On Saturday (September 24), the Kawarthas Northumberland Butter Tart Tour hosted the 4th Annual Butter Tart Taste-Off at the Peterborough Farmer’s Market in the Morrow Building.
“We were delighted with the turn-out at this year’s Butter Tart Taste-Off”, says Brenda Wood, Kawarthas Northumberland Butter Tart Tour Executive Director. “It was a perfect autumn day, with so many of our Butter Tart Tour partners coming out to showcase their locally produced butter tarts. It’s a real testament to how much Canadians love their butter tarts!”
Nineteen bakeries entered butter tarts of all flavours in the competition. Here are the winners in each of the five categories:
Best Overall Plain Butter Tart
1. Doo Doo’s Bakery, Bailieboro
2. Black Honey Dessert & Coffeehouse, Peterborough
3. Burnham Family Farm Market, Cobourg
Best Alternative Tart
1. Buns & Sweets, Bridgenorth – Pecan Butter Tart
2. Doo Doo’s Bakery, Bailieboro – Pumpkin Cheesecake Butter Tart
3. Kawartha Shortbread, Fenelon Falls – Coconut Butter Tart
Best Gluten-Free Tart
1. Doo Doo’s Bakery, Bailieboro
2. Black Honey Dessert & Coffeehouse, Peterborough
3. Black Honey Dessert & Coffeehouse, Peterborough
Best Locally Sourced Tart*
1. Kawartha Shortbread, Fenelon Falls – Maple Pecan Butter Tart
2. Whistle Stop Café, Peterborough – Blueberry Butter Tart
3. Doo Doo’s Bakery, Bailieboro – Apple Crumble Butter Tart
* must include ingredients local to the Kawarthas Northumberland region
People’s Choice*
1. Betty’s Pies & Tarts, Cobourg
2. Doo Doo’s Bakery, Bailieboro
3. Whistle Stop Café, Peterborough
* as voted on by attendees of the event
The Butter Tart Taste-Off competition was hosted by the Kawarthas Northumberland Butter Tart Tour, Ontario’s largest food tour dedicated to butter tarts with over 50 bakeries, restaurants, and cafes located across the Kawarthas and Northumberland County. The tour operates year-round and is self-guided, allowing visitors to explore the offerings at their own pace.
Bakeries at the Taste-Off could compete in up to five different categories of butter tarts. Judges for the event included local media personalities, politicians, Food Network Canada chef David Adjey, along with four community judges chosen randomly from a contest on the Butter Tart Tour social media pages.
Attendance at this year’s Taste-Off was double the previous year according to organizers and the participating bakeries — all locally owned small businesses — quickly sold all of their butter tarts.
For more information about the the Kawarthas Northumberland Butter Tart Tour, visit www.buttertarttour.ca.
