The Sweet Oven Inc.

Barrie, Orillia, and Niagara Falls

I first heard of Sweet Oven’s butter tarts through another travel and tourism blog that published an article on the sweetest butter tart spots to visit in Ontario. The blog’s author listed them as one of their ten best tarts in Ontario. Of course, I was eager to try them for our butter tart quest.

They have three locations – the original is in Barrie, a second location in Orillia, and recently a third location opened in the Toronto Beaches. With the new site in Toronto, I started seeing more and more social media posts from other butter tart lovers and travel bloggers raving about these decadent treats from The Sweet Oven. Claiming them the sweetest butter tarts in Ontario.

update:  The Toronto location has closed, but a New Location opened in Niagara Falls.

I haven’t had the opportunity to visit any of the locations of this bakery as of yet. I hardly ever go into Toronto and do not get to Barrie and Orillia very often,  so the opportunity to visit Sweet Oven has just not happened yet. However, we travel to many butter tart festivals across Ontario annually. Going to a butter tart festival is an excellent way for us to try the butter tarts from bakeries we have a hard time getting to due to their locations. I was recently at the “For the Love of Butter Tarts” event in Hamilton, where I finally had the opportunity to check out The Sweet Oven’s butter tarts.

The Sweet Oven bakery pretty much makes only two things – cheesecake and the butter tarts, for which they have become famous. They have over 20 flavour options and change their flavours daily, so check their schedule.

Flavours

We purchased a mixed pack of six butter tarts: plain, raisin, pecan, raspberry, coconut, and butterscotch chip. When you visit one of their three locations, they have many other flavours in-store.

Appearance

They are a beautiful butter tart. They are evenly baked, have a uniform appearance and golden colouring, and hand made. These butter tarts will present well on your dessert tray at your next dinner party.

Crust

The pastry on these butter tarts is not too thick; it is lightly flaky and solid. It holds its shape nicely and the filling inside (until bitten into). Evenly baked, golden colour – no overbaked spots,

Filling

The filling of these butter tarts is VERY SWEET. It has a rich caramel colour; it is buttery, creamy, and smooth. However, this filling is too syrupy in its consistency and oozes out too effortlessly. It will drip down your hand, shirt, etc. as you bite into it. The filling has a caramelized crust that forms on top with a sticky chewy texture of toffee candy. This is a very rich and decadent tart, but one bite and all of that gooey filling will start to ooze out.

Crust-to-filling ratio:

There is an excellent ratio between the pastry and the filling, which comes right up to the top without air pockets. Every bite provides you with a combination of flavours from the filling and crust.

Overall experience

These are very flavourful and tasty butter tarts. However, they are too runny and too sweet for my liking. The filling will drip down your hand and face rather quickly. Make sure you are eating over a plate as the filling drips all over, creating an exceptionally sticky, gooey mess. The Sweet Oven butter tarts have a reputation for being known as the gooiest butter tarts around. And people love them.

Don’t Eat & Drive

Were these my favourite butter tarts? No. However, I do quite enjoy the flavour, and the pastry was really nice, but the filling was a bit problematic for my liking. I am just not a huge fan of tarts, where the sauce pours out uncontrollably. In fact, once bitten into and when the crust is broken, all of the filling drips right out.

Expert tip: Be sure you are eating these tarts over a plate so you can at least lick up the filling and not lose out on the flavour. It will not be a classy way to eat the butter tarts.

These butter tarts travel very well. They can handle the ride, whether you pick them up on a road trip or from a local festival. Many butter tarts do not always make it home in the same excellent condition you purchase them, but these stand up well to life on the road. So, if you are on a road trip through BarrieOrillia, or Niagara and are looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, be sure to check out the Sweet Oven for their ooey-gooey butter tarts. They promise a delightfully sweet and gooey tart, and they certainly deliver on both counts.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: as always, this review is my opinion only. The Butter Tart Quests are based on my personal preferences. I encourage you to take a trip to Sweet Oven and try them so you can make your own assessment.

 

 

 

If you know of a bakery that is serving up what you think are Canada’s Best butter tarts, that you think I need to try for our #ButterTartQuest – send me an email. 

Author

Adventurer, gastro-tourist, avid road tripper, and butter tart aficionado. Exploring the road less travelled and the adventures that exist for all to see if you open yourself up to new possibilities. Greg and his husband Nick are residents of Guelph, and their greatest joys in life are exploring the world around them. Road trips with no real destination are a favourite past time. Get off the beaten path and discover somewhere they have never been before. Sometimes the best vacations are the ones you don't really plan. Life is about the journey together and not the destination.

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