Petal Dust Bake Shop is bringing fine confections to the Richmond Hill area. Having always dreamt of opening a retail store, Laurie Waldman found a passion for baking during a particularly tumultuous economic time in her life. Recognizing the need for a bakery in her community, she seized the opportunity to open up shop in November 2013.

The expansive menu is the brainchild of Laurie and her talented head baker, Amanda Spiteri. Their daily rotations contain cupcakes, cake truffles, brownies, bars, cookies, tea loaves, coffee cakes, cookie sandwiches, and custom confections.

Walking into the small shop, I am struck by the bright, modern space, laden with powder blue accents and hints of old-fashioned charm. The kitchen is visible from the front of house, giving customers a look at the bakers handcrafting everything on offer.

The cupcakes here are a standout; the daily selection rotates with a focus on seasonal ingredients. Their rotations include basic flavours like vanilla, and range to more unique ones like key lime pie and tiramisu.

I opt for the gingerbread man cupcake ($3.75), which consists of gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting. It's the epitome of balance; the sweet frosting perfectly complements the subtle hints of spice in the dense gingerbread cake. This is definitely a heavy-hitter.

The salty millionaire bar ($3) is their best seller, and it's not difficult to see why. Layers of crumbly shortbread, creamy caramel, and rich chocolate, are perfectly counterbalanced by hints of coarse sea salt; it's the perfect mix of flavours and textures. If you're looking for something less decadent, the butter tart bar is of particular intrigue.

Should you prefer your dessert in small portions, the cake truffles won't leave you reeling with guilt. The vanilla toffee cake truffle ($1.25) is a delicious ball of moist vanilla cake dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with crunchy toffee.

The cookie sandwiches, consisting of frosting sandwiched between two cookies, are a unique item. The strawberry and cream cookie sandwich ($3) is a bit too sweet for my liking, but grabbing a moist cookie on its own ($.85) is recommended.

In addition to the daily offerings Laurie and her team are doing wedding cakes and custom layer cakes in varying sizes. The shop is a welcome addition to the Richmond Hill area, baking up some sinful treats that can go up against anyone in the GTA.

Photos by Javin Lau.