Shan Shan Bakery
10552 97 Street
780-974-7788

Chinatown’s Shan Shan Bakery offers a wide variety of both Chinese and western baked goods, including cakes, cookies, tarts, and buns.

I ordered a variety of treats, including a bag of egg cookies, a butter cream chocolate cake roll, two kinds of mini mooncakes (red bean and lotus paste), a fresh fruit tart, a custard egg tart, and one slice of Black Forest cake. The latter is my favourite dessert and I was incredibly curious about how Shan Shan’s version would compare.

It was surprising, to say the least. A light, fluffy chocolate cake with a mound of sweet cherry cream on top, garnished with a chocolate wafer and fruit. If you like your cake to cream/icing ratio weighted heavily in favour of the cream/icing, you will love this. It was definitely not a traditional Black Forest cake, but it was memorable (and delicious).

On the other hand, the slice of butter cream chocolate cake roll was exactly what I expected: chocolate cake rolled with a sweet and salty buttercream. The fresh fruit tart was small but delightful, with three pieces of fruit nestled in whipped cream and a dense shell. The custard egg tart was a bit bigger, with a filling that was firm and not too sweet, and a flaky crust.

I haven’t had mooncakes in ages. These were small, but densely packed with their respective fillings. The red bean paste had a satisfying, subtle sweetness, while the lotus had a nutty flavour almost reminiscent of marzipan.

The egg cookies – originally ordered as an afterthought – were amazing. The dollar-sized cookies were crispy, buttery, and a perfect accompaniment to my afternoon coffee.

You can go to Shan Shan directly, or order via Uber Eats for delivery like I did.