Off to Montpelier, Vermont to visit Birchgrove Bakery as part of the King Arthur Flour VT Bakery Tour.
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The next stop for us on the Vermont Bakery Tour from King Arthur Flour was Birchgrove Baking, located in the capital city of Montpelier!
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Getting to the bakery
We arrived at the bakery a bit later in the afternoon than we'd intended. This was entirely my fault: while driving down Route 2, I spied the entrance to Hope Cemetery, a place I had heard of many times but had not visited. I insisted on a quick drive through.
Hope Cemetery is full of unique stonework, often massive in size, and carved in astonishingly beautiful detail. The works were created by and adorn the graves of the stonecutters who worked in this area, telling a bit of their stories and honoring their families.
It may seem like a strange thing to mention in a post about bakeries, but one of the best parts of doing this tour has been the drives, and taking in scenic spots in Vermont we don't often get to.
After Hope Cemetery, it was on to the bakery.
Inside Birchgrove Bakery
We found Birchgrove Baking on Elm Street, very near the busy downtown. The bright space inside is decked out in cheerful yellows, along with accent walls of black and white forest wallpaper, and spots of robins egg blue on chairs and in cupboards.
There are a few marble-topped tables and a couple of seats at the large window as well.
The bakery treats
Because we got there later in the day, we missed out on some goodies, but still found plenty to choose from.
Some of the treats we did find at the bakery case were gorgeous, filled tarts, huge cookies filled with M&M's and peanut butter, and savory scones.
Each of us, my husband, our son, and I were drawn in by something different.
My son was drawn to the large chalkboard wall displaying an array of hot drinks available, in particular, steamed milk with a variety of add-in flavors.
Steamed maple milk has become his signature drink. (For all the coffee shops I drag that poor kid to, I'm grateful that he can almost always find this drink!) And he really enjoyed it.
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My husband's eye caught the glint of decorating sugar atop the sturdy Fruit Shortcakes: small, round cakes with tall sides, and that day were filled with blueberries. What's not to love about a blueberry-filled pastry?
The rich flavor of the fruit was really tasty paired with the tender shortcake, and with a nice crunch from the sugar on top. (I am very lucky he shared this gem with me!)
As for me, I was hypnotized by their Passion Fruit Tarts—more specifically, by the tall and perfect peaks of shiny meringue on top of the tarts. Each meringue peak, as well as each groove on each peak, was perfectly outlined in shades of caramel brown, with the fruit filling peeking out from below.
I had never tried passion fruit filling before trying this tart. Our family has watched many episodes of The Great British Baking Show this summer, and after seeing many of the bakers opt for passion fruit in their baked goods, I was really eager to taste it.
Now that I have tasted it in Birchgrove's tart, I worry that I won't be able to articulate just how incredible it was—but I'll give it a go:
Sweet, tangy, and tropical. It was indulgent, with a flavor that had notes of mango, peach, and orange. The filling was thick, and the taste was so bright. It was sublime paired with the marshmallowy, satiny meringue.
Please: just get in there and get a Passion Fruit Tart!
More to find at the bakery and nearby
The café at Birchgrove Baking also has beautiful locally-made cards and decor for sale, as well as travel mugs and t-shirts.
I love this t-shirt with artwork from Ryan Jon Gillispie, depicting the owners Jennifer Toce and John Belding in an homage to Wonder Woman, and maybe Conan The Barbarian!
There is also a book of beautiful wedding cakes and custom cakes, which can be ordered at the bakery.
My cousin ordered this custom cake from Birchgrove for her daughter's birthday. How adorable!
And just one more side-note to this Bakery Tour stop: after savoring our treats at Birchgrove, we explored the downtown Montpelier shops, including Bear Pond Books and Woodbury Mountain Toys. We also had fun exploring Antiques At 110 Main, and there I came across this little play family.
I could not resist clicking a quick photo of the toy dad, with his stylish cardigan and turtleneck, and sporting a bewildered expression. With a confused jumble of kids on a couch and a checked-out mom—it seemed to me a funny little snapshot of what parenting can often feel like!
Birchgrove Baking is located at 279 Elm Street in Montpelier, VT. In their café you can enjoy tarts, cookies, cakes, and breakfast pastries, along with plenty of coffee and other hot drinks. They have savory pastries available, and the offerings change every day. You can also order dazzling wedding and custom cakes. Find out more on their website: click here!
The old King Arthur Flour Vermont Bakery Tour consisted of eight bakeries scattered over the northern half of Vermont. Participants visited the bakeries, tasted the fine baked goods, and had their Bakery Passport stamped at each. The completed passports were then redeemed for an exclusive Bakery Tour tote bag!
Here are even more tasty eateries to check out:
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