Taste of fall

03Nov09

 

Photo by Danielle Cushing

 

Just because Halloween is behind us doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy some fall treats. I visited four Chapel Hill bakeries to test out their seasonal goodies.

 

Carrot cake cupcake from Sugarland bakery in Chapel Hill. Photo by Danielle Cushing

 

Sugarland

Although none of the items at Sugarland are “seasonal” per say, a lot of their items feature fall flavors. I tried the carrot cake cupcake, which turned out to be a good choice despite my low affinity for carrot cake. The cupcakes were very different from the manufactured carrot cake you buy in the grocery store. The cake was moist, with a strong buttery flavor. The chewy carrot contrasted well with the crunchy pecans and the whipped cream cheese frosting was very light in comparison to the dense store-bought kind.

Other fall-flavored menu items:

• Creme brulee cupcakes with raspberry filling
• Vanilla chai cupcakes
• Pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes
• Caramel apple cupcakes
• Apple pie bars
• Pecan bars
• Caramel dipped apples
• Caramel apple cheesecake
• Ginger scones
• Apple spice donuts

Vegan carrot spiced walnut cupcake from Bliss Boutique Bakery in Chapel Hill. Photo by Danielle Cushing

Bliss Boutique Bakery

I went for another cupcake at Bliss since that’s their specialty. The vegan carrot spiced walnut cupcake was delicious – a lot better than I expected a vegan cupcake to taste. The texture is more like a quickbread, like pumpkin raisin bread or banana nut bread. It’s moist and sticks to the roof of your mouth like peanut butter. Carrots and walnuts add good flavor and texture. There is also a little drizzle of icing – the kind of icing you put on a Toaster Strudel – over the top.

Other fall-flavored menu items:

• Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• Vegan Apple Spice Cupcakes

Sour cream apple pie from Foster's Market in Chapel Hill. Photo by Danielle Cushing

Foster’s Market

Foster’s isn’t specifically a bakery, but they do have a coffee bar with baked goods and a glass case full of cakes and pies. I tasted the sour cream apple pie, but wasn’t wowed by it. I must brag – I make the best apple pie in the world. The apples were tart and crisp, just like they should be in an apple pie, but the sour cream was also tart. I think it would have been better if the flavors had a bit of contrast. The crumb topping was OK – it tasted like oats and sugar and was kind of chewy – but it wasn’t as good as the crunchy, buttery crumb topping on my apple pie. I will go back to try the ginger snap – a huge, molasses colored cookie with a coating of sugar crystals.

Other fall-flavored menu items:

• Bourbon pecan pie
• Carrot cake
• Pumpkin custard pie
• Walnut orange scones
• Ginger snaps
• Pumpkin quickbread

Pumpkin swirl bread from Great Harvest Bread Company. Photo by Danielle Cushing

Great Harvest Bread Company

Great Harvest specializes in bread, but you may also find a few other menu items to calm your sweet tooth. Their pumpkin sugar cookies are perfect. The cookie isn’t too sweet, so the sugary frosting isn’t overwhelming. The frosting isn’t the hard, crispy kind you get on prepackaged cookies – it’s fresh, wet and messy. The pumpkin white chocolate macadamia bar was disappointing. It had a hint of fruit, maybe cranberry or orange, but for the most part, it tasted very commercial. One of the great things about Great Harvest is that they offer you a free slice of fresh bread when you walk in the door. I got the pumpkin swirl bread, but I had trouble getting the whole slice home because I couldn’t stop nibbling. The bread had a hint of pumpkin flavor and tasted yeasty, which I like. It was extremely fresh and the cinnamon swirl was still gooey.

Other fall-flavored menu items:

• Pumpkin cinnamon chip scones
• Pumpkin pecan streusel coffee cake
• Gingersnap cookies
• Apple crunch bread
• Cinnamon chip oatmeal whole wheat scones
• Cranberry orange scones
• Maple pecan scones

-Danielle Cushing

Filed under: Review   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: apple pie, baked goods, Bliss Boutique Bakery, carrot cake, Chapel Hill bakeries, cinnamon swirl, cupcake, Foster's market, Great Harvest Bread Company, pumpkin, Restaurants near UNC, Sugarland bakery