Big and light-filled, this Leslieville wedding cake specialist also offers a selection of perfect little pastries, like their rainbow of macarons in shades from pistachio to passion fruit to double chocolate. Cold winter months also see a run on caramelized homemade vanilla marshmallows floating in hot chocolate. Go ahead, read that sentence one more time.

The amazing thing isn’t just that the cupcake trend has proved to have such legs, but that it’s actually seen some real innovation, in places like this Liberty Village shop. Alongside cupcake classics like the inevitable red velvet, there are manly variations on this girly staple, flavoured with stout and bacon that are as good as you imagine.

Big and open, this Danforth and Woodbine bake shop aims for the goods that once dominated Toronto bakeries – big, dense scones, thick, dome-shaped cookies, danishes, date squares, brownies and butter tarts. Their Red Velvet cake comes with berries, and their pizzas studded with black olives – little revolutions that thankfully don’t overthrow the glorious old order.

There’s retro and then there’s traditional, and Paris opts for the latter, moving into an established bakery space on the border between Bloordale and the Junction Triangle with a tried-and-true Portuguese padaria. Everything’s here, from the corn and sweet breads to the cod fritters and custard tarts that are a new contender for the best in the city.