White Lion Baking Company, A Gluten-Free Bakery Review

I recently visited my mother on Cape Cod and decided to take a drive to The White Lion Baking Company in Mashpee, Massachusetts. Whenever I hear about an allergen-free or gluten-free bakery in an area that I am visiting, I like to check it out. My curiosity is as much about learning how other bakers create their treats as it is about finding something great to eat while traveling.

Upon entering the bakery we were greeted with cases of cupcakes, cookies, cakes, and other sweets. But when I say "sweet" I should mention that the bakery is refined sugar-free; in this case that means that they are sweetened with honey. Everything is gluten-free, grain-free, and soy-free. They bake some treats dairy-free, but some do contain dairy. Some treats are nut-free, but many are made with almond flour (or a combination of coconut and almond flour). Since they are all made in the same kitchen, the bakery is not appropriate for anyone allergic to tree nuts or dairy. They do also use eggs.

My sister and I picked a half-dozen treats to sample. My favorite -- by a mile -- was the chocolate brownie (should have gotten more of those).

After dinner we tried the chocolate cupcakes and the carrot cupcake. We all agreed that the carrot was the best, whereas the chocolate was dry (but the non-dairy frosting was quite good!)

We saved a blueberry muffin and cinnamon bun for the next morning; both were dry.

All in all, I was a bit disappointed but the trip did encourage me to try baking with coconut flour. I am dreaming up coconut baking projects -- perhaps a coconut flour brownie will be first on that list.