Eiffel Tower Pastry Shop & Catering

04/03/2026

Look who made it to 76! The doctors said she wouldn’t, but she keeps on proving them wrong. Stubborn Aries. 😉 ♈️ 🎉🎂❤️

12/12/2025

The thing about baking is that it’s both a science and an art. The science makes the recipes work properly, but the art is figuring out what’s gone wrong. And things will go wrong.

Baking likes consistency, and nature is anything but consistent. Natural ingredients are inherently variable, and weather conditions can greatly impact your bake. A cup of flour can weigh far more in the summer than in the winter simply because of the humidity. And when you’re dealing with yeast, you’re literally working with a live organism - one who goes on strike if the temperature is wrong.

Like life, baking often requires you to adapt. Right from the start, the Universe really made me work for it today. I sprinkled my yeast over its nice, warm bath, and it just sat there refusing to wake up. (Like me, it’s not a fan of the cold.) I warmed it up a little by floating its bowl in a sink of warm water, but it still just sat there. I coaxed it with some food - an extra teaspoon of sugar. And finally it gave me proof of life with a beautiful froth! I proceeded to add the rest of my ingredients, and tried to bring the dough together, but it was way too shaggy. Instead of coming together into a nice soft ball, it was a hard lump that couldn’t hold itself together. (The Universe was really hitting me over the head with metaphors today). The dry winter air had sucked all the moisture out of my flour. So as I kneaded the dough, I slowly added more and more water until it finally felt right - firm but pliable, and soft enough to stretch and fold. Finally, after almost 20 minutes of kneading and adding water, I had a smooth, springy little boule. I popped it in an oiled bag, and set it in the fridge. Now it’s having a rest until it’s ready to rise tomorrow. (Which seems like a good idea for me, too).

PIZZA DOUGH
In a bowl, mix 1 cup warm water with 1 tsp sugar. Sprinkle 6g of traditional yeast over the top of the water. Let it sit until frothy. Pour in 2 tbsp oil. Add 2 1/3 cups of all purpose flour and 1 tsp salt. Knead ~10-15 minutes. Pour a little oil in a bag, add your ball of dough, and let rest and rise in the fridge ~4 hours to 3 days.

12/11/2025

Christmas at the bakery was magic. Sure, it was a mountain of work, and a lot of nights ended in the wee hours of the morning, but there was so much joy. We got to see our favourite people; the smell of gingerbread hung in the air, and clung to our skin and clothes; and Mom and I sang Christmas carols until our staff couldn’t take any more. But my favourite part of the day was after everyone else had gone home, and it was just me closing up. I would shut off the lights, and be enveloped by the quiet darkness, lit only by the twinkling lights on our Christmas trees. Stillness after the chaos, sugar and spices still hanging in the air. Magic.

Last year Christmas was hard. There was no magic. There were no twinkling lights in the darkness. It was just dark. I was so grateful to still have my Mom, but everything was a struggle. Everything was hard. Especially baking. The shortbread didn’t feel like a hug from my Grandma anymore - they felt like grief and crushing loss.

But I’m blessed to have truly amazing people in my life. Friends who invited me to bake with them; who understood that even though there was pain in the joy, there was still some joy in the pain. And slowly, it got easier.

This summer Mom and I grew things. We played in the dirt, planted pink and purple petunias for her to smell, and Mom picked beans from muscle memory. The sun kissed our faces, and we bathed in green and nature and life.

Now the snow is falling, and it feels it’s like time to turn the oven on again. So here I am, mixing up the spices for gingerbread. And what do you know? A little spark of magic. It smells like Christmas.

We still talk about you. We wonder how your family is, and how your kids are doing at university. We remember the good memories and how much love you shared with us when things were at their worst.

I miss sharing our baking with you. So I’ve decided to open my recipe book to share it with you, so that we can bake together. Because baking tastes better when it’s shared with the people you love.

Tomorrow I’ll be making pizza dough, and I’m excited to share the recipe with you. I hope you’ll come back to check it out, and bake with me.

❤️ Erin

07/06/2025

Rainbow cupcakes for my neighbour’s 4th birthday! ❤️ 🧁🌈 but

04/11/2025

Look who walked to the end of the block!

04/03/2025

Look who’s 75! They said it would never happen, but they don’t know my Mom! I wanted to throw her a big party, but she just wanted a quiet day at home. So we’re filling the day with cuddles (cat and human), going for a nice walk, and ending the day with apple pie! It’s a good day, y’all. ❤️

03/30/2025

Shh… it’s a secret.

👏🏼 ❤️

03/22/2025

Thanks to everyone who came out to market! It was so nice seeing everyone, and we hope to see you again soon! Keep your eyes peeled on our socials for our next event!

03/22/2025

So many yummy treats for the market tomorrow! Who can resist strawberry icing AND sprinkles? 💚

03/21/2025

More treats getting ready for market tomorrow! Chocolate Lovers cake! 💚

03/21/2025

Vegan macarons getting boxed up for market! Come see us tomorrow at Windsor Park United Church and grab yourself a treat! 💚