Let me just get this out there from the start. I'm not vegan. I'm not gluten-free. I'm a baked goods snob. So if you were to tell me that I'd find truly delicious gluten free, vegan, soy free, refined sugar free, and additive free cupcakes, that I like more than many regular versions, of all things, I'd tell you that you were insane. At least, I would have until I tried the cupcakes from Wholesome Bakery.
To be fair, its not to say I've never found a decent baked good before that is vegan, or gluten-free. Mariposa makes a good gluten-free coffee cake. But the treats from Wholesome Bakery are in a different category all together. These aren't vegan/gluten free items you just "tolerate", no, they are ones you actually seek out, even if not for dietary restriction reasons.
To be fair, its not to say I've never found a decent baked good before that is vegan, or gluten-free. Mariposa makes a good gluten-free coffee cake. But the treats from Wholesome Bakery are in a different category all together. These aren't vegan/gluten free items you just "tolerate", no, they are ones you actually seek out, even if not for dietary restriction reasons.
"To inspire and provide high quality, sustainably made, allergy friendly products that everyone can enjoy while servicing our environment, the small working farmer and ecological habitats."
You can also feel good enjoying their treats, and appreciate that it is a small local women owned business, started in 2008, with a lovely growth story of the owner selling to just a few niche places around town to now owning her own brick and mortar shop, along with selling wholesale. I got to experience Wholesome Bakery during the growth phases, when my office ordered from them regularly, drawn in by the ability to order for those inclusive of so many differing dietary needs.
In addition to the aforementioned cupcakes, Wholesome Bakery also makes full size cakes, morning breads, cookies, brownies, bars, and tarts, and I've tried ... well, nearly all of them. At the cafe, they also have a variety of savories like bagels, tartines, hand pies, frittatas, and more but we never tried those. Not everything was a great success, but, the cupcakes and crumb cakes in particular I'd go out of my way for.
Desserts
Cupcakes, $5.25 each.
My first encounter with Wholesome Bakery was with the cupcakes. You may recall that in the realm of baked goods, I don't generally rave about cupcakes. They just aren't the most exciting desserts to me. So, the first time I sorta tried one, begrudgingly, because they were the only dessert option, and I wanted something sweet. I went back for a second as soon as I finished the first. Literally.
Wholesome Bakery makes cupcakes in a slew of flavors, ranging from Banana Vanilla to Lavender. Adding to the theme of total surprise and out-of-character nature, the ones I have liked the best have all been chocolate based (I love chocolate, but not generally chocolate desserts, and certainly not chocolate cake). I can't explain it.
The base of all the cupcakes is oat flour, palm oil, raw blue agave, and coconut sugar (all organic) - so, as with all of Wholesome Bakery's products, gluten-free, vegan, no refined sugars, etc, etc. The all have a unique texture, and do taste a bit healthy, but, I really like them. And the frosting to cake ratio? Excellent.
Chocolate Base
The chocolate based cupcakes were my regular favorites, which is not generally true for me.
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| Chocolate Tuxedo (Oct 2016). |
The first cupcake I tried was the Chocolate Tuxedo, a classic chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. I half-heartdly took my first bite. And then stepped back in amazement.
The chocolate cake was ... strange, but delicious. The top was a bit moist, sorta like a brownie, and the bottom half was very crumbly. It made a big mess, and didn't crumble in the way a normal cupcake does. The texture was strange, a bit ... mealy? I guess oat flour isn't as smooth as wheat flour? I know this doesn't actually sound good, but, it really, really was. The cake was addicting, something I don't think I've ever said about any cake before.
The frosting was also a surprise. Normally vegan frosting is all a strange texture, or tastes like coconut oil. Somehow, this didn't. It was fluffy and light like any normal frosting.
The ratio of cake to frosting was perfect too, plenty of frosting, more generous than many cupcakes.
I was amazed by how much I loved this, and quickly had a second. The classic Tuxedo remained a regular pick for me.
****.
Since I really did like the chocolate base in the Tuxedo, I next went for another chocolate version, Mint Chocolate, topped with light green frosting and chocolate cake crumbles.
Another chocolate base, this time topped with maple sea salt frosting, a drizzle of chocolate, and some bit crystals of salt.
For some reason, this chocolate base wasn't as successful as the others. It wasn't quite as dense, was more dried out, and crumbled very easily. If it was my first encounter with these cupcakes, I would have never had a second one.
The frosting however was great. Light and fluffy, didn't taste like coconut, had a slight sweetness from maple, and the extra sea salt on top kicked everything up a notch. And as you can see, the ratio of frosting was excellent, for frosting loving me!
This was another decent cupcake, a caramely twist on the banana cream.
This was a Halloween special, the chocolate chip cupcake decorated with a spider on top.
It was adorable and one of my favorites.
I liked the texture the bits of chocolate added, and in particular, I liked the use of irregular, larger chocolate chunks, not just little chips. The base was moist and hearty, standard Wholesome Bakery base that I enjoy.
Very fluffy frosting on top, adorable spider, and a dark chocolate disk for the body completed it.
I was quite pleased with this. ****.
"Vanilla cake baked with organic dark chocolate chips and mint frosting."
The chocolate chip took another spin with the mint chocolate chip version, the same chocolate chip base, with light green mint frosting and a dark chocolate disk to garnish.
As usual, I appreciated the hearty dense base, and liked the texture from the dark chips. The frosting was light and fluffy, sweet, and only very slightly minty. I'd prefer more mint, of course.
Overall, a solid cupcake. ****.
"Infused and baked with natural rose water. Then decorated with a pink rosette and topped with a fresh rose."
Yes, there was a full size, real rose perched on top of the cupcake, nearly as large as the cupcake itself. I couldn't decide if I thought this was pretty ... or ridiculous. Such a large non-edible garnish is a bit annoying, but, aww, a rose!
Anyway, garnish aside, I really liked this cupcake. I didn't taste the rose flavor in the cake itself, and actually thought it was a plain cupcake, but the frosting had a lovely rose flavor to it. The frosting was also perfectly fluffy, just the right level of sweet, and I didn't taste coconut. Floral flavors can be tricky, but this one was just lovely, strong enough to taste, but I didn't feel like I was licking a flower. Except, well, when I *did* lick the frosting off the rose.
Overall, a very good cupcake, another great example of how delicious their base cake can be, with a unique frosting. ****.
A few months later, another rose cupcake, rose pistachio. Not a flavor I'd normally try, but, since I liked the rose frosting last time, I eagerly grabbed another.
It too was good. Same standard cake base (no hints of rose there), but the sweet, floral, rose frosting was delightful. I'm not sure where the pistachio was other than the two pistachios perched on top though, perhaps there was some in the cake, but I didn't taste it.
The rose frosting has quickly turned into one of my favorites. ****.
"Strawberry cake and whipped cream topped with a fresh dipped chocolate strawberry."
The other Valentine's special had a full size chocolate dipped strawberry on top, still a very large topping, but, this one at least was mostly edible. The strawberry wasn't particularly ripe though, but what do you expect in February?
I also didn't realize this cake was supposed to be strawberry cake, and again thought it was plain cake. That said, I liked the cake, it had all the same qualities of the plain cake that I have liked before, dense, hearty, tasty.
The whipped cream topping was decent, fluffy, decent mouthfeel, not too much coconut. It was fairly plain though, but, that is what you'd expect.
Overall, enjoyable, but the rose was the winner of the pair due to the more flavorful frosting. ***.
"Made with fresh organic carrots and generously topped with walnuts and coconut."
Carrot cake. I think most people have many opinions on carrot cake. I'm no different. Should it have nuts? (yes!) What about pineapple for moisture? (double yes!) Raisins? (eh) Cream cheese frosting (of course!) My great aunt makes an amazing carrot cake, and her recipe is "famous" in our family for good reason. The consequence of growing up with this amazing carrot cake however is that I don't tend to like other carrot cakes (although Flour & Co made a good one!).
So, did I have hopes for this? Not really.
The cake was, again, same, moist, dense, hearty cake, only this time it did have carrot, and you could see some shreds of carrot in it. Not tons of carrot flavor, nor different spicing, but, a bit. No pineapple or raisins, and, no nuts inside the cake. So, overall, the cake was a bit boring, just some subtle carrot added to their regular cake.
The frosting was just plain however. Yes, it was orange and green, and fluffy and light, but, just plain sweet frosting. No cream cheese flavor at all. A tiny bit of crumbled walnut on top and a few shreds of coconut didn't add much.
So, better than a plain cupcake I guess, but, it didn't really deliver in any of the ways I wanted it to. ***.
"Lemon - Zesty lemon cake made with our fresh housemade organic lemon compote."
This one was unique. One of the first (non-chocolate) cakes where I really tasted a flavor in the base. I don't generally care for lemon desserts, but, you could taste it here, and if you like lemon, I think this was likely a lovely flavor. The cake itself was almost more moist than most of the other Wholesome Bakery cakes, less hearty tasting, more "normal" if that makes sense.
The frosting was raspberry flavored, pink, with a few visible seeds, but, I didn't really taste any flavor to it.
The raspberry puree however was excellent! So sweet and flavorful.
So, overall, not the cupcake for me, but, one of the better cakes, and really fantastic puree. **+.
"For all the almond lovers, delicious almond cake with strawberry whipped cream."
This was really good! I think my favorite item.
It used the same hearty base as the cupcakes, but was loaded with plump, juicy blueberries. The berries made it crazy moist. This really was the best base of any item I tried, far more moist, really flavorful, nice texture.
On top was sliced almonds (crunch!), plus a light sweet streusel layer.
This was very successful, basically like a different shaped blueberry muffin, a bit sweeter.
This was certainly sweeter than the other tea cakes and crumb cakes, which always seemed more like breakfast items to me than desserts or afternoon tea items. It lacked frosting, so not quite a full fledged dessert like the cupcakes, but, it seemed perfect for afternoon tea. Or, in my world, totally acceptable breakfast.
I'd gladly get it again. ****.
"Banana bread filled and topped with dark chocolate."
This was fine, and breakfast appropriate, but, a bit too boring for me. I did want some frosting or something, which I realize isn't what I should have at breakfast. ***+.
The base was large shreds of toasted coconut, toasted oats, and sliced almonds. Slight cardamom flavor, nice sweetness, touch of salt.
The pudding was thick and rich, made with coconut cream for some extra flavor too. The chia was soft and just a nice texture.
On top was a fantastic fruit compote with stewed sweet fruit, and it complimented the pudding well. And then, toasted coconut flakes for crunch.
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| Mint Chocolate (Jan 2017). |
This was even better than the Tuxedo! The cake was again the same moist, dense, crumbly but delicious chocolate cake. The frosting was the perfect level of minty, made with peppermint extract. It didn't taste like toothpaste, but it really was clearly mint. Quality ingredients, clearly.
I loved the chocolate and mint combo, and would gladly consume an entire dozen of these myself.
****+.
The mint chocolate really may be my favorite! We had it again a few months later. The chocolate base this time was actually a bit dry, but I still liked it. It came topped with not only the cake crumbles from last time, but a little round of chocolate too.
The frosting is what makes this one such a winner. So minty, and the mint and chocolate combination is perfect. The frosting this time also seemed lighter and fluffier. I loved it.
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| Mint Chocolate (May 2017). |
The frosting is what makes this one such a winner. So minty, and the mint and chocolate combination is perfect. The frosting this time also seemed lighter and fluffier. I loved it.
****+.
The mint chocolate cupcake evolved over the course of the year, this time, coming out less successful, at least for me.
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| Mint Chocolate (Dec 2017). |
The cake was a bit dry, but the real reason I liked it less was the topping. I loved the original fluffy peppermint frosting, and this time, there was just a little star of it. I missed the generous mound of frosting.
That said, the top was also different, crusted with a chocolate coconut ganache.
For those who want a lighter cupcake, and don't love frosting quite as much as me, I'm sure this was a fun interesting change, and I was only mostly sad because I had the comparison point.
***.
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| Chocolate Maple Sea Salt (November 2016). |
For some reason, this chocolate base wasn't as successful as the others. It wasn't quite as dense, was more dried out, and crumbled very easily. If it was my first encounter with these cupcakes, I would have never had a second one.
The frosting however was great. Light and fluffy, didn't taste like coconut, had a slight sweetness from maple, and the extra sea salt on top kicked everything up a notch. And as you can see, the ratio of frosting was excellent, for frosting loving me!
***.
"Rich dark chocolate cake with fresh organic raspberry and organic puree."
This chocolate cake was again dense and rich, although a bit drier on the bottom than others. I ended up discarding the very bottom, as it offered nothing. I liked the top half though.
The frosting however I didn't like. It was raspberry-ish, but, somehow I just didn't like it. It tasted too fake? Not sure.
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| Chocolate Raspberry (April 2017). |
This chocolate cake was again dense and rich, although a bit drier on the bottom than others. I ended up discarding the very bottom, as it offered nothing. I liked the top half though.
The frosting however I didn't like. It was raspberry-ish, but, somehow I just didn't like it. It tasted too fake? Not sure.
There was also a dot of raspberry puree, a fresh raspberry, and a chocolate disk. The garnish was nice.
**+.
"Rich dark chocolate cake with fresh organic strawberry puree."
Unlike the other chocolate cupcake experiences, I did not like the cake here. At all. It was very dry. Not dense, not moist, not chocolately. Not good.
The frosting looked like the plain white vanilla, but it had nice coconut flavor and mouthfeel. I loved the sweet berry puree on top.
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| Chocolate Strawberry. (August 2017). |
Unlike the other chocolate cupcake experiences, I did not like the cake here. At all. It was very dry. Not dense, not moist, not chocolately. Not good.
The frosting looked like the plain white vanilla, but it had nice coconut flavor and mouthfeel. I loved the sweet berry puree on top.
** cake, *** frosting, **** puree, so, *** overall.
"With our own handmade caramel then swirled in with our vanilla whipped cream."
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| Mocha (June 2017). |
This one was interesting. In some ways, it was the most successful chocolate cupcake. In others, the least. Intrigued?
The most successful was the frosting. It was light, fluffier, and far more "normal" tasting and texture than any other Wholesome Bakery cupcake I have had. The mocha flavor was intense. This was excellent frosting.
But the cake ... was the driest cake I've ever had from Wholesome Bakery. It tasted what you think gluten-free and vegan would taste like.
A fresher cake perhaps and this would be the ultimate? This could have just been a freshness/scaling issue?
****+ frosting, ** cake, ***+ overall.
Two months later, mocha came back, in a slightly different form. It was still successful, another favorite.
The chocolate cake was back to being moist, dense, intense chocolate. It was relieving to see the good chocolate base return. I wonder if sometimes they are just a day old or something when we get them?
The frosting this time had less intense coffee flavor, but it had a good sweetness, and was the perfect light, fluffy texture.
I loved the chocolate covered espresso beans on top. Yay for crunch.
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| Mocha (August 2017). |
The chocolate cake was back to being moist, dense, intense chocolate. It was relieving to see the good chocolate base return. I wonder if sometimes they are just a day old or something when we get them?
The frosting this time had less intense coffee flavor, but it had a good sweetness, and was the perfect light, fluffy texture.
I loved the chocolate covered espresso beans on top. Yay for crunch.
****.
This was a Halloween special, chocolate cake with orange pumpkin-ish shaped vanilla frosting.
It was cute, but I didn't love the actually cake (a bit dry), and the frosting was too sweet (and, actually, too much of it).
But very cute.
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| Chocolate Jack-O-Lantern (Halloween). |
It was cute, but I didn't love the actually cake (a bit dry), and the frosting was too sweet (and, actually, too much of it).
But very cute.
***.
"Dark chocolate cake with caramel, pecans and dark chocolate brownie bits."
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| Turtle (May 2018). |
Well, hello. Yup, a chocolate base, vanilla frosting, caramel drizzle, pecan bits on top. Ours didn't seem to have the dark chocolate brownie bits as described, but, who cares?
This was a great cupcake.
Deep chocolate flavor in the base. Moist, not dry, very good chocolate base.
The frosting was plain, slightly coconuty, but sweet and very fluffy.
The caramel was sweet and delicious, and I loved the crunch from the pecans. One of the best!
This was a great cupcake.
Deep chocolate flavor in the base. Moist, not dry, very good chocolate base.
The frosting was plain, slightly coconuty, but sweet and very fluffy.
The caramel was sweet and delicious, and I loved the crunch from the pecans. One of the best!
****.
Plain Base
Next up, the blonde base, which I think is the same as the chocolate ones, just, sans the cocoa.
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| Dulce de Leche (Oct 2016). |
This was my least favorite.
The cake itself sorta reminded me more of a muffin, or perhaps of banana bread or pumpkin bread, although I know it didn't have either banana nor pumpkin in it. It was just ... boring. The texture was the same as the chocolate ones, which I liked, but, the flavor wasn't there.
The frosting I also didn't care for, it tasted very strongly of coconut, made from coconut milk like all the frosting, but it was out of balance here.
The drizzle of caramel was fine, but, the coconut flavor was too strong and wiped it out.
Overall, just not a winner for me, and more in line with what I'd expect from a vegan and gluten-free baked good, sorry.
**.
I almost didn't try this since I didn't care for it before, but I'm glad I did this time, several years later.
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| Dulce de Leche (Feb 2018). |
The base was their standard good hearty well cooked base with a crispy top, the icing was light and fluffy and sweet and not too coconut-y, and the dulce de leche drizzle was a nice sweet accent.
It was still a pretty plain cupcake, certainly didn't scream dulce de leche, but, I enjoyed it.
***.
"Perfectly sweet butterscotch cake with yummy pecans."
The cake in this one did taste gluten-free and vegan, if you know what I mean. It tasted healthy (in a whole wheat sort of way, which is ironic since it had no wheat), it had a slightly strange flavor, and the texture was odd. I didn't taste the promised sweet butterscotch. I think the base might have been unflavored, and all the flavor was in the topping?
The frosting was fluffy and sweet, and tasted more like bourbon to me than butterscotch. I actually believed this was a bourbon pecan cupcake until I read the sign. Bourbon pecan is not a bad thing in any way, but I'm a little confused why I tasted bourbon instead of sweet butterscotch.
I liked the crushed pecans on top.
Overall, good frosting and topping, but I didn't care for the cake.
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| Butterscotch Pecan. |
The cake in this one did taste gluten-free and vegan, if you know what I mean. It tasted healthy (in a whole wheat sort of way, which is ironic since it had no wheat), it had a slightly strange flavor, and the texture was odd. I didn't taste the promised sweet butterscotch. I think the base might have been unflavored, and all the flavor was in the topping?
The frosting was fluffy and sweet, and tasted more like bourbon to me than butterscotch. I actually believed this was a bourbon pecan cupcake until I read the sign. Bourbon pecan is not a bad thing in any way, but I'm a little confused why I tasted bourbon instead of sweet butterscotch.
I liked the crushed pecans on top.
Overall, good frosting and topping, but I didn't care for the cake.
***.
This cake tasted exactly the same as the butterscotch pecan, which supports my theory that the cake is the same, only the toppings change.
The frosting was very very fluffy and the word that came to mind when I tasted it was "ricey", so I was pretty surprised when I read the sign and saw that it was indeed a horchata cupcake, although the ingredients didn't list rice. It was kinda ricey and coconuty, a bit too much like coconut oil, and I didn't really like it.
The non-toasted large shreds of coconut on top were also not for me.
Sadly, this one just had no element that I liked.
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| Horchata (Nov 2016). |
The frosting was very very fluffy and the word that came to mind when I tasted it was "ricey", so I was pretty surprised when I read the sign and saw that it was indeed a horchata cupcake, although the ingredients didn't list rice. It was kinda ricey and coconuty, a bit too much like coconut oil, and I didn't really like it.
The non-toasted large shreds of coconut on top were also not for me.
Sadly, this one just had no element that I liked.
**.
Even though I didn't like it before, I decided to try another.
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| Horchata (April 2017). |
I think I liked it a bit more, the cake was standard, dense, hearty cake, and this time it did seem to have, uh, essence of rice to it? The frosting was a bit better as well, sweeter than other version, and less coconut-oily, and very fluffy.
While I didn't love this cupcake, it was better than the previous version for sure.
**+.
"Vanilla cake with fresh strawberries."
The cake base here was again the plain, standard, non-chocolate base. I didn't detect any strawberry in it. It was dense, healthy tasting, and, as always, not bad. But, boring.
The frosting was fairly plain too, vanilla, fluffy, sweet, and I didn't taste too much coconut.
The strawberry puree on top was sweet, fruity, and flavorful, but the cupcake was still overall quite plain. Imagine if some of that puree was inside ...
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| Strawberry. |
The cake base here was again the plain, standard, non-chocolate base. I didn't detect any strawberry in it. It was dense, healthy tasting, and, as always, not bad. But, boring.
The frosting was fairly plain too, vanilla, fluffy, sweet, and I didn't taste too much coconut.
The strawberry puree on top was sweet, fruity, and flavorful, but the cupcake was still overall quite plain. Imagine if some of that puree was inside ...
***.
This was a different version of strawberry. The cake was plain, but the frosting was pink, and it had the same berry drizzle.
This one wasn't particularly interesting. It was still good base cake, crispy top, moist, hearty, but, just plain. The frosting, while pink, and light and fluffy, didn't taste like strawberry, I think it really was just pink.
So, all fine, but, not a highlight. ***.
Are they inconsistent? Am I fickle? I'm not sure, because I liked this one quite a bit.
The cake seemed like it did have some strawberry in it, with a pinkish hue. The frosting was light and fluffy, perfect. And the strawberry drizzle just downright delicious, such intense berry flavor.
I liked this one quite a bit, as did my co-worker. ***+.
Eh, another one that wasn't great.
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| Strawberry (Jan 2018). |
This one wasn't particularly interesting. It was still good base cake, crispy top, moist, hearty, but, just plain. The frosting, while pink, and light and fluffy, didn't taste like strawberry, I think it really was just pink.
So, all fine, but, not a highlight. ***.
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| Strawberry (Feb 2018). |
The cake seemed like it did have some strawberry in it, with a pinkish hue. The frosting was light and fluffy, perfect. And the strawberry drizzle just downright delicious, such intense berry flavor.
I liked this one quite a bit, as did my co-worker. ***+.
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| Strawberry (April 2016). |
No real strawberry flavor to any element, not the cupcake, not the frosting. **+.
This was labelled Neapolitan, which seemed to be a plain base, chocolate frosting, and strawberry puree drizzled over the top of the frosting, and a dot of the puree under it.
Standard good plain base. Moist, hearty, I liked it, but it was plain and healthy tasting.
Frosting was light and fluffy, very mild chocolate flavor. Not really my favorite.
The strawberry puree was sweet and fruity, and I wasn't really a fan. Not quite sure why, but it didn't seem to go with the chocolate very well.
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| Neapolitan. |
Standard good plain base. Moist, hearty, I liked it, but it was plain and healthy tasting.
Frosting was light and fluffy, very mild chocolate flavor. Not really my favorite.
The strawberry puree was sweet and fruity, and I wasn't really a fan. Not quite sure why, but it didn't seem to go with the chocolate very well.
**+.
"Vanilla cake with a hint of banana and topped with vanilla bean whipped cream."
Non-Chocolate Flavored Base
And finally, all the flavored bases, ranging from fruity to those filled with chips.
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| Banana Cream (November 2016) |
And finally, a non-chocolate cupcake that I really liked! And, banana of all things.
The banana flavor in the cake was very, very mild, the description of "a hint of banana" is very accurate. I didn't really want a banana cupcake anyway, so this made me happy. It did have both organic banana and "natural organic banana flavor" in it though. The cake had the same strange dense texture as the others, and the same hearty taste, that I just really liked, even though it is clearly not a "normal" cupcake.
The frosting was just plain vanilla, coconut based but the coconut wasn't too strong. The garnishes of a banana chip and coconut shreds helped identify the flavor.
Overall, besides the chocolate based ones, an absolute favorite, and I'd gladly have another.
****.
"I'd gladly have another", I said at the conclusion of my previous review, so, when I saw the banana cream cupcakes again a few months later, I immediately grabbed one.
It was ... ok. The frosting again just plain vanilla and I just don't really like their plain vanilla.
The cake was sorta banana flavored, hearty, moist enough. Just, ok. Not awesome. Not sure why I didn't like it as much this time.
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| Banana Cream (April 2017). |
It was ... ok. The frosting again just plain vanilla and I just don't really like their plain vanilla.
The cake was sorta banana flavored, hearty, moist enough. Just, ok. Not awesome. Not sure why I didn't like it as much this time.
***.
Another day, another banana cream!
This one I liked again. The slight banana flavor works well in the "healthy" tasting dense base, and the frosting was lighter and fluffier than before, and even seemed perhaps banana flavored.
I included a cross-section shot here, demonstrating the excellent frosting to cake ratio that Wholesome Bakery goes for - basically, 50-50!
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| Banana Cream (June 2017). |
This one I liked again. The slight banana flavor works well in the "healthy" tasting dense base, and the frosting was lighter and fluffier than before, and even seemed perhaps banana flavored.
I included a cross-section shot here, demonstrating the excellent frosting to cake ratio that Wholesome Bakery goes for - basically, 50-50!
***+.
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| Caramel Banana (April 2017) |
The cake, again, dense, and I didn't really taste banana, but it reminded me a bit of graham cracker, just, dense, cake-like graham cracker, if that makes any sense.
The frosting was the surprise in this one. It did taste like banana! Same fluffy texture, sweet, slightly coconuty flavor, but this time, with some essence of banana. I loved whatever was sprinkled on top, and the crunchy slice of dried banana too.
Overall, good, and I'm shocked that I like banana cupcakes.
The frosting was the surprise in this one. It did taste like banana! Same fluffy texture, sweet, slightly coconuty flavor, but this time, with some essence of banana. I loved whatever was sprinkled on top, and the crunchy slice of dried banana too.
Overall, good, and I'm shocked that I like banana cupcakes.
***+.
This cake was my absolute favorite non-chocolate cake base.
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| Cherry Chip (Jan 2017). |
Dense, "healthy" style that I do strangely like, with little chips throughout. I loved the crunch the chips added.
The frosting was a letdown though. While it was pink, and very fluffy, it had no flavor at all. Certainly not cherry, but not even a hint of coconut or vanilla could be detected. I think this is where the cherry was supposed to be, as I didn't taste cherry in the cake either.
Even though the frosting was a dud on this, I did like the cake very much. ***.
"Vanilla cookie with organic dark chocolate chips."
These ones had giant chunks of chocolate chip cookie sticking out. Seriously, the cookie was as large as the cupcake itself! 2-for-1!
I think the cake was the same chocolate chip cake as the cherry chip cupcake, as I found bits of chocolate inside the cake. I again liked the addition of the chips to the otherwise good, but, plain, cake.
The frosting was vanilla, and fine, sweet, fluffy, and not too coconutty, but, plain.
Clearly though, this cupcake was all about the "garnish". There were a few cookie crumbs, and, of course the large cookie. I couldn't really eat the cupcake with that giant cookie sticking out, so I removed it, dunked it in the frosting, and ate it separate. The great thing about these cupcakes is the generous frosting to cake ratio, so I had enough to spread on my cookie too.
The cookie was fine, but I'm not a big cookie fan. It was a thin, crispy style, that did actually seem quite buttery, even though it was vegan. Not sure how they achieve that. I was happy to try a cookie, but, not really my garnish of choice.
The frosting was a letdown though. While it was pink, and very fluffy, it had no flavor at all. Certainly not cherry, but not even a hint of coconut or vanilla could be detected. I think this is where the cherry was supposed to be, as I didn't taste cherry in the cake either.
Even though the frosting was a dud on this, I did like the cake very much. ***.
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| Chocolate Chip Cookie (Jan 2017). |
These ones had giant chunks of chocolate chip cookie sticking out. Seriously, the cookie was as large as the cupcake itself! 2-for-1!
I think the cake was the same chocolate chip cake as the cherry chip cupcake, as I found bits of chocolate inside the cake. I again liked the addition of the chips to the otherwise good, but, plain, cake.
The frosting was vanilla, and fine, sweet, fluffy, and not too coconutty, but, plain.
Clearly though, this cupcake was all about the "garnish". There were a few cookie crumbs, and, of course the large cookie. I couldn't really eat the cupcake with that giant cookie sticking out, so I removed it, dunked it in the frosting, and ate it separate. The great thing about these cupcakes is the generous frosting to cake ratio, so I had enough to spread on my cookie too.
The cookie was fine, but I'm not a big cookie fan. It was a thin, crispy style, that did actually seem quite buttery, even though it was vegan. Not sure how they achieve that. I was happy to try a cookie, but, not really my garnish of choice.
***.
"Vanilla cake baked with organic dark chocolate chips."
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| Chocolate Chip Spider (Halloween). |
This was a Halloween special, the chocolate chip cupcake decorated with a spider on top.
It was adorable and one of my favorites.
I liked the texture the bits of chocolate added, and in particular, I liked the use of irregular, larger chocolate chunks, not just little chips. The base was moist and hearty, standard Wholesome Bakery base that I enjoy.
Very fluffy frosting on top, adorable spider, and a dark chocolate disk for the body completed it.
I was quite pleased with this. ****.
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| Mint Chocolate Chip (May 2018). |
The chocolate chip took another spin with the mint chocolate chip version, the same chocolate chip base, with light green mint frosting and a dark chocolate disk to garnish.
As usual, I appreciated the hearty dense base, and liked the texture from the dark chips. The frosting was light and fluffy, sweet, and only very slightly minty. I'd prefer more mint, of course.
Overall, a solid cupcake. ****.
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| Rose (Valentine's Special, 2017). |
Yes, there was a full size, real rose perched on top of the cupcake, nearly as large as the cupcake itself. I couldn't decide if I thought this was pretty ... or ridiculous. Such a large non-edible garnish is a bit annoying, but, aww, a rose!
Anyway, garnish aside, I really liked this cupcake. I didn't taste the rose flavor in the cake itself, and actually thought it was a plain cupcake, but the frosting had a lovely rose flavor to it. The frosting was also perfectly fluffy, just the right level of sweet, and I didn't taste coconut. Floral flavors can be tricky, but this one was just lovely, strong enough to taste, but I didn't feel like I was licking a flower. Except, well, when I *did* lick the frosting off the rose.
Overall, a very good cupcake, another great example of how delicious their base cake can be, with a unique frosting. ****.
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| Rose Pistachio. (April 2017). |
It too was good. Same standard cake base (no hints of rose there), but the sweet, floral, rose frosting was delightful. I'm not sure where the pistachio was other than the two pistachios perched on top though, perhaps there was some in the cake, but I didn't taste it.
The rose frosting has quickly turned into one of my favorites. ****.
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| Chocolate Covered Strawberry (Valentine's Special, 2017). |
The other Valentine's special had a full size chocolate dipped strawberry on top, still a very large topping, but, this one at least was mostly edible. The strawberry wasn't particularly ripe though, but what do you expect in February?
I also didn't realize this cake was supposed to be strawberry cake, and again thought it was plain cake. That said, I liked the cake, it had all the same qualities of the plain cake that I have liked before, dense, hearty, tasty.
The whipped cream topping was decent, fluffy, decent mouthfeel, not too much coconut. It was fairly plain though, but, that is what you'd expect.
Overall, enjoyable, but the rose was the winner of the pair due to the more flavorful frosting. ***.
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| Carrot Cake (April Easter Special). |
Carrot cake. I think most people have many opinions on carrot cake. I'm no different. Should it have nuts? (yes!) What about pineapple for moisture? (double yes!) Raisins? (eh) Cream cheese frosting (of course!) My great aunt makes an amazing carrot cake, and her recipe is "famous" in our family for good reason. The consequence of growing up with this amazing carrot cake however is that I don't tend to like other carrot cakes (although Flour & Co made a good one!).
So, did I have hopes for this? Not really.
The cake was, again, same, moist, dense, hearty cake, only this time it did have carrot, and you could see some shreds of carrot in it. Not tons of carrot flavor, nor different spicing, but, a bit. No pineapple or raisins, and, no nuts inside the cake. So, overall, the cake was a bit boring, just some subtle carrot added to their regular cake.
The frosting was just plain however. Yes, it was orange and green, and fluffy and light, but, just plain sweet frosting. No cream cheese flavor at all. A tiny bit of crumbled walnut on top and a few shreds of coconut didn't add much.
So, better than a plain cupcake I guess, but, it didn't really deliver in any of the ways I wanted it to. ***.
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| Lemon Raspberry (June 2017). |
This one was unique. One of the first (non-chocolate) cakes where I really tasted a flavor in the base. I don't generally care for lemon desserts, but, you could taste it here, and if you like lemon, I think this was likely a lovely flavor. The cake itself was almost more moist than most of the other Wholesome Bakery cakes, less hearty tasting, more "normal" if that makes sense.
The frosting was raspberry flavored, pink, with a few visible seeds, but, I didn't really taste any flavor to it.
The raspberry puree however was excellent! So sweet and flavorful.
So, overall, not the cupcake for me, but, one of the better cakes, and really fantastic puree. **+.
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| Strawberry Almond (August 2018). |
This cupcake was listed as "Strawberry Almond", indicating that the cake was almond cake, rather than the standard plain cake. I didn't taste the almond, nor detect anything different. I still liked it, hearty, moist cake, but, it really didn't seem different.
The frosting was pink, slightly fruity, and nicely fluffy. The garnish of a tiny sliver of almond re-affirmed the almond aspect, although it was really the only actual almond I tasted.
Overall, fine, classic Wholesome Bakery cupcake. ***.
OMG, this was a great cupcake. One of my absolute favorites, which shocked me, as pears aren't really my favorite.
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| Spiced Pear & Toasted Almond (December 2017). |
The cake itself was spiced like ... winter. Warming, comforting, seasonal spices, that went well with the healither-style base. But the cake also had little chunks of moist pears on it, which pushed it over the top for me. I loved that.
The frosting was plain vanilla, but crazy fluffy and excellent. I loved the semi-dried, semi-candied pear slice on top, and the crunch from the almonds.
Definitely one of the best Wholesome Bakery cupcakes yet! ****.
"The cinnamon and sweetness will bring you back."
Cookie Sandwiches, $3.75.
Wholesome Bakery makes cookies (gluten-free, vegan, soy free, etc), but also, they kick things up a notch and make cookie sandwiches, filled with what they describe as "vanilla whipped cream", but I think is the same topping from the cupcakes. Both cookies and cookie sandwiches are available in a slew of flavors, ranging from basic chocolate chip and oatmeal to more exciting peanut butter chocolate sea salt and thin mint.
These were less successful than the cupcakes, for me.
 |
| Snickerdoodle. |
The snickerdoodle cookie was extremely crumbly. I liked that it was soft, but, it literally broke apart into a crumbly mess the moment I took a bite. The cookies had a nice cinnamon spicing, sufficiently strong to amp up the overall flavor.
The icing in the center was fluffy and sweet, but I found it a bit cloying, and certainly boring. I wouldn't want another of these.
**+.
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| Kitchen Sink. |
"With a little bit of everything you want; chocolate chips, caramel, oats, sea salt and pecans."
These cookies provided a slightly more solid foundation, but were still soft as I like my cookies. The oats and bits of pecan provided a heartiness. I didn't really taste caramel or sea salt though, and mine did not seem to have any chocolate chips.
The filling was exactly the same as Snickerdoodle. I think I liked the flavor of the Snickerdoodle slightly more, but, I wouldn't want another of either.
**+.
"Baked with our organic housemade caramel and a sprinkle of sea salt."
I thought the brownie would basically be like the chocolate cupcake base, but it was more dense, more moist, and actually, just totally different.
It looked really fudgey, but, the flavor was just strange, and I didn't care for it. And not just because it didn't have frosting.
I barely tasted caramel.
Brownies
Most of the brownies from Wholesome Bakery come in muffin/cupcake shape rather than traditional bars. They make 5 flavors: Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Pecan, Toasted Coconut, and Caramel Sea Salt, but I actually only tried the later as I wasn't a fan.
 |
| Caramel Sea Salt Brownie. |
I thought the brownie would basically be like the chocolate cupcake base, but it was more dense, more moist, and actually, just totally different.
It looked really fudgey, but, the flavor was just strange, and I didn't care for it. And not just because it didn't have frosting.
I barely tasted caramel.
**.
Bars
Wholesome Bakery makes a couple different types of classic bars, including regular brownies, lemon squares, and 7 Layer Bars (with caramel, coconut, brownies, chocolate chips, walnuts, and more). These weren't very successful.
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| Fudge Brownie. $5.50. |
"These grain-free babies are epic and unforgettable! Super rich, super fudgey, super yum! Highly recommended for any chocolate lover. "
I'm not a huge brownie fan, but I liked these far less than normal brownies. I'm also confused why they make just one flavor of brownie in bar form, and all the other in cupcake form.
They were chocolately, and the soft fudgey top was almost good. The texture and density was fine. But ... the flavor was all strange. The vegan/gluten-free nature of these I think just didn't work for me. **.
Update (July 2017): I tried another one day when they looked particularly inviting. I again thought they were almost good, they were soft, moist, and looked really fudgey. But the flavor was just odd. I smothered in whipped cream, and that helped, but I still wouldn't want another. **.
This was just ... odd.
The base was soft, too soft, hard to pick up. Sorta like mushy graham cracker I think, but, obviously gluten free. I wished it was harder and caramelized.
The top layer was smooth and creamy, and quite tangy. Yup, lemon. I don't really care for lemon, but, it really was flavorful.
The real issue with this was just that everything was too soft. You certainly couldn't pick it up and eat it like a normal bar.
Update (July 2017): I tried another one day when they looked particularly inviting. I again thought they were almost good, they were soft, moist, and looked really fudgey. But the flavor was just odd. I smothered in whipped cream, and that helped, but I still wouldn't want another. **.
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| Lemon Bar. |
The base was soft, too soft, hard to pick up. Sorta like mushy graham cracker I think, but, obviously gluten free. I wished it was harder and caramelized.
The top layer was smooth and creamy, and quite tangy. Yup, lemon. I don't really care for lemon, but, it really was flavorful.
The real issue with this was just that everything was too soft. You certainly couldn't pick it up and eat it like a normal bar.
**+.
"With a soft almond cookie bottom, then layered with caramel, coconut chips, brownies pieces, dark chocolate chips, walnuts, sea salt and topped with more caramel."
I didn't care for this either, although it had so many great sounding bits.
The base was a crumbly almond cookie, a bit too ... I don't know how to say this nicer, a bit too gluten-free and vegan tasting? The toppings were fine, bits of chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, brownie bits, coconut, and caramel, but, overall, certainly not a winner for me.
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| 7 Layer Bar. $5.25. |
I didn't care for this either, although it had so many great sounding bits.
The base was a crumbly almond cookie, a bit too ... I don't know how to say this nicer, a bit too gluten-free and vegan tasting? The toppings were fine, bits of chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, brownie bits, coconut, and caramel, but, overall, certainly not a winner for me.
**.
This was ... interesting.
The base was much like the cupcake/crumb cake/muffin base, dense, hearty, healthy but good. On top was a peach ... goo? I still can't tell if that was intentional, or if it was just peaches reduced so far that they turned to mush. It was sweet, and I didn't care for it.
On top was a crumble, but it was soft and soggy, and spiced more than I like. There was also unattractive white stuff, I think coconut cream, sorta on some pieces and not others.
This sounded like something I'd love, but, it failed to come together well for me.
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| Peach Cobbler Bar. |
The base was much like the cupcake/crumb cake/muffin base, dense, hearty, healthy but good. On top was a peach ... goo? I still can't tell if that was intentional, or if it was just peaches reduced so far that they turned to mush. It was sweet, and I didn't care for it.
On top was a crumble, but it was soft and soggy, and spiced more than I like. There was also unattractive white stuff, I think coconut cream, sorta on some pieces and not others.
This sounded like something I'd love, but, it failed to come together well for me.
**.
These were a special for Earth Day, listed as "Mud Pies". I didn't quite know what I was getting, but, knowing they were from Wholesome Bakery, I was excited to try.
Tarts / Pies
Tarts are available in a slew of flavors (Chocolate Coconut Cream, Chocolate Banana Cream, Fresh Strawberry Cream, Key Lime, Raspberry Key Lime, Strawberry Lemon) year-round, plus additional specials from time to time. They are available in two sizes, mini single servings, or family size with 8 slices.
I've tried several, and sadly, I didn't like any.
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| Mint Mud Pies (April 2017). |
But I didn't love these.
The base layer was chocolate, kinda a brownie, very hard. Not the moist awesome texture from the cupcakes. On top of that was a frosting, sorta, again, not quite like the cupcakes, clearly very coconut based. It tasted mint flavored. There was something very fake and medicinal about the whole thing. On top was chocolate garnish.
I like chocolate and mint, but, the textures and flavors didn't quite do it for me here.
**.
A few months later, I tried another one. Chocolate Coconut Cream.
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| Chocolate Coconut Cream (Aug 2017). |
The base this time wasn't chocolate, but it was again a hard, compressed style, not moist like the cupcakes. And the main body of it wasn't really cream as named, it was this strange thick coconut based substance, that again tasted like medicine. It had chocolate swirled in, which was fine.
I didn't like this. *+.
The Fresh Strawberry Cream was no better.
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| Fresh Strawberry Cream (Aug 2017) |
Same hard base. Same strange medicinal coconut stuff on top. Way too sweet strawberry puree on top of that. I really couldn't find anything redeeming about this. *.
This was an entirely different style than the other tarts, and technically, I guess was a "mini pie", not a tart?
The base was similar, a compressed crumb crust (although this one had chocolate in it too), but the topping was light and fluffy, more like coconut milk based whipped cream/frosting, than the strange hard thick stuff the others used.
I didn't really taste banana in it, besides the banana chip on top.
Better than the other tarts, but still not particularly something I wanted. **.
The pineapple upside down cakes were the perfect individual size treat, about the diameter of a pineapple ring.
The cake was the same good, dense, hearty, cake from the cupcakes. On top was a caramelized sweet soft ring of pineapple, and it was sprinkled with coconut on top. The red color in the center of the ring actually came from strawberry (?) and there was no standard cherry element.
This was pretty good, and the pineapple helped increase the moisture, and sweetness, levels of the otherwise fairly plain cake. Still just a cake, and one lacking frosting, but I liked it more than most.
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| Mini Banana Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie. |
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| Mini Banana Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie: Cross Section. |
I didn't really taste banana in it, besides the banana chip on top.
Better than the other tarts, but still not particularly something I wanted. **.
Cakes
Wholesome Bakery makes a variety of full sized cakes, which we rarely got, and a few minis.
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| Pineapple Upside Down Cake (May 2017). |
The cake was the same good, dense, hearty, cake from the cupcakes. On top was a caramelized sweet soft ring of pineapple, and it was sprinkled with coconut on top. The red color in the center of the ring actually came from strawberry (?) and there was no standard cherry element.
This was pretty good, and the pineapple helped increase the moisture, and sweetness, levels of the otherwise fairly plain cake. Still just a cake, and one lacking frosting, but I liked it more than most.
***.
This seemed to be the same chocolate cake base as the cupcakes, plus a thin layer of chocolate frosting, and some vanilla frosting on the outside, drizzled with multiple types of chocolate?
It was all pretty standard, the same components I've seen before, done ok, but not quite as awesome as it looked.
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| Triple Chocolate Cake. (August 2017). |
It was all pretty standard, the same components I've seen before, done ok, but not quite as awesome as it looked.
***.
Breakfast / Tea Time
Wholesome Bakery does more than just make desserts though, they also make a variety of treats for breakfast, or tea time breaks, and we were able to try many, many of these.
Muffins
I've long thought that the cupcake base from Wholesome Bakery would be better suited for a muffin. It isn't quite the texture folks are looking for in a traditional cupcake, it isn't as sweet, and, the frosting has such mixed success.
And ... Wholesome Bakery must have agreed, because they added muffins to the lineup about a year into our partnership. They were a mixed success, certainly a work in progress as they experimented with things.
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| Apple Cardamom Crumb Muffin (April 2017). $4. |
"A warm cinnamon spiced cake, baked with fresh apples and topped with a sweet and salty cardamom crumble."
I approached this with skepticism, as I don't like cardamom, don't really like apples, and while it had a crumb top, it wasn't exactly a generous one. I expected it to just be a dry boring muffin, accented with spices I didn't like, and in the category of "of course it isn't good, its vegan and gluten-free".
I was pleasantly surprised.
I liked the crumb on top, it was sweet and crunchy, but, it really did need more.
The cake part was dense and hearty tasting from the oat flour just like the cupcakes, and seemed more appropriate for a muffin application, so, that part was more successful than the cupcakes. It had little chunks of soft, cooked apples, spiced with classic apple spices of cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. The apple also added some moisture, and made it more interesting than just a plain muffin. I don't love apples, but, they enhanced this, rather than detracted.
The cardamom was certainly there, not exactly subtle, but it was actually fairly pleasant. Sure, I'd prefer no cardamom, but, it didn't ruin it.
So overall, actually, this was a good muffin, and one that didn't leave me feeling any guilt after devouring.
***+.
This was the same base as the previous, with the same soft, mushy in a good way, nicely spiced apples on top, and a *tiny* bit of crumble (not the generous cardamom crumb from the previous version). Instead, it had a *tiny* drizzle of caramel on top.
I know that Wholesome Bakery aims to provide healthier products, but this was just too boring and healthy for me. I want crumble top, I want generous caramel. This was just ... a healthy tasting dense muffin. Perhaps what some people want, but, alas, not me.
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| Caramel Apple Crumb Muffin (Oct 2017). $4. |
I know that Wholesome Bakery aims to provide healthier products, but this was just too boring and healthy for me. I want crumble top, I want generous caramel. This was just ... a healthy tasting dense muffin. Perhaps what some people want, but, alas, not me.
**+.
The strawberry thyme muffin was another that was not quite what I'd go for normally, but, was worth a try.
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| Strawberry Thyme. $4. |
The base was as expected, fairly plain, dense, hearty, healthy tasting. A great foundation for a muffin. I couldn't really taste the thyme, and that didn't bother me.
It needed more strawberry. Like the apple cardamom, it only had a few tiny slices on top. I think it would be far better with strawberries integrated throughout, or, at least, more on top. I barely noticed them here.
The slight bit of crumble on top was great, but, again, not nearly enough. Can you even see it here?
Overall, I think they are onto something with these muffins, they just need a bit more work on the toppings, and I think the result will be a healthy, guilt-free muffin that doesn't weight you down.
The slight bit of crumble on top was great, but, again, not nearly enough. Can you even see it here?
Overall, I think they are onto something with these muffins, they just need a bit more work on the toppings, and I think the result will be a healthy, guilt-free muffin that doesn't weight you down.
**+.
This wasn't a winner for me.
The base was the same hearty healthy base, and I guess it had a little bit of carrot in it, but not enough to be noticeable. The walnut was just a crumble on top. It was fine, but, very boring. **.
The muffins just aren't winners for me, although that might be because we have them served at lunch, as dessert, when I want something sweeter.
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| Carrot Walnut Muffin. $4. |
The base was the same hearty healthy base, and I guess it had a little bit of carrot in it, but not enough to be noticeable. The walnut was just a crumble on top. It was fine, but, very boring. **.
 |
| Chocolate Chai. $4. |
This was the same dense kinda boring base, topped with a little spiced crumble (the chai spices were actually quite tasty). It said "chocolate chai", but my cupcake had no chocolate in it, and I only found 2 tiny pieces in the topping. I guess that counts, but I wouldn't say it represented the name very well. **.
Ok, finally, this was the best muffin ever!
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| Mixed Berry. $4. |
The top was one highlight, a sweet crumble, with oats and a sweet streusel, that, much like the apple cardamom crumb cake, also had a hit of salt that amped it all up. I loved the top.
The base was the standard dense hearty base that works great as a muffin, loaded with fresh blueberries. They were juicy and moist, super flavorful, and added great pops of flavor and color.
Serious winner, that I am certain even gluten eating omnivores would love. It delivered in all ways the prior muffins did not.
****.
This was my least favorite muffin.
It really seemed like just a plain hearty muffin, no real orange flavor to it, very dense, and, well, boring. With no fruit inside, no crumble on top, etc, it was just too boring. **.
I didn't taste a coffee flavor in the base, but, it was a hearty, dense, classic Wholesome muffin. The crumble on top seemed to be where the coffee was, I think some ground up espresso beans made into a crumble?
A decent little muffin for sure, and I liked the texture on top, but the base needed something more to it. **+.
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| Orange Marmalade. $4. |
It really seemed like just a plain hearty muffin, no real orange flavor to it, very dense, and, well, boring. With no fruit inside, no crumble on top, etc, it was just too boring. **.
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| Ritual Coffee. $4. |
A decent little muffin for sure, and I liked the texture on top, but the base needed something more to it. **+.
Mini Morning Loaves
For earlier in the day, Wholesome Bakery makes "morning loaves", all miniature size. The base of these seems very similar to the cupcakes, with the same organic gluten-free oat flour, organic coconut sugar, organic fair trade sustainable farmed palm oil, organic rave blue agave, vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
I am not one for morning quickbreads normally, but, I had hope for these. The heartiness of the cupcakes seemed like a good match for a morning bread, and I expected these to basically be like the cupcakes, just, sans frosting.
Which, is basically exactly what they were. No frosting, and in small mini rectangular loaves instead of cupcake wrappers, but, basically the same as the cupcakes.
The morning loaves are available in more morning appropriate flavors though: carrot walnut, berry cinnamon coffee cake, banana chocolate, blueberry almond, orange marmalade, and spiced apple. These were good, and I wished I had been able to try more varieties.
 |
| Blueberry Almond. |
It used the same hearty base as the cupcakes, but was loaded with plump, juicy blueberries. The berries made it crazy moist. This really was the best base of any item I tried, far more moist, really flavorful, nice texture.
On top was sliced almonds (crunch!), plus a light sweet streusel layer.
This was very successful, basically like a different shaped blueberry muffin, a bit sweeter.
This was certainly sweeter than the other tea cakes and crumb cakes, which always seemed more like breakfast items to me than desserts or afternoon tea items. It lacked frosting, so not quite a full fledged dessert like the cupcakes, but, it seemed perfect for afternoon tea. Or, in my world, totally acceptable breakfast.
I'd gladly get it again. ****.
 |
| Banana Chocolate Mini Loaf. |
The banana chocolate mini loaf had an appealing swirl of chocolate baked into the bread on top. As expected, it was basically the same as the banana cupcake, a moist, hearty cake, slightly banana flavored. In the middle were a few high quality dark chocolate chunks, 74% chocolate. I really liked the chunks, and wished there were more.
This was fine, and breakfast appropriate, but, a bit too boring for me. I did want some frosting or something, which I realize isn't what I should have at breakfast. ***+.
Crumb & Tea Cakes
Slightly different from the mini loaves, is tea cakes, some available in full size, some in mini. These became regulars on our menus, and I was glad.
Wholesome Bakery also makes the apple cardamom crumb cake in a full size cake form, which you can serve by the slice.
I had this after the success of the muffin, and I liked it even more. ****.
Even though I can taste the cardamom in the topping, a flavor I don’t normally like, I really like it in this cake. It enhances the flavor, and I want it there.
The thin sliced apples are also welcome, and, again, not usually an ingredient I'm super excited about. They are soft but not mushy, and add moisture and texture.
The crumble on top has a unique, enjoyable, flavor. The cardamom enhances it. It has salt as well, and you can taste the salt distinctly, which makes everything pop.
The cake is dense and moist.
All in all, just, really good.
Far more successful than the cupcakes, the hearty style makes more sense for a crumb cake or breakfast bread, which I how I recommend having it (although, if you serve it with a little bit of whipped cream, it transforms into dessert just fine too!)
My office has this now every Friday at breakfast (per my suggestion!), and I continue to seek it out and love it nearly ever week. ****.
 |
| Apple Cardamom Crumb Cake (July 2017). |
I had this after the success of the muffin, and I liked it even more. ****.
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| Apple Cardamom Crumb Cake. $6.25/slice. (June 2017). |
The thin sliced apples are also welcome, and, again, not usually an ingredient I'm super excited about. They are soft but not mushy, and add moisture and texture.
The crumble on top has a unique, enjoyable, flavor. The cardamom enhances it. It has salt as well, and you can taste the salt distinctly, which makes everything pop.
The cake is dense and moist.
All in all, just, really good.
Far more successful than the cupcakes, the hearty style makes more sense for a crumb cake or breakfast bread, which I how I recommend having it (although, if you serve it with a little bit of whipped cream, it transforms into dessert just fine too!)
My office has this now every Friday at breakfast (per my suggestion!), and I continue to seek it out and love it nearly ever week. ****.
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| Almond Tea Cake. $5.25/slice. |
"Delicious fluffy Almond Cake baked with sliced almonds and topped with shredded coconut. Perfect with a cup-a-tea!"
The almond tea cake was again exactly the same base, this time with almond extract added, and a topping of sliced almonds and shredded coconut.
I really liked the flavor from the almond extract. It added a really, really lovely almond flavor, particularly on the finish. I liked the almonds and coconut on top for a bit of texture.
But ... it was still just a tea cake. I wanted frosting, or actually, a crumble topping, something to make it more exciting. Or maybe just some whipped cream and dulce de leche to drizzle over? ***.
This was very similar to the almond tea cake, but this time topped with a bit of shredded coconut, thin slices of lemon and lime, and a tiny rosette of frosting.
 |
| Citrus Coconut Cake. |
It was an improvement on the almond cake, as it had a bit more going on. The base was the same dense, slightly sweet, slightly hearty base I enjoy, but the candied citrus on top was crazy flavorful and I really like that surprising element, particularly how it added something a bit chewy. The tiny amount of frosting was something, but, obviously, not much.
When I think of these cakes as more of breakfast items than desserts, I'm much more satisfied. ***.
This was pretty meh.
Well, I guess I just expected more from "pumpkin" and "cake".
The cake was basically the same as the cupcake base. Hearty, standard, but I didn't taste any pumpkin in it. There were thin slices of pear on top, but no other fun topping like crumble or streusel.
So for me, basically, just like a plain cupcake with no frosting, not what I ever am excited by. **+.
This was ... boring.
A dry hearty plain base. Slight crumble top. Basically just like the muffins or other cakes, but a square, and with no frosting. Not exciting. **+.
"Slighty sweet, slightly saltly - made with Cardamom, Sliced Almonds & Coconut."
This was quite different from most granola, but, tasty. No clumps. No dried fruit. I'm usually all about clumps.
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| Pumpkin Pear Tea Cake. |
Well, I guess I just expected more from "pumpkin" and "cake".
The cake was basically the same as the cupcake base. Hearty, standard, but I didn't taste any pumpkin in it. There were thin slices of pear on top, but no other fun topping like crumble or streusel.
So for me, basically, just like a plain cupcake with no frosting, not what I ever am excited by. **+.
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| Chai Square. |
A dry hearty plain base. Slight crumble top. Basically just like the muffins or other cakes, but a square, and with no frosting. Not exciting. **+.
Granola
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| Mandy's Granola. $4. |
The base was large shreds of toasted coconut, toasted oats, and sliced almonds. Slight cardamom flavor, nice sweetness, touch of salt.
I appreciated the textures here in particular, and the fairly complex spicing, even though it really wasn't a traditional granola. It worked great as an ice cream topping!
***.
"Housemade Chia Pudding with mixed berry compote and toasted coconut."
Other
And finally, a few other small dessert items, that we only saw a handful of times, clearly experiments.
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| Chia Pudding with Fruit Compote. $5. |
Ok, this blew me away.
I don't like chia. I love textures, but chia just always makes me gag.
But I love pudding, so I gave this a try ... with whipped cream and other toppings on stand by to jazz it up.
They weren't necessary. This thing was crazy good.
I really don't understand how they made chia pudding so good. ****.
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| Chia Pudding with Fruit Compote. |
On top was a fantastic fruit compote with stewed sweet fruit, and it complimented the pudding well. And then, toasted coconut flakes for crunch.
I really enjoyed this, and was shocked by how tasty and enjoyable I found it.
I've had them several times since, and although the initial shock has worn off, I still enjoy them. The creamy, rich pudding in particular, but, depending on the fruit used in the compote, sometimes that is less success for me (e.g. I don't like blackberries!). And, they really are great if you add whipped cream - shhh!
They also make a wonderful breakfast, or post-gym snack! ****+.
I had no idea what to expect given the product name "Bites", and the answer seemed to be something like an energy ball? Not what I'd consider a dessert.
They were dense balls with what seemed to be chopped nuts, coconut, and blueberries (dried?) as the base, rolled in coconut. There was a slight lemon/blueberry tang to them. Maybe good for post workout? Not really what I was in the mood for.
I've had them several times since, and although the initial shock has worn off, I still enjoy them. The creamy, rich pudding in particular, but, depending on the fruit used in the compote, sometimes that is less success for me (e.g. I don't like blackberries!). And, they really are great if you add whipped cream - shhh!
They also make a wonderful breakfast, or post-gym snack! ****+.
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| Blueberry Lemon Bites. |
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| Blueberry Lemon Bites: Inside. |
***.
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