Bell's Bake Shop

I had no idea there was a cupcake shop in Steveston, so I was excited when I found out about Bell's Bake Shop on Groupon Now. Unlike the Cupcakes franchise, Bell's is a locally owned cupcake shop and deli that had just opened in December 2010. The old-fashioned logo featuring a lady in a black dress with a white apron holding a cupcake in one hand evokes visions of sugar-plums dancing... uhhh I mean visions of old style bake shops with delicious homemade pastries. The decor is old-fashioned as well with pale yellow walls and a cozy seating area with simple wooden tables and chairs.

Although there were other items on the menu, I only had eyes for the exquisite cupcakes behind the glass display counter.

There weren't a lot of cupcakes stocked up because they are baked fresh every day and do not contain artificial flavouring or other additives. According to the store website, only the finest ingredients including 100% Canadian butter and free-range eggs are used to create these scrumptious treats.

I picked up half a dozen ($15 regular price) cupcakes and also grabbed one of their fancy business cards. Not that I'll need the card with internet around, but it's pretty with rounded corners and pastel colours so I couldn't resist.

I liked all of the flavours, so it's hard to pick a favourite. The cakes were all soft and moist (but slightly crumbly), and I could tell the ingredients were very fresh. It really makes a huge difference that the cupcakes are baked fresh daily with fresh, natural and high quality ingredients. Red velvet is typically my preferred flavour, but Bell's does a very good job with the lemon. The lemon buttercream was smooth and tart with a refreshing natural lemon flavour. The only flavour I didn't enjoy was the rich chocolate cupcake topped with peanut butter cream and crushed Reese's Pieces, but that's only because I don't like the taste of peanut butter. Otherwise I would have found it just as delicious as the other flavours.

Compared to the cupcakes from the Cupcakes franchise, Bell's cupcakes are a lot fresher with higher quality ingredients. However they are quite a bit smaller in size which could be a good thing or a bad thing. You get less value for your money, but it's easier to finish a cupcake (or two) without feeling sated. The only complaint I have is that the texture is not quite dense enough, so the cake is a bit crumbly and tastes slightly drier than it is. But overall I'm happy with the quality and will definitely come back for cupcakes in the future.