Whether you’ve got a minor gluten intolerance or are one of the 1% of the population that has celiac disease, you should never (nor do you have to) go without incredible, high-quality desserts.
Ottawa has many bakeries who go gluten-free upon request, making cakes, cupcakes, pies, and desserts so delicious that you could never tell the difference (some even offer you a discount on your next purchase if you can).
If you’re a cupcake lover, or are looking for cupcakes for an event, birthday, baby shower, or anything in between, you don’t have to look far to find them in their gluten-free form.
Here are 3 bakeries in Ottawa that are the best at going gluten-free, and who specialize in gluten free cupcakes in Ottawa.
Strawberry Blonde Bakery
The team at Strawberry Blonde Bakery in Kanata/ Ottawa’s West End are incredibly creative and passionate about delivering deliciousness to those with dietary restrictions. At the heart of their business is the mandate that no one should have to compromise on taste and quality because of an allergy or food sensitivity – and they are living proof that this can be true. They are Ottawa’s 100% gluten-free, vegan, nut free, kosher bakery in Ottawa.
Ottawa’s Strawberry Blonde Bakery offers custom cupcakes, cakes, pies, and other desserts, all available in a gluten free form that is just as delicious as its glutenous counterpart.
Strawberry Blonde works with every client to inspire and bring to life the creative custom cupcakes they desire (they also have a ton of signature flavours you can choose from, so no worries if you aren’t looking to get creative). They can accommodate speedy orders, too – and only require about three day’s notice for rush orders.
The bakery sells their gluten-free cupcakes in half-order minimums and can accommodate large orders, too.
Strawberry Blonde Bakery has 2 locations – one in Westboro and one in Kanata. You can view their store hours on their website, and a gallery of their work on their instagram page.
ThimbleCakes
An industry expert, ThimbleCakes specializes in gorgeous, understated, elegant tiered wedding/ event cakes and cupcakes in Ottawa.
If you’re looking for gorgeous custom and gluten-free cupcakes for any occasion, ThimbleCakes is a perfect choice. Not only do they do delivery and set-up, they can provide large pedestals and tiers as needed for that incredible cupcake tower display of your dreams.
ThimbleCakes doesn’t do in house consultations. Instead, they send you a box of mini cupcakes of all different flavours to let you sample and discuss as you choose.
ThimbleCakes offers an incredible selection of flavours, which can be mixed & matched within a large order of cupcakes, and sold in boxes per flavour.
Cupcake flavour choices are vanilla bean, rich chocolate, marbled vanilla and chocolate, chocolate chip or lemon. Filling choices are housemade fudge, housemade lemon curd, raspberry puree, cookie dough or simply vanilla bean frosting.
They specialize in gorgeous gluten-free custom cupcakes, and offer a gift card guarantee that you can’t taste the difference between their gluten-free and gluten cupcakes.
More info and photos of their creations can be found on their website.
The Joy of Gluten Free
This list would not be complete without a mention of Westboro’s The Joy of Gluten Free, a dreamy bakery/ cake shop on Greenbank Road. This is a one-stop-shop for gluten free baking in Ottawa; the bakery creates over 90+ products from scratch every single day.
The shop works with over 22 different types of flours to curate the best in gluten-free desserts.
Their custom cupcakes are made with heavenly flavours, including Triple Chocolate Cupcake, Salted Caramel Cupcake, Confetti Cupcake, Red Velvet Cupcake, and more heavenly flavours, like this Cloud Cake Cupcake:
Buttermilk Chocolate Cupcake with Dulce de leche in the middle with meringue icing on top drizzled with out homemade chocolate sauce.Add: a cookie dipped in chocolate glaze with writing on it.
Again, all gluten-free, nut-free, and wheat-free.
More info can be found on their website.
Gluten Free Cupcake Costs
How much should you expect to pay for custom cupcakes in Ottawa? You should expect to pay anywhere from $2.50 per cupcake to 20 cupcakes for $50.00. The price will vary depending on flavours and restrictions.
Things To Decide
Before ordering your cupcakes, here’s some things you should know:
- How many people you’re looking to serve. This will determine the size of your order.
- Any other allergies or dietary requirements from your guest list.
- Cake flavours and colours. The bakery will have a list of flavours for inside the cupcakes as well as for the icing. You may be able to choose multiple flavours in one order, but that depends on the bakery.
- Icing Flavour. Not only do you get to choose the flavour of the inside of your cupcake, but bakeries have an assortment of gluten free icing flavours, too. Consult with your baker on the best flavour combos.
- Photos Help. There are a plethora of photos on the internet to get inspiration from for your custom cupcakes, and this can help bakeries to understand what you’re looking for and exceed your expectations. If you can have photos of cupcakes you like when ordering, this will make the process that much easier (and the cupcakes that much better).
Inspiration – The Best In Photos
Here’s some of your favourite gluten-free cupcakes in Ottawa from the bakeries above.
Gingerbread Cupcakes
The Joy of Gluten Free’s festive gingerbread cupcakes look like the perfect cupcake for December.
Smore Cupcakes, Anyone?
The picture says it all – gluten free chocolate cake cupcake, marshmallow icing, graham cracker crumbs, torched marshmallows, chocolate drizzle.
Gluten Free Banana Pancake Cupcakes
This heavenly creation is the work of ThimbleCakes. Delicious, gluten free banana cake cupcake with maple frosting. Butter pad is fondant and tastes like marshmallows!
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