Luxurious & Decadent Indulenge: Succulent Chocolates

Stop and revel in the beauty here for a moment will you?
Clearly these bonbons were created by a true artist.

Not only are these bonbons elegant and attractive to the eye but biting into a Succulent Chocolate, you'll find that they are rich and luscious.
Guilt-free indulgences made from pure and natural ingredients.

All their bonbons are hand painted and hand made using the finest quality couverature chocolate using 100% fruit, real nuts, 35% cream and butter to create the ultimate flavour impact.

Each bon bon is hand sprayed with different cocoa butter colours to achieve a unique look.
You can really see how labor-intensive and lovely these mini morsels of delight are.
Wow!

I had the pleasure of meeting with the Artist behind Succulent Chocolates, Sandra Abballe.

Her passion and love for her craft was evident and it was so interesting to learn more about her, her work and chocolate!

Prior to chatting, I honestly wasn't as educated about Cacao.
Did you know Cacao is known to improve digestion and stimulate kidney and bowel function?

I didn't know the real difference between Cacao and Cocoa. Did you?

CACAO VS. COCOA

They sound alike, so what’s the difference? Cacao typically refers to the actual bean, while cocoa is the chocolate powder that you can find at the store. When you see a chocolate bar labeled with a cacao percentage, it’s referring to the amount of solid cacao beans that are actually in the chocolate bar vs. the amount of sugar. The more cacao, the less sweet the chocolate will be.

What's your favourite kind of chocolate?
I personally love Milk and Dark best! So what role does Cacao play in these?

DARK, MILK, WHITE EXPLAINED

DARK CHOCOLATE
Dark chocolate is typically “purer,” chocolate and that’s where you’d find those cacao percentages we mentioned before. In fact, to be marketed as “dark chocolate,” in Europe, the chocolate must contain at least 35% cacao. It also has the most health benefits of the three.

MILK CHOCOLATE
Inspired by chocolate milk, milk chocolate wasn’t invented until the 1870s (which is really not that long ago in the scheme of foodie things). Combined with milk and sugar, here in the States milk chocolate only needs 10% cacao to be considered chocolate.

WHITE CHOCOLATE
Considered a chocolate derivative, white chocolate isn’t really chocolate. It normally has cocoa butter, sugar, and milk, but no cacao solids, making it more like a chocolate relative than anythingelse.

HEALTH BENEFITS
As it is purest, dark chocolate is typically the “healthiest” chocolate as it contains more of cacao’s nutritious properties. Speaking of which, they are:

• Antioxidant compounds called Flavenoids, which have anti-inflammatory compounds that have been shown to improve heart health. Flavenoids are also great for your skin and can help prevent sun damage!
• Phenylethylamine, the chemical that your brain creates to release endorphins when you fall in love, meaning chocolate can improve mood.
• Magnesium, Potassium, and Iron, all of which are good for your heart.

Some studies have also shown that chocolate is good for your brain, circulation, and blood sugar too!

If you don't know, now you know.
Thanks for the mini-class, Sandra!

We sat in a bustling Second Cup and I listened to her share her craftship over a London Fog Latté amazed at how much effort and dedication she puts in her chocolates.
We even had eavesdroppers beside is completely intrigued in our discussion about Succulent Chocolates.
Who can blame them?

This is what was in the beautiful packaging.

I have to say I fell smitten with the Coconut Bonbon with real pieces of coconut inside and of course her award-winning "The Crunchy Apple" composed of freshly diced and caramelized apples combined with chopped oven-roasted peanuts. The crunchy layer of the Bon Bon is paired with a creamy salted peanut butter ganache. Yummy!
Anything chocolate and peanut butter is a winner in my books.
I also enjoyed the Espresso Bean Bonbon which is infused with authentic Italian espresso beans. A great pick-me-up!

You can really taste the quality in these chocolates.
For someone that loves chocolates as much as I do and has had the pleasure of sampling some of the best around the world, including Paris and Switzerland, I have to say, I am thoroughly impressed.

I really loved the presentation. These would make the perfect bonbonnieres for weddings and other special events especially since Sandra is able to customize them according to the colour theme of your event.

The only thing I would say would make the packaging a little better would be if it had the ability to seal shut without having to tie the ribbon around it in case you wanted to save some bonbons for a later treat.

Currently, Sandra is in the process of completing her next stage in her business with a Chocolate Lab where she can create her goodies and even be able to host Private Chocolate-Making Workshops.
On top of this, she also provides Chocolate and Wine Pairing Parties. Sign me up for that!
Another perfect combination - wine and chocolate.

MORE INFORMATION
To learn more about Succulent Chocolates, visit www.succulentchocolates.com.
You can also follow along on Twitter & Facebook and drool over beautiful photographs on Instagram and Pinterest.

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Have Your Cake and Eat it Too with EJoyCity.ca {Giveaway}

 

There's no denying my passionate love for pastries and chocolate and what gal does not love fresh flowers?

Another thing I love more than actually receiving these goodies is giving them. 

One of the issues I always seem to come across is delivery... many shops either don't deliver or the delivery cost is just plain robbery.

I'm so glad I came across EJoyCity.ca.

They are an online service that offer a variety of shops within your area (all across the GTA) that deliver for a much lower fee. And we all know how much it cost for flower delivery. 

They also offer great deals every month and you can redeem prizes for every order you place on EJoyCity.ca. Isn't that awesome?

It's easy-peasy ordering online.

Create an account (this is a quick process) and just simply choose your city or enter your postal code for a list of shops closeby.

The only issue for me at this point, which is normal considering they are fairly new and still growing, are the lack of shops in the GTA.  Many of them are in the Toronto area. I can't wait till they have shops that deliver closer to home!

Prizes that can be redeemed with Points System

I love that they accept PayPal (I love PayPal when ordering online) along with credit cards should you wish to do delivery or you can choose the option of pick-up if you prefer.

And their selection of bakeries is so diverse with some really delicious goods!

I headed over to one of the shops that work with EJoyCity.ca called Cake Rolls in Etobicoke, ON.

The first thing I saw in the windows was the EJoyCity.ca sign... and then the macaron tier cake. Yummy!

Such a quaint little take-out bakery. It's a family business with such humble and sweet owners.
You can see their pride in their business in their delicious confections.
They have such a great variety of pastries including macarons (my favourite!), sweet bread, cupcakes, creme brulee, even cute tiramisu in mason jars. How adorable is that?
They also do custom cakes and cupcakes.
An example of the type of shops EJoyCity.ca works with; it shows me a lot when it comes to trust in value and quality of service.

I tried their macarons, red velvet cupcakes and the purple yam cake roll (I love purple yam dessert - if you haven't tried it before you must!).

Purple Yam Cake Roll

 

Absolutely delicious! Perfectly sweetened and packaged with care. The owner even threw in a free little dessert because it was my first time there. Loved that! I was pleasantly surprised.

I had a chance to chat with the owners about their business and she was very pleased to be working alongside EJoyCity.ca.

You can learn more about Cake Rolls on their Facebook Page. They are currently working on their new website.

It's such a great alternative to driving all the way to a bakery or flower shop or calling to deliver with the risk of miscommunication or sometimes language barriers.

All you have to do is order online and either have it delivered for a much lower price than you would pay anywhere else or pick-up.

Currently they have a few featured shops that are offering up to 50% off your order including Cake Rolls which I visited (and now a new favourite bakery of mine!).

Visit them today at www.EJoyCity.ca and give them a whirl!

Thanks to EJoyCity.ca, one of my readers will have a chance to try them out for themselves with a free $25 EJoyCity.ca credit redeemable for some yummy treats or pretty flowers! 

Simply enter via rafflecopter below.

Contest ends May 26, 2013.

*Open to residents of the Greater Toronto Area only.

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Coo coo for (Swirls) Cupcakes + Giveaway

Yup, I'm definitely coo coo for cupcakes.
There's something about those little morsels of confectionery heaven that always seems to lift my spirits.
I'm sure almost every lady out there (even men secretly - admit it!) will agree with me on this one.

3+ years ago, I was frantically planning my very first baby shower for my firstborn daughter, Ava, along with my sister and mother and one of the main things I just had to have perfect for my shower was none other than the focal point and always talked about centerpiece, my cake!

At the time, my vision for the perfect cake was not the typical shower-themed 1, 2 or 3 layer cake, but something a little different. Something that was exceedingly in demand and prevailing in events - a cupcake tower!

Knowing me, Type A-researches on everything-all must be perfect type of gal, I scoured the internet, reading reviews and of course, asked dozens of friends and family members if they knew of any fabulous bakeries that would deliver the goods and most importantly offer a cake that isn't overly sweet.  You see, I love sweets and desserts but I don't have much of a big sweet tooth.  I cannot stand the taste of too much sugar or cakes with frosting similar to the store-bought tasting variety. Yeesh. You know what I'm talking about.

Alas, I stumbled upon a quaint family-owned bakery, tucked in the lovely and bustling neighborhood of Streetsville (a neighborhood I frequently haunt due to their adorable shops!) during a hot August day after stopping in for a gelato (which they also offer on top of their cupcakes/cakes).
I decided to take home a 6 pack of their classic cupcakes and give my "testing panel" a shot at them.

And that, my friends, is where my love for Swirls Cupcakes blossomed.

Since ordering my baby shower cupcake tower + top cake from them in October 2008 (which was a BIG hit), I've since gone to nobody but Swirls Cupcakes to create my family's special cakes.

Clockwise from top left: Baby Shower Cake, My Birthday Cake, Ty's Champagne Bday Cake, Ava's 3rd bday cake

Along the years, working with swirls with my custom cakes has been so pleasant as I built a great friendship with Katherine and Chuck (owners of Swirls) and have entrusted them to always deliver. And they always do!

Their story is a lovely one.

In 2001 Chuck Bascon met his now wife, Katherine (from Mississauga) and the long-distance love affair began.  In September 2001, New York was devasted and the stress of the city went to maximum levels.  Chuck began to take a look at his life — what did he love, where did he see himself, how can life be better?  Chuck realized that he loved to bake and he always wanted to own his own business.  Soon afterwards Chuck and Katherine got engaged, and the plans for a new life in Ontario began.

Chuck moved from the Big Apple to Toronto in 2004 focused on opening up Swirls — a gourmet cupcake shop.  In New York, cupcake shops like Magnolia (from Sex and the City fame) were popping up every where.  Before moving to Toronto Chuck had quit his job and entered pastry courses at the Institue of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York.  With Chuck’s passion, skills and the New Yorker ”Go-Getter” attitude Swirls opened its doors in Streetsville, Ontario in August 2005.

After a successful 4 years Swirls opened their second location in Etobicoke in September 2009.

I also had the opportunity to have a quick chat with Katherine and ask her a few more personal questions:

1) Where did your love and passion for baking begin?
Chuck grew up in a bakery owned by his grandfather and later by his parents. From growing up in this environment he has always loved baking and cooking. Even though Chuck worked in finance for over 11 years he decided to move forward with his love of baking and start the bakeshop.

2) Give me an idea of what an average day is like at Swirls?
In the morning we prepare cupcakes for retail sales and early orders. Throughout the day we are meeting with customers, and taking orders via the telephone and email. We continuously bake and finish cupcakes and cakes to make sure we keep up with the walk-in sales. At the same time we are preparing fondant/gumpaste figures for custom orders, checking inventory, ordering products and keep on top of the finances. Your mind is always on the go.

3) When is your busiest time of the year?
Our busiest time of year is April - June for Easter, First Communions, Confirmation, Graduations, Showers and Weddings, and September - October for Weddings.

4) What do you see for Swirls in the next 5 years? 
In 5 years Swirls is targeted for further expansion, including a couple of new projects in the next year.

5) I know you have young children and still try to maintain balance with work-life.  How do you do it? And do you have any tips for other busy mom/dad entrepreneurs and business owners that are trying to achieve that balance?
Chuck and I set goals early on -- both personal and financial. This helped us focus and steer our decisions. When we started the store we did not have children yet and we worked very hard to push the business forward. When our first daughter was born we became even more motivated to be successful for our family.
My brother, Jon, joined the business and was able to successfully manage the Streetsville store when we expanded our second shop in Etobicoke. We also hired more skilled people during the expansion. By having great people working with you helps to achieve the business goals while maintaining family goals for any entrepreneur.

6) What’s your favourite cupcake flavor?
My favourite cupcake is Marbleous Swirl -- I love chocolate. Chuck's favourite cupcake is the Still-a-Vanilla. I guess opposites do attract.

Swirls Classic & Custom Cupcakes

How adorable are they?
What I love too about Swirls Cupcakes is that they are a nut-free facility and their products are all nut-free!
They offer 8-10 delicious variety of cupcake flavors ready for picking and choosing at any of their 2 locations in Streetsville and Etobicoke.
On top of their scrumptious cupcakes, they also do custom orders & cakes, artisan gelato and other baked goods like paninis! Yum!
Oh, and did I mention how ridiculously affordable their custom cakes are? And their cupcakes are also perfectly priced for how big and yummy they are.

You have to try them for yourself! I've compared them to every other cupcake I've had elsewhere, including very famous ones in the states (no names mentioned) and seriously, nothing compares.
They are the best in my eyes.

You can read more about Swirls at: www.swirlscupcakes.ca.
And also make sure to like them on Facebook and tweet with them on Twitter for news, updates and more giveaways!

**YUMMY GIVEAWAY ALERT**
Thanks to Katherine and Chuck Bascon, the owners of Swirls Cupcakes, I am giving away THREE six packs of their regular sized Classic Cupcakes (customization not included).

Quick entries via rafflecopter below.
If you are in the GTA area and want to sample some of (in my honest opinion) the best cupcakes in town, enter and share this contest for more entries!

Good luck!
"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first." ~ Ernestine Ulmer

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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