Photo Credit: Breka Bakery & Café/Instagram
As soon as the first leaf hits the ground, the city is lined up for a fall-themed pastry with a latte on the side. What better way to kill that craving than Breka?
Following last year's lineup, Breka has made several adjustments to its fall menu. Come with us as we take you on a culinary exploration of the Breka menu.
Crème Brûlée Hojicha Latte – 7.5/10
First up is the Crème Brûlée Hojicha Latte! This drink contains very light notes of crème brûlée and a strong hojicha flavour. If you are a tea drinker who isn’t so into coffee, this drink is perfect for you. While it was on the sweeter side, it was definitely still enjoyable. Bonus points for the creativity of this drink.
Pumpkin Pie Latte – 7/10
One of many pumpkin-flavoured items on the fall menu, the Pumpkin Pie Latte is a staple on any coffee shop’s fall menu. Like the last drink, this latte is very sweet, but still tasty. However, you can get the same thing from Starbucks for roughly the same price.
Banoffee Iced Matcha Latte with Mousse Foam – 6.5/10
Banoffee isn’t really something you see as a drink flavour very often, so when we saw this drink, we were eager to try it! Banoffee is an English dessert with layers of sliced banana and thick toffee, topped with whipped cream. The banoffee flavour is quite strong, which ended up overpowering the matcha. The texture of the drink was quite thick compared to the matcha, and the mousse foam was nonexistent.
Pear Cardamom Iced Matcha Latte with Pear Jelly – 3/10
Pear and cardamom welcomes that fall vibe, but this drink just didn’t hit the spot. Similar to the previous drink, the matcha didn’t stand out against the other flavours, and instead tasted like pumpkin pie. Our 3/10 rating came after trying the pear jelly, which was very mushy and strangely flavoured. Combined with the sweetness, this drink was our least favourite of the four.
Mini Pumpkin Tart – 7.5/10
This sweet treat was not only cute, but also yummy! It resembled a classic pumpkin pie, just smaller. The filling was not too strong, and even though the crust was a little thick, it was still very good. The pumpkin purée wasn’t particularly outstanding, but still fulfilled its job as a smooth and creamy filling.
Pumpkin Cheesecake – 5/10
Pumpkin cheesecake is an awesome fall treat that’s surprisingly easy to make at home, which is why we were a little bit disappointed with Breka’s take on it. The cheesecake tasted more like coffee than pumpkin, and as the cheesecake filling was the main component, there was really nothing the pastry added to redeem it.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin – 5/10
This muffin took a twist on the classic chocolate chip muffin by adding pumpkin to the batter. Even though it was meant to be pumpkin-flavoured, the chocolate flavour was strong, with plenty of chocolate chunks scattered throughout the batter. The pumpkin flavour could have been stronger, and the muffin was slightly dry, which is why we decided to give this a 5/10.
Pumpkin Donut Bite – 8/10
This donut bite had a more cakey batter, making it similar to Tim Hortons’ Timbits. The flavour was good, but we didn’t taste so much of the pumpkin. Overall, they were really sweet, from both the batter and the outside glaze. We settled on an 8/10, since it wasn’t anything special but still tasted pretty good.
Cinnamon Pecan Babka – 9.5/10
This pastry was one of our favourites, and you bet we went in for another bite! It had a very similar texture and taste to a cinnamon roll, so it wasn’t the most creative. However, we thoroughly enjoyed its perfect blend of cinnamon flavours, crunch of pecan, and well-made pastry. Aside from the taste, it was also quite large and dense, making it well worth the price.
Mont Blanc Chestnut Slice – 1/10
After eating some amazing pastries beforehand, this came as a shock. The chestnut flavour was sour and tasted like coffee, and the texture of the strands of chestnut paste on top was stiff. The inside was soft, and the bottom had gotten slightly soggy from the mushy chestnut cream inside. This cake hit the very bottom, with a 1/10.
Lemon Meringue Tart – 10/10
The Lemon Meringue Tart was a showstopper, and was the perfect break from some of the more heavily fall-flavoured treats. It’s exactly what you would expect — a flawless lemon curd with both sour and sweet notes. Topped with a fluffy meringue cream and all held together by a sturdy crust that was still buttery and not too crumbly, its sweetness contrasted very well with the sour lemon curd.
Tropical Mango Mousse – 10/10
This was one of two fruit-flavoured items on the fall menu, and just like the Lemon Meringue Tart, it really stood out! The mousse texture was smooth and fluffy, while the mango flavour was absolutely delicious. The layers of airy cream and moist cake made for the perfect bite, and we easily finished it. A little bonus to this dessert is that it is gluten-free. We had no problem agreeing that this definitely deserved a 10/10.
After taste-testing these Breka items, we recommend taking the chance to try an item or two — you’ll be pleasantly surprised!