Pattycake, pattycake, baker’s vegan woman. Pattycake Bakery’s vegan treats are so tasty, the old nursery rhyme should be reworded in its honor.
Jennie Scheinbach opened Pattycake Bakery, located at 3009 N. High St., in May 2005. Pattycake Bakery uses organic ingredients, whole grains, no animal products and no hydrogenated oils, so its baked goods aren’t nearly as sinful as they taste. They also offer gluten-free and sugar-free options.
When I walked into the Clintonville bakery, I couldn’t help but notice its overall cuteness. The logo, a cartoon cupcake, smiled down at me from the huge menu, a blackboard with colorful chalk writing.
Feeling a little overwhelmed with the wide variety of choices, I asked for a sampling of the bakery’s most popular treats. I walked away with a Marry Me Blueberry Muffin, classic Tollhouse cookie, Chocolate XO Cookie, peanut butter and jelly cupcake and a cream-filled chocolate cupcake. My order came to $14. The prices are fair considering the high-quality ingredients, which are purchased locally when possible.
There are two types of cookie people: dunkers and non-dunkers. I prefer to dip my cookies in milk. The texture of the Tollhouse cookie was a little too chewy to dunk, but the sweet flavor of molasses more than made up for it. Overloaded with chocolate chips and walnuts, it was better than the average cookie.
If I were going to live with one muffin for the rest of my life, the Marry Me Blueberry Muffin would be the one. The streusel on top was perfectly crumbly with hints of cinnamon. I usually pop the top and dump the stump (“Seinfeld,” anyone?), but this blueberry-filled muffin was so juicy and fresh, the bottom half was the best part.
The chocolate cupcake, a vegan take on the Little Debbie cake with a line of swirly, white icing, far surpassed its packaged counterpart in every way. The cake was dense and the icing was light and airy with a perfect dollop of cream in the center.
By the time I bit into the peanut butter and jelly cupcake, my sugar high had already turned into a tummy ache. Keep in mind, I followed a strict two-bite rule during this sampling. I’m not sure how they fit so much peanut butter flavor into one cupcake, but I think it could have used a little more jelly in the middle.
Adding more jelly to my own middle became increasingly difficult as I approached the Chocolate XO Cookie. It was overwhelmingly chocolatey. As the last stop on my dessert tour, it was just too much. If you really love chocolate, go for it.
While I would highly recommend stopping by this delightful shop, I wouldn’t recommend trying to sample more than one treat at a time. As a vegetarian who tried being a vegan once, I can say with confidence this bakery is the best of its kind. These baked goods would certainly fool anyone who has a taste for buttery, full-fat desserts, while giving them a dose of whole grains and a satisfied sweet tooth.
Grade: A
