Sweet Spots in Scugog

Story by Karen Hawthorne

Winter blues? We hear you! The days are short and chilly, and we’re all yearning for a nice little pick-me-up. So plan an easy getaway for fresh country air and some sugar love from our sweetest Scugog shops.

Here are some don’t-miss places to indulge in a sugar fix (and what locals love to sample).

Marcelle’s Kitchen

You know how chocolate sends you to your happy place? Have you tried gloriously gooey chocolate lava cake? Kind of like chocolate cake on steroids! This popular dessert combines the elements of a flourless chocolate cake and a soufflé—so its name is derived from the cake’s liquid chocolate centre (heaven!). Here’s the kicker: at Marcelle’s Kitchen on Island Road, open since 2006 on a family farm, this decadent cake delight is gluten-free. Thank the head baker, Donna, for the inspiration from her mom’s lava cake.

Marcelle’s has the most amazing selection of house-made gluten-free baked goods, including date squares, butter tarts and brownies (and savoury items like egg noodles) for people with food allergies, sensitivities and diet restrictions. Plus, they sell their own dry mixes to whip up your most-loved treats at home. Also on the radar is the sweet potato muffin, the first muffin created by the bakery and still the crowd favourite. Cranberries, walnuts and a half cup of sweet potato in each muffin deliver a moist, flavourful muffin that could be breakfast or a healthy snack. But always make room to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Hank’s Pastries

This warm and welcoming family bakery has been serving up homestyle treats and hospitality for almost 45 years. The shop on Port Perry’s main street has been a bakery since the late 1800s, so there’s a lot of love here that you feel as soon as you walk inside and smell the sweet goodness! Hank DeJong (the Hank behind the name) was an accomplished baker in Holland before coming to Canada in 1961 to start a new life and baking legacy. His son Ken with his wife Angie proudly manage the bakery today.

You’ll have to come experience this bakery for yourself. But come early! The oversize apple fritters are undeniably good, sticky and perfectly cinnamon-kissed. That’s just one option for you in case the main attraction is sold out. People line up out the door for Hank’s cinnamon buns. They are that good. They are big, they are smothered in icing and they melt so quickly in your mouth. These beauties, and the selection of tarts, cakes and Dutch almond-filled pastries, are made with all natural ingredients and expert loving hands.

The Pantry Shelf

The bakery and café is a go-to spot for coffee and sweets in Port Perry, right across from Palmer Park on the shore of Lake Scugog. Come in

and see the baking trays fresh from the oven with homemade-wow apple pies, cranberry scones (for afternoon tea) and the must-sample butter tarts. These tarts have a wonderful buttery pastry filled with just the right ooze of golden filling. Homestyle, handcrafted delicious. Most people who try them on the spot get more to take home. Irresistible and addictive!

The Nutty Chocolatier

The Victorian-style chocolate shop on Port Perry’s main street is serious about chocolate. They use specialty Callebaut chocolate from Belgium, considered king in the chocolate industry. (Jean Neuhaus invented the praline, a chocolate shell with a soft centre, in 1912.) At Nutty Chocolatier, the hand-piped truffles are truly a symphony of taste and texture with a little whimsy to boot! Consider the Cherry Cheesecake Truffle with whipped chocolate and cherry, covered in milk chocolate and topped with white and dark chocolate lines.

Oh, we never stop at one. There’s the classic Chocolate Covered Cherry with a stemmed cherry dipped in fondant and coated with milk or dark chocolate. And the decadent Hazelnut Bud made with fine chocolate whipped with creamy butter and hazelnut paste swirled into a bonbon cup. Stay to browse the candy and gifts, and try a few of these little sugar bombs!