Sweet tooths satisfied at Kaiapoi bakehouse
Chunky cookies, Russian fudge and hybrid brownies are sating those with sweet tooths at a new dessert shop in North Canterbury.
Sprinkles Bakehouse owner and baker Lisa Stewart opened her first permanent site in Kaiapoi two weeks ago, offering a selection of delicious morsels to satisfy dessert tummies.
The cabinet is stocked with mini-cakes, brioche doughnuts, chunky cookies and slices, including caramel brownies – “the most popular slice by far”, she said.
Another popular item is Stewart’s caramello brookie, a cross between a brownie and a cookie. “The caramel oozes out of the chocolate.”
There are also a few savoury options, including cheese scones.
Stewart has been baking since she was old enough to read a recipe.
“My Mum always let me make my own concoctions in the kitchen. I got in there and made my own little things.” The enjoyment of baking and being around food stuck.
By the time she was 15, Stewart was making coffees in a cafe. She continued to work in Christchurch cafes before moving to Melbourne, where she also worked in hospitality.
When Stewart returned to Christchurch and became a mum, she registered her kitchen so she could make a living from baking from home, and sell online and at markets instead of working unsuitable hospitality hours. Having grown her business for the last six years, she is now focusing on Sprinkles Bakehouse.
“It kind of feels like I’m coming home, coming back to making coffee.”
But despite the sabbatical, making the perfect brew was just like riding a bike – it didn’t take long to get back into the swing of it, she said.
Sprinkles Bakehouse is part of a new store in Kaiapoi, Emporium, owned by Robyn Matheson. Emporium includes about 40 craftspeople and entrepreneurs from North Canterbury Creative showcasing their wares normally sold at markets.
Matheson said the store was like a co-op but the creatives rented their space instead of having to work in the store.
Items in the store include candles, vintage clothing, bags, natural body care products, resin art, woodwork and toys.
It was the perfect shop to browse through after getting a coffee and cake, she said.
*Sprinkles Bakehouse is in the Emporium, 9a/77 Hilton St, Kaiapoi.