Gypsy Chocolate Cake at Pastry Castle.
Pastry Castle Café
Address: 50 Lakewood Boulevard
Phone Number: 204-254-5387
Website: pastrycastle.ca
Neighbourhood: Lakewood, southeast Winnipeg
In life, there are some happy accidents.
One minute, you're dropping off a friend for an eye appointment in some far off neighbourhood, and the next minute you've discovered one of the best pieces of chocolate cake in your life.
Pastry Castle Café's gypsy chocolate cake is one of the best happy food accidents I've found in Winnipeg. (Scallops Rockefeller at Fusion Grill, pressure cooked fried chicken at Red Top and bacon jam at Bistro 7 1/4 also top that list.)
Sure, it's just chocolate cake, but boy is it good. It's a chocolate on chocolate on chocolate romp for serious cocoa lovers. Two layers of moist, dense cake are held together with a healthy smear of chocolate ganache. Icing caps this magnificent slice. Drizzles of chocolate sauce bring it all home.
If only mom's chocolate cake tasted this good. (Sorry Mom.)
Even if Lakewood isn't on your way anywhere or in your vicinity, it's worth a trip just for the cake.
And while you're at it, order a glass of milk on the side.
Pastry Castle was previously located in the Exchange District in what is now the Free Press Café. More than four years ago, Pastry Castle moved south to Lakewood. Foot traffic certainly can't match the downtown location but Pastry Castle has a healthy business selling its cakes, cheesecakes and other sweets to restaurant, hotel and private clients around the city.
At the Lakewood location a variety of signature sandwiches are served that don't fit any standard deli menu. I can't speak to the sandwiches, because once I took my first forkful of chocolate cake I was hooked and devoted to the dessert and nothing else.
I have been back twice since.
