serving other products. -
Review from Mary D.
9/27/2011
Went in this afternoon during my lunch break, after hearing much hype from coworkers.
I was impressed by the shop - the decor is clean and simple, and the cupcake display and storage is well-designed. The staff were very friendly, and very efficient - they offered to help right away, and then as soon as I ordered, another girl offered to ring me in while I waited for my order to be boxed. Top marks for service and cleanliness.
I chose two mini cupcakes, both with golden/vanilla cake: 1 with a lemon cream icing, and the other with a chocolate cream cheese icing.
The icing on both was ample and tasty. The cake itself was fresh and had great texture, but not an overwhelming flavour.
I will definitely be going back for afternoon treats! But for those who are cupcake aficionados - I also recommend checking out Swirls on Dundas West. -
Review from Velshin C.
10/2/2011
Ignore the other bad reviews. We had a few really tasty cupcakes: rich, moist, with depth of flavour in the spongy interior, and sweet, fruity, and delicious icing. Try a red velvet cream! My only complaint is that the large size is a bit too rich to devour all at once! Will try the minis next time.
Pricing was reasonable for an upscale cupcake place: about $6 for 2 large cupcakes, substantially cheaper for the minis. -
Review from Kevin F.
Toronto, ON
7/31/2011
A co-worked came into work with a box of cupcakes from this place. I watched her eat one and talk about how wonderful this place was. The bitch never offered me one, so I decided the next day to try for myself. The shop is very cute and the staff are friendly. The majority of their cupcakes are either chocolate or vanilla with different frosting, with some 'cupcakes of the week' features. It's not exactly the best value; 6 regular cupcakes for $17 or 6 mini for $10. So with that price I was assuming great things.
I tried a selection of 6 mini cupcakes (I ate them all, don't judge). I found them to be good, but not great. They had a homemade taste, but a boxed-ingredients homemade taste. They lacked moisture and the icing was used to mask that. I found that the price did not reflect the quality.
Style over substance. -
Review from Maheen M.
8/17/2011
I found this place hidden just off one of the alleyways off King Street East. They have an open concept bakery where the cupcakes are the showcase. Cupcakes are served in two sizes, regular and mini. They about about a dozen different flavour combinations from vanilla vanilla to the infamous red velvet.
I bought two cupcakes, the peanut chocolate and a gluten-free vanilla coconut (yes they have gluten free cupcakes!). The cake on the chocolate was not bad, moist but lack a bit of flavour. The peanut butter icing was pretty good, very peanut buttery. My sister had the gluten free cupcake is said it was better than other gluten free cupcakes she has had.
Their cupcakes were average, if you are looking for something cute and sweet, I would stop by here.Listed in: Cupcakes
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Review from Grainne M.
Toronto, ON
6/17/2011 1 photo
Not sure how I missed this place before. It's right in the downtown core. I would have thought my cupcake locating spidey sense would have directed me here ages ago. As it is, I just happened across it yesterday while wandering home.
The store is bright and eye-catching. It's heavily girlie girl themed which isn't something I like too much. I don't like it when people make it way too obvious that they're targeting me with their marketing. I'd like to believe that I've made a conscious decision-even though I know that I haven't really.
I arrived after 5pm and the shelves were looking fairly depleted. The girl who served me was lovely though and managed to run through all the flavours they had left as if it was the first time that day, not the hundredth. I decided on a chocolate peanut butter regular and a mini vanilla and lemon. Total came to $5.31 after tax. I loved the cute little box which kept it straight...although it didn't quite survive being shoved into my handbag and dragged around. Not many things would.
I liked them a lot! The lemon was yummy and the mini size was perfect. The chocolate peanut butter had a light and moist bun with a really well flavoured buttercream. They are definitely sweet so if you usually go more for a cream cheese frosting and like some tartness, you probably won't like them. I didn't notice any sugar particles though unlike a previous reviewer.
I'd like to go back to test more of them-especially since another reviewer mentioned that quality fluctuates depending on the flavour. I especially want to try a red velvet or vanilla. Think they're good tests of cupcake quality! I didn't find the flavours boring really. I'd describe them as more traditional or classic. There's nothing wrong with that. I think my ideal cupcakery is one that is based on classic flavours with a different special every now and then.
So, for now it's a cautious 4ish stars. The final pronouncement will depend on red velvet and vanilla quality. Try not to let the suspense bother you too much! -
Review from Justine H.
Toronto, ON
8/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Restaurant: Prairie Girl Bakery
Cuisine: Bakeries/Desserts
Location: Downtown Core
Address18 King St E
Price Range: ~$10
1: Poor
2: OK
3: Good
4: Very Good
5: Excellent
Food: 3
Service: 3
Ambiance: N/A
Overall: 3
Extra information:
'Cupcakes' is really big in Vancouver, so I was excited to find a cupcake place that everyone seemed to be raving about. I know red velvet cupcakes are overrated in every way possible, but they are still my favorite so there was no question about which one to get. I got 2 of the regular sizes and I realized these cupcakes are NOT CHEAP! Frosting is very soft and rich but like everyone mentioned, it was very sweet. I almost had a heart attack eating them. The cake part was very moist and well done but it seemed like the proportion of icing to cake was kinda off. I would enjoy it more if there was more cake and less icing.
Summary: I wouldn't mind dropping by to grab a cupcake if I was craving something really sweet -
Review from Golnar F.
Toronto, ON
4/13/2011
First visit to this cupcake shop.
Went with a co-worker ... we were so excited to go on a cupcake adventure, excited to bring the cupcakes back to the office and pig out in front of our co-workers but ....
One word - diabetes! I stole that one from my co-worker. The icing is so sweet that you can actually taste the little sugar particles. The toppings are boring but we found out that the owner is a former banker ... that should explain it.
Try more banking and less baking. -
Review from Denise S.
4/8/2011 2 photos
This financial district cupcake shop has been open for just about 1 week now. I decided to try it out after reading about it in the news. The owner, Jean Blacklock (a 'prairie girl' from Saskatchewan), is a lawyer by training and in 2009 quit her Bay St. job to live out her dream of opening a bakery. Everything is made from scratch and fresh ingredients (no preservatives, no artificial flavouring). Leftovers are given away to Second Harvest food bank.
I went on a weekday afternoon and for a place with this much pink and a name like Prairie Girl Bakery, there were actually more men than women waiting in line! The place is bright and cheery -- NB that the entrance is off Victoria St. Jean was not there when I went, but a whole team of peppy, smiling staff were managing the crowd admirably.
LOVE:
- I had the Mom's golden buttermilk cupcake with strawberry icing -- divine. The cake was moist and fluffy with a real homemade flavour (translation: lots of butter), and the icing was creamy and there were bits of real strawberry in it. It has a hint of a yogurt flavour as well.
- Cupcakes come in regular ($3) or mini sizes ($1.75)
- Lots of flavours like chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, carrot and you can mix and match cupcake/icing combos. There is also a weekly special. I think this week it was something with coconut icing.
- You can pre-order online, which I'd imagine would be really useful if you want to order a bunch for work, a party, etc.
- They do special orders -- e.g. a specific decoration or gluten-free (but they cannot accommodate people with nut allergies, fyi).
- Cupcakes come in recyclable paper boxes with an insert to ensure that the cupcake doesn't shake around en route
DON'T LOVE:
- Zero seating
- A bit pricey
- I'm not crazy about the branding. There are way too many cute little shops with "girl", "diva", or "-licious" in the name these days. I know "Prairie Woman Bakery" wouldn't have the same ring to it but still...Listed in: The Sweet Escape
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Review from Kat D.
Toronto, ON
8/22/2011
PGB cupcakes are delicious. I have tried almost all of their cupcakes, my favourites so far are strawberry icing on a chocolate cupcake and also their cupcake of the week a few weeks ago, S'Mores. I have to admit that the icing is too sweet if you are not a huge fan of sugar but since I am it is not a problem for me. The size of the cupcakes are MUFFIN sized and good for sharing! They are quite tasty! If you are a fan of cupcakes you must try this store!
The customer service at PGB is excellent. I have inquired about cupcakes and Jean has been quick to respond with every question I have asked. In store, the service is wonderful too! The lines go quickly and the girls that work there always treat their customers with respect and kindness. They are also very knowledgable about cupcakes - which is good when you need advice on which one to eat. -
Review from May A.
Toronto, ON
9/11/2011
I love a great treat once in a while and recently tried Prairie Girl cupcakes. Top marks all around for quality of the cake, icing and freshness. A friend and I tried the full (and rather ample) sized peanut butter and a strawberry on the chocolate base - we split them so we both sampled each flavour. They were excellent! Cake was super moist/perfect and the icing was creamy and not too sweet. We also picked up a chocolate-chocolate gluten free for a friend and she absolutely loved hers! The only negative is that the cupcakes are a little pricey. Obviously no one likes that, however, it actually doesn't surprise us as the shop is (smartly) located in the downtown business district. Most clientele are picking up a treat(s) at lunch to have then or take back/home/share.
We were there at lunch so there was plenty to choose from. Staff were nice and helpful and we were in and out of there quickly. Shop is clean and theme/style is appealing. We will definitely go back (all good things in moderation.)
For the uninformed: most cupcake shops bake a certain amount for the day and after the stock is gone, that's it. So keep in mind that if you arrive at the end of the day your choices will be limited. And who cares about no seating? See above and it's not a Tim Horton's! -
Review from Anabel L.
Toronto, ON
9/12/2011
oh the cute cupcake
a little sweet tasty treat
one bite to happy
Happy Monday. Did my haiku make you smile? I'm in a great mood because it's celebration time. The fall is always marked by birthdays. Many, many, many birthdays, including my favourites.
I had a few this weekend, and one included these mini treats:
Hello Prairie Girl. I've been meaning to come see you but I've been so busy. Thanks for coming to me.
I still don't quite understand the cupcake emporium, but it looks like the workerbees at King and Yonge do. I get that they're cute. Mini versions of big things draw out the kid in all of us, but it's still just cake. I guess I'm just not a fan of cake. All that aside, I can admit that cupcakes are pretty cool. They're convenient and multi-faceted which means you can get a little of a lot (i.e. several flavours all in one).
My friends, new and old, are fans of Prairie Girl. I got to analyze them on Friday while at a birthday party. As an avid baker, I like to think my opinion matters here, moreso than over there. As with ALL cupcakeries, you get a lot of icing, like extra extra. Likely for two reasons. The first is that more is better than too little and the second, presentation; they just look better. Their prices are average for haute cupcakes: $2.95 for one ($31.95 for a dozen) and $1.75 for mini ($18.95 for a dozen).
I tried the Chocolate Peppermint. The cake was good but plain chocolate. I thought that it could have at least been mint chocolate. The peppermint icing was good, but it wasn't pepperminty. The red sprinkles were peppermint...I think. In the end, I wanted more peppermint.
He's cute right, but he left me wanting. Typical.
The key to a really great cupcake is the icing because it's not so hard to make a good moist cake. Since most of the cupcakes fell over in the box, I took it upon myself to try all the icing NOT on a cupcake.
I tried: Chocolate, Cream Cheese, Peanut Butter, Lemon, Strawberry, Coconut, and Vanilla.
Collectively they were all alright! Note the exclamation mark. Alright! is not Alright. It's better, but not quite good. Although the peanut butter icing is good! I enjoyed it very much.
In the end, I give Prairie Girls a thumbs up because their icing is not too sweet. That is a tremendous feat in my opinion. It is difficult to get an entirely sugar-based substance to not be too sweet, but still have flavour and maintain good consistency.
I am still on a sugarhigh. -
Review from Kendra M.
Toronto, ON
10/1/2011
A very pretty little cupcake shop in the heart of downtown. Very convenient for events at the office or for picking up a treat after work. Their selection is great -- about a dozen kinds every day -- and you get a choice of full size or mini cupcakes. I think this place is a bit pricier than other cupcake shops in the city. I'm not really an expert, but $2 for a mini single does seem a bit dear. As for the cupcakes, they are delicious here! Highly recommended! The only complaint I had from my husband was there was too much icing on the full size cupcakes. I agreed. The minis are better portions of cake to icing. Especially I would recommend trying the chocolate banana cupcake.
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Review from Alana C.
11/8/2011
I like these cupcakes a lot. The cake is moist, the icing is not too, too sweet and they have a neat treat of the week. We're ordered them for events and they are always here on time, if not early which is great. I just wish there was a bit more selection of the fancier cupcakes and maybe cute, little toppers like a piece of strawberry on top of a strawberry iced cupcake.
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Review from KL M.
Toronto, ON
11/20/2011
These are the best cupcakes I have ever tasted, so I am not sure what the current 3.5 stars is all about. Moist, sweet and delicious. You can never go wrong with the red velvet and cream cheese icing.
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Review from Davina D.
Nepean, ON
1/14/2012
The gluten free cupcakes are surprisingly tasty - the cake is moist and the icing is delicious. Oddly, though, their regular cupcakes are awful - dry cake and really nasty tasting icing (similar to the Betty Crocker canned stuff). If you're not looking for gluten free stuff, there are much better cupcake shops in Toronto to visit.
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Review from Ada T.
Toronto, ON
8/4/2011
Awesome cupcakes in the financial district! The best is the red velvet one with the cream cheese frosting. The petite ones are the perfect size to eat without feeling too guilty. It's very moist, but does taste a little too buttery if you have too much. If it was cheaper, this would be 5 stars.
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Review from Claudia C.
Toronto, ON
10/15/2011
Let me start off by saying this: I don't like their large (regular) cupcakes. I've never eaten a whole one but even split in half, there's too much icing in relation to cake and the cake itself seems a little drier in this form.
BUT. Their mini cupcakes are wonderful. Each bite gets you a perfect mix of icing and moist cake. Get a whole bunch (they come in the cutest boxes) and share them with friends and coworkers. I don't think I've had a flavour I didn't enjoy, but I could have a vanilla/vanilla any day of the week. They also have weekly special flavours. They're not all winners, but there are a couple I've had that I wished were permanent -- S'mores and pumpkin spice come to mind.
If you have gluten-intolerant friends, you should get to know this place. Their gluten-free cupcake is so good, you wouldn't know it if they didn't specifically tell you it was made without gluten.
And finally, to the reviewers below who said their cupcakes weren't different from store-bought: Regardless of flavour, the biggest and most important difference is that Prairie Girl uses real eggs, real butter, and not the crap they put into store-packaged food with unpronounceable hydro-whatever ingredients and a best before date a week from now.
It's okay to indulge every now and then, and if you like cupcakes, Prairie Girl is a good place to do it. -
Review from Joanne T.
Toronto, ON
9/22/2011
This cupcake emporium gets lots of great reviews, and I do think it is one of the better spots in the city.
My review is on the Flavour of the Week cupcake Chocolate Pumpkin (since we are in that season!).
It was very good, but too much!
It was the first time I had a big cupcake from there and it was very sweet.
I had to get used to the chocolate and pumpkin combo to start and did like it, but by the end I was overloaded.
So, maybe not the best flavour for a large cupcake but definitely worth trying in a small size. -
Review from Mike C.
Toronto, ON
7/5/2011
Went today after walking by this place yesterday. I ordered a vanilla cupcake with chocolate cream, a chocolate cupcake with strawberry cream, and a red velvet cupcake.
Only ate the vanilla cupcake so far, and it is REALLY GOOD. The cupcake was light and fluffy. The Chocolate Cream icing was sweet, but it's supposed to be. If you didn't want something sweet, then don't order any dessert?
Tried the remaining 2 cupckaes, they are SO GOOD. This is wifey's new favourite cupcake shop in Toronto. All cupcakes were light and fluffy, and she loved that the chocolate cupcake had so much chocolate flavor.
Definite 5 Stars. -
Review from TOFoodReviews n.
Toronto, ON
4/20/2011
Cupcakes have reached a point of utmost popularity in the world of baked goods. Why are people flocking to these brightly coloured, frosted, palm-sized desserts? Well, I'm sure there is some greater social commentary to be made here about a reversion to childhood or a need for comfort foods in our over-stressed, over-worked lives, but, in the case of Prairie Girl Bakery, it's just simply that they taste so darn good!
Walking into Prairie Girl Bakery is almost like entering a fine clothing store - everything is placed just so. The whole space is pristinely clean and clear of clutter; literally nothing exists except a counter and back-wall display. The cupcakes are kept safely behind the employees, lined up row by row waiting to be selected and boxed up. All of the focus is on their one and only product. There is no time wasted on brewing coffee, serving tea, or making sandwiches. Everything comes down to one thing: the cake and the icing.
When I first walked into the store, I thought I made a mistake. I went in to grab a dozen cupcakes for a work function and was shocked at the lack of merchandise on the shelves. I had to ask, "was I supposed to pre-order before coming in?" Not at all. They just take extra care to provide the freshest product possible, promising never to serve a "day-old cupcake." So, baking in big batches to keep the shelves stocked to the brim all day is out of the question. The team at Prairie Girl Bakery prides itself on being resourceful and limiting waste; they even take any leftover cupcakes to a local charitable organization, Toronto's Second Harvest, that is dedicated to providing realistic solutions to hunger. Are cupcakes a necessity for a charitable food organization? Of course not, but why not give where you can and provide something a bit more luxurious than canned food to those in need.
The cupcakes come in two sizes, 13 flavours, and an array of beautiful colours. You won't find any unneeded extras here, like (in)edible sugar flower toppings disguising an otherwise delectable treat. The cakes are simple and the swirls of icing are in the spotlight on top of light bases. The range of flavours include peanut butter banana, red velvet with classic cream cheese icing, chocolate-chocolate, chocolate-vanilla, chocolate-hazelnut, chocolate cake with peppermint icing, and my ultimate favourite, chocolate cake with strawberry icing. The strawberry colour was fairly mute, but the flavour was intense. Even more impressive was that the chocolate cake didn't overpower the icing or vice versa. Each deep flavour perfectly complemented the other.
A dozen mini-cupcakes come in at $18.95 and one dozen regular size at $31.95. My gluttonous side will only order the mini cupcakes from now on, allowing me to eat two or three different flavours in one sitting. However, there is something supremely gorgeous about the sight of one of their regular sized cupcakes sitting in it's very own container (complete with viewing window) waiting only for you.
Want to feel a little less guilty about completely indulging in these sinfully tasty treats? Prairie Girl Bakery's dedication to remaining as all-natural as possible streams throughout the whole operation. Not only do they use recyclable cardboard packaging, but they are absolutely free of preservatives, artificial flavours, and hydrogenated or "trans" fats. I'd say that's mostly healthy eating.
On one final note, I have to say that I love the mythology around this place. The story is that Prairie Girl Bakery's creator, Jean Blacklock, learned all she knew from her family back on her Saskatchewan farm. She eventually left a career in law to bring that down home prairie, old fashioned baking to us city-dwellers. I don't think there could possibly be more charm or more beauty in the simplicity of what Prairie Girl Bakery is and what they produce. -
Review from Sarah L.
North York, ON
4/16/2011
I went in last week with a colleague from work for a visit and taste test. We tested four mini cupcakes between the two of us, vanilla lemon, red velvet cream cheese, chocolate peppermint and carrot cream cheese. We both concluded that the icing had good consistency, was soft and whipped tasting, not overly buttery, and packed with flavour (for the lemon icing on the vanilla cupcake). The cakes themselves were spongy and overall, quite satisfying. By far, for me the favourite was the vanilla lemon cupcake. The red velvet was nothing to write home about and could have been a bit more red but still, it was good. There are no beverages here, the owner is a cupcake purist.
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Review from Rebecca H.
Toronto, ON
12/4/2011
My beau has nicknamed me Cupcake and there's a reason - I'm a huge fan of cupcakes, and Prairie Girl is my current favourite in the city. While they don't have the array of some other cupcakeries, their cupcakes are always moist and their icing is sublime. I'm just glad for the sake of my waistline that I live across the city from their store.
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Review from Foo D.
Scarborough, ON
5/28/2011
Bought a half dozen cupcakes and the quality fluctuated depending on the flavor. The cupcakes could have been more moist and some even tasted like muffins. The strawberry icing was definitely good but the cupcake itself was a bit disappointing.. The chocolate peanut butter one was def the best.
