Stubbe Chocolates & Pastry

This is my favourite place in the whole city. I buy myself a birthday cake every year from here, sometimes two and always a bag of truffles to go along with it. Always the Spanish vanilla torte and then something else which ever takes my fancy. The handmade truffles are beautiful and the most adventurous flavours too. My friends love it when I’ve visited Stubbe because they too get to indulge. The marzipan treats are great too. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this place to anyone. Daniel and his staff are fantastic,
If you haven’t been there yet just go. I wish my bedroom mimicked the store and I woke up every day to fresh perfect delicious handmade chocolate treats.

High quality handmade chocolates– everyone should try the balsamic vinegar truffle & also salted dark chocolate or cinnamon milk chocolate bars. So good!

The first time I received a box of Stubbe truffle and bonbons I was taken aback at how truly delicious and well made they were.
Over the years they have been a Valentine staple for me and I’ve also been fortunate to receive them as a «just beccause». The dark chocolate truffles have so much depth you can savor the shell alone for minutes. Fillings are equally as good.
You can taste the quality and craftsmanship in every bite. Standouts for me are the pear william, Irish coffee and mango. If you enjoy Soma, Leonidas or Chocolateria products definitely try Stubbe.

Wow! I bought what I believed to be a lot of chocolate for Jenn as part of Mother’s Day gift (almost $ 80). One day later there isn’t a morsel to be found! THAT’s some good chocolate. Do I have to wait for a special occasion or is Friday good enough.

It smells really good even for the people who don’t like chocolate! The idea was amazing and the chocolate house was beautiful! It surprise me!

If you want real chocolate truffles made with love this is the only place to visit. I haven’t met one of their truffle flavours that I didn’t like!
Whether it’s a special occasion or a bad break up a visit always seems to brighten up the day!
Thank you Stubbe Chocolates for truly understanding chocolate and bringing back the love of all things sweet in my life:)

I love Chocolate, this discovery within myself wasn’t made evident until a good few years ago. Probably, in and around the time Stubbe entered my neighbourhood. I live just down the street and I love this little shoppe. Although, it is somewhat dangerous to have within walking distance, it is a delightful addition to the neighbourhood.
I usually go in every once-​in-​awhile. Sometimes, daringly, more often than every once-​in-​awhile, but I go in get some samples, talk to Martha, who has come to know me as a regular and I pick up a truffle, or two, or maybe three, if it’s that kind of day. I need to learn to savour them, after all they are not your typical chocolate bar, they’re truffles for gosh sakes and they aren’t cheap. In other words, taking one’s time and enjoying them is key.
Anyways, I love this place. Their variety is great. My favourites are the chili-​chocolate, the gewuerztaminer, fleur de biere, sea salt, cappuccino. Oh, I also really, really like the buckwheat honey one too (There is a specific day/​time/​mood for this one– it is that special). These are some of their truffles, by-​the-​way, if that wasn’t clear earlier, it is now. I told myself I’m going to try them all, but often when I walk in, I stick to my usuals and sometimes some of the ones I would like to try are unavailable. Can you tell, I’m a happy chocoholic?!
What I additionally adore about this place is that it is a family business. I love supporting the «little guys». Stubbe is no-​where near as little of a business as one would think. They have definitely made a name for themselves and have an extremely positive reputation. There is another location in Ottawa, but my understanding is that it is owned and run by Daniel’s father. Daniel is the chocolatier extraordinaire of the Toronto location.
The displays in their windows are seasonal and holiday specific and I very much enjoy looking at how creative they always are. It’s amaZing and a site worth seeing. So when you walk by, be sure to look.
The smell, now the smell is really important for chocolate tasting. It is, wait for it, phenomenal, intoxicating and a lil’ somethin’ somethin’, but since I go in so often it doesn’t effect me in the same way anymore. It is incredibly delicious…
So, what are you waiting for? Go and get your chocolate fix, you’ll be happy you did! :)

Hazelnut Torte and Sea Salt Dark Chocolate were lovely! Melts-​in-​your-​mouth type of goodness.
The girl behind the counter was extremely kind and described each of the cakes they had in the display while I sampled their Bittersweet Dark Truffle (!).
Definitely will be back for more indulgent sweets!

Some of the best chocolates in the world. And I am picky.
Their Ginger chocolates are out of this world. So, is their customer service; whether it be in person or over the phone.

Located near the corner of Christie and Dupont, I’m a bit glad that it’s a far walk from my place. Any closer and I’ll be here everyday ;)
They make their chocolates in house… You can see the chocolatiers working in the back. I have tried their chocolates — great flavours, some better than others. But what keeps me coming back is their apple streudel. It’s available in a full slab $ 10 or a half slab… O So Good! Great glazed crust packed with apples… I have a thing for apple desserts — I like to think it’s healthier cuz there’s fruit in it ;)
They have short/​early hours so it’s hard to get here after work — they close at 6pm. Today was busy, lots of people prepping for Easter celebrations, but service is still prompt and friendly.
Great place for specialty chocolate and desserts as gifts… or for yourself.

Yes, the chocolates are very good. Then again, hand made, small-​batch chocolates are head & shoulders above anything you could buy at your grocery store (this includes the truffles Loblaws has).
The focus of my adoration, are the cakes.
From the Zuger Kisch Torte I had today, to the Truffle cake that first drew me in, every baked delight has been indulgent, light and enriching. They are an experience in what a good cake can be and how low we stoop when picking up the La Roccas off the grocery store cases.
Also, yes, the chocolate is very very good. They (cakes & truffles) are more expensive than at a Wal-​Mart, bu then Wal-​Mart deals in quantity, not quality.

Their truffles are the best in the city. Try the kir royale truffle — it’s pink with a sugar coating, quite remarkable.

Though I’ve never actually tried the chocolate here I’ve always had great customer service. I’ve been in a couple of times buying gifts for people. The latest was for Easter. They had a big range of Easter chocolates. Whether you wanted to spend $ 2 or $ 200 there was something for everyone. Mr. Stubbe was working the cash register on my latest visit. While ringing people through he was carrying on friendly conversation with a couple of regulars but still made each customer feel welcome. He packaged up my purchases very nicely by wrapping them in tissue paper and their standard bags.
I’ll be back again and maybe next time I’ll buy something for myself!
April challenge ¹⁰⁄₃₀

Over the years I’d played with chocolate, but I found myself spending an inordinate amount of time trying to temper my chocolate. Because that’s what I’d read about online, you see. Melting, cooling, more chocolate, measuring temperatures — rinse and repeat a million times — to get things just so.
And yet, I couldn’t imagine that the multitudes of chocolatiers out there were fussing over temperatures and crystal formation like I had over Christmas. I clearly needed some hands-​on guidance.
The first place that came to mind was George Brown. But their Introduction To Chocolate course was overkill — not only was it 11 classes, but it had a pre-​requisite as well. Then I came across Stubbe Chocolates and found their classes to be exactly what I needed: a compact demo with a hands-​on component about tempering chocolate. Perfect.
Since most people don’t have a giant cooled marble slab at their disposal, the class at Stubbe would teach the widely adopted seed method. We would learn how to properly melt and prepare the chocolate, as well as make our own mendiants and fashion a box made of chocolate to contain them, over the course of two hours.
With Daniel’s calm voice, he guided us through the process while we had some good laughs at are feeble attempts.
It was a fun evening spent where I was able to learn (and relax) when tempering chocolate — just what I needed. I also managed to snap some great photos (see blog) since the room we were working in was gleamingly bright and white. Thanks to Daniel at Stubbe Chocolates for an informative and entertaining evening.

The good:
This is one of my favourite places for cake. The Spanish Vanilla is my favourite.
The bad:
I preferred the old location on Davenport as you could sit in and have a slice of cake and coffee. New location has no seating or coffee.

Definitely a great place to buy gifts for someone with discerning tastes. The ability to mix and match your own boxes of truffles and pralines is a nice touch since you can tailor your selections.
I had a slice of cake from them as well — I forget what it was called, but it was a nut crème of some sort with blueberry, I believe? This was a while ago. Needless to say I was impressed because not only was the cake rich, and obviously of top quality, but it was not excessively sweet, which is a very nice touch.
I heartily recommend Stubbe. It’s pricey, but you get what you pay for, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

For the chocolate lover in your life that doesn’t like their cake too rich or sweet the Hazelnut Torte ($ 28) at Stubbe is a great option. The cake is made with ground hazelnuts rather than flour so I imagine it’s also gluten free if that’s your thing. Between the layers of cake are layers of dark chocolate ganache. The whole cake is coated in a layer of milk chocolate and decorated beautifully with whole hazelnuts.
The cake itself is a little dry and not very fluffy or spongy, probably due to the lack of flour, but it’s still quite good. It’s also not crazily sweet, which could be a good or a bad thing depending on your taste. Personally, I thought the sweetness was just right.

Stubbe chocolates creates some of the best chocolates by pairing good quality chocolate they create themselves in the back of the shop with both traditional and non-​traditional flavours. The one chocolate which stood out for me was the blood orange chocolate which has a slightly sharp tang without being sour.
The special milk chocolate truffle had a unique sugar fronting which I thought would make the chocolate far too sweet but in fact was perfect when savouring or chewing the chocolate.
The cappuccino was a triumph of coffee flavouring, which was for once not overpowered by the sweetness of the chocolate. The white chocolate was used masterfully here to sweeten the coffee without it tasting of nothing but sugar the covered in a beautifully balances dark chocolate.
I highly recommend this chocolate shop and would be confidant buying any chocolates from here as a special gift.

Dupont and Christie is a strange location for a chocolatier, near the railway overpass and around the corner from the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall. The minimalist blue and white shop looks like a better fit for King Street or Yorkville.
Daniel Stubbe was running the shop when I went in today. He could not have been more friendly or more helpful even though I probably interrupted him in the middle of a delicate chocolate engineering process. I grabbed a box of pre-​selected and wrapped truffles, just to be fast. But, he insisted that I take the time to make up a box of my own choices which he wrapped up for me ($ 9.50 for six truffles).
The best news is that the chocolate is very, very good.
Besides the truffles, block chocolates, chocolate-​dipped fruit and gift boxes, there’s also a case of traditional European cakes. Daniel runs monthly chocolate workshops in the store’s kitchen, too.
I’m especially crazy about the caramel chocolate bar ($ 5). The texture is wonderful.
truffles:
cakes:
workshops: