Baked By Bean
My interview and tour of a new cupcake shop in Leslieville
As you read this, I’m getting ready to head out for a three-day, self-guided, wine tasting tour of Niagara with Cousin Jano, so this post will be a bit shorter than usual, but I wanted to give you a head’s up on what to expect later in the week. I conducted an interview with a local (to me) baker who specializes in cupcakes called Baked By Bean.
Shana is the woman who creates the magic at Baked By Bean. I encourage you to follow her on Instagram (@itsbakedbybean). Here are some photos of Shana and her cupcakes to whet your appetite!
The shop, a vision in pink located at 1238 Queen St. E. (Unit G) in Leslieville, has only been open since August, but she pretty much sells out every day. All her cupcakes are made fresh daily, and she even does custom orders, mini cupcakes, and cakes, too. The photos on her Instagram page and website are far superior to the ones I’ve taken, so I encourage you to check those out. And if you’re in the neighbourhood of Queen St. E. and Leslie St. Thursday through Monday, do pop in to try one of her delectable cupcakes.
In the podcast episode you’ll hear about Shana’s background (a true citizen of the world!) what brought her to Canada and Toronto, where she learned and honed her craft (in both Toronto and the UK), what made her choose to leap into opening her own bakery, and some tips for home bakers.
Cookie Dough cupcakes are one of her best sellers. One interesting thing I learned about “cookie dough” is that when people say that it’s “dangerous” to eat raw cookie dough, it’s NOT the raw eggs that pose the biggest risk, but the raw flour! I had no idea! Shana shared how she “toasts” her flour ahead of time to kill any bacteria that might be lingering before turning it into “cookie dough.”
My favourite is the Salted Caramel (and she makes her own caramel in-house.) They are just the perfect amount of sweet (as are all of her flavours) and salty on top of a moist chocolate cake.
Among her other flavours are Biscoff Cookie, Vanilla, Maple Waffle, Hazelnut, and Spiced Apple (not shown, only on weekends for a limited time.)
Her American buttercream frosting is divine, and far less sweet (and not at all gritty) than most American buttercream frostings. Shana would only give away some of her secrets on the record.
I’ll be editing and posting my interview with Shana (a.k.a, Bean) on Friday or Saturday, so stay tuned for that. If you’re not already a subscriber of my podcast, No Recipe Required, here are the links:
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