I’m Jiali, and I’m a sugar addict
I am a sugar addict. Full stop. Love it, love it, LOVE IT! I have to work really hard to not eat my weight in sugar, and this is what makes Roselle oh-so-difficult to resist.
These sugar wizards shook my world by adding coconut and Earl Grey — two ingredients I live and die for — to everything! Their Earl Grey shortbread cookies are my favourite, and a perfect pairing for tea time. Their Earl Grey cake? A sublime balance of sweet and rich. And their Earl Grey ice cream… it’s so good, it shook me. I know I’m starting to sound like an ad, but I just love Roselle.
The back story
I’ll let Jan tell the story of how we know Bruce and Steph, the owners of Roselle. My story would take six words; Jan used to work with Bruce, so his account is way more fascinating. Take it away, Jan!
Hi, Jan here. Yup, that’s what happened! Back to you Jiali.
TL;DR Jan used to work with Bruce at the Shangri La Hotel in Toronto.
Their story
Bruce and Steph have been creating pastries and desserts for a very long time, across various continents. But like many chefs, they wanted a place to call their own and opened Roselle in 2015 to craft their delightful French-style pastries.
Tucked neatly in the belly of Corktown, Roselle does French baking differently. Unique flavour combos are the staple here; I call these twirly renditions, because they’re much more than a twist on the traditional.
From the flavour explosion in their Black Sesame Eclairs (whipped black sesame cream, sesame praline, milk chocolate cremeux, and roasted hazelnuts) to a more subtly flavoured cake, The Earl (creamy earl grey milk chocolate mousse, bergamot cremeux, and earl grey vanilla sponge), they’ve got whatever you’re feeling that day.
I love it all, but The Paradise is my fave! It’s filled with lime coconut white chocolate mousse, mango- passionfruit cremeux, and coconut dacquoise. In this ugh Toronto weather, a bit of paradise goes a long way: just take a bite into this beauty, and it’s like you’re on a sunny little desert island, far away from the gritty snow banks!
And then there’s their Birthday Cake. Holy-shit, this is crack to me! Whenever a staff member has a birthday or a celebration, they’ll bake this birthday cake for the weekend, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Jan and I have ordered three full-size birthday cakes from Roselle, three months in a row. So ya I was not kidding about my sugar addiction.
Not into cakes?
They’ve also got caramels, chocolates, cookies, and ice cream (flavours are seasonal). It’s always a smart idea to stop in and see what they’ve got on the go!
Full of everything
For all the vegans, paleo participants, keto converts, high-fat, low-carb, or other sugar-and-butter-reluctant dieters out there, sorry — this will be disappointing. We asked Steph and Bruce if they would be introducing any alternative treats, and they said they don’t have plans to. They love full-fat cream, butter, and gluten, and in French baking, these ingredients are written into law.
But never fear! If you’re looking for a PHENOMENAL vegan treat, we have a story for you! Check this out.
Let’s wrap it up
Does this post sound like an ad? I don’t care, I’m happy to spread the word as far and wide as I can. Here are the deets that will lead you to the best sugar experience in Corktown:
- You can order whole cakes or batches of cookies
- Bruce and Steph will actually respond to your Instagram comments (they run their page themselves)
- Their hours are a little unorthodox:
- Monday & Tuesday | Closed
- Wednesday & Thursday | 11 am to 6 pm
- Friday & Saturday | 11 am to 6 pm AND 8 pm to 11 pm
- Sunday | 11 am to 5 pm
- One of the owners is always at the store, so go by and say hi!
- They feature “Evening Desserts” which are fully decked-out cakes
- You are their test monkey. Once in a while, they’ll offer desserts in a cup, new recipes that they’re testing out to see how you react to the flavour combos. Gotta love those cups!
I hope after reading this, watching this, and eating this, you’ll love Roselle as much as I do!
Up next, back by my demand, we’re doing the Sour Test with Bruce and Steph. Tune in here!
