Sweet Heart Bakery

Fancy a slice of red velvet or hummingbird cake?
Wait! I know the cute name makes Sweet Heart sound like another bakery inspired by the likes of New York’s Magnolia and Buttercup bakeries. The reality however, is that Sweet Heart Bakery is a chinese bakery that sells immaculate looking cakes and pastries made from rice flour, sesame seeds, nuts, candied fruit, oriental spices, cream and bean paste.
Having tried and loved the almond biscuits and egg tart, I’m planning to go back soon for a banana roll and peanut butter bun. I might even share them with my sweet heart. :-)

Well if Manchester has Wong Wong Liverpool has a Sweet heart. Whether you think the name is cheesy or cute. Bottom line is this hidden gem is an absolute delight for fans of anything sweet or baked.
I live for a bit of variety, a bit of irregularity. Chinese bakeries provide this in abundance. Your ideas of baked goods are challenged everywhere you look. Never have I seen such free use of fruit for example on cakes. You really have to check it out for yourself to do it justice. I guarantee you will love it.

Sweetheart Bakery simply jumped out on me on a warm day last month whilst I perused the city center. Liverpool has a large range of chinese restaraunts but I never imagined that I would stumble accross a chinese bakery with a real flavour of the orient. The basic premise of Sweetheart Bakery is traditional deli treats but given an oriental kick and it is something well worth experiencing. The prices are reasonable and you may find that your eyes become bigger than your belly as there is treat after treat laid out before your eyes. I am not an expert in the culinary world but it is clear that Sweetheart bakery has hit a niche market and it is a hidden gem within Liverpools culture of cuisine.

Sweet Heart Bakery is a glimpse into the delicatessen of the East. Using all traditional chinese recipes and made freshly in the bakery, on entering you are presented with glass case after glass case of sugary and savoury goodies.
The first thing that caught my eye were the cakes. Cream cakes, rolls, sumptuous slices of chocolate and cheesecake look delicious and you can try a slice just for £1.50. Yum yum Sweet Heart you know where my heart lies from now on.
They make cakes to order and it would be a really great choice as an alternative birthday cake. With all sorts of nibbles on offer it’s hard to resist and the cute little hand written labels give the place a nice touch of homemade authenticity.
I bought some Dragon Balls, mainly because I had no clue what they were, perfectly spherical and coated in sesame seeds, they were filled with a traditional chinese jam-​like paste. Everything looks mouthwateringly tasty, with a twist that makes this little Chinese bakery my new best friend.

Sweet Heart Bakery is what the city of Liverpool needs as it is the only Chinese bakery in Liverpool. It is fairly small inside with a few seats. The girls that serve are polite, charming and pretty!
There is a variety of Chinese sweet breads, cakes and tarts, some with a minced meat filling which are delicious and my favourite. The shop has not been open for long and is still settling down.
In my opinion, no matter how much I like char sui buns or egg custard tarts, I have tasted better elsewhere but since it’s the only one in Liverpool, I’m not going to argue too much about the standards but rather the price which is a little dear.

The Sweet Heart Bakery is a new edition to the small but growing number of independent stores that you can find along Liverpool’s Renshaw St. Like the other stores around it, the Sweet Heart is an unusual litle place — it’s a Chinese bakery. I guess the Chinese have to eat bread like the rest of us but my initial thought was — what does Chinese bakery consist of? I don’t even think I have had a basket of bread before a meal in a Chinese restaurant let alone seen what could constitute a bakery’s worth of cakes and confectionary?
If, like me then, you are hoping for a collection of exotic pastries and tarts you will be slightly disappointed. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s a good little place with a tasty array of cakes, donuts, sweet breads and savory rolls all made on site and served by lovely staff. At the time of writing the Sweet Heart had not been open long and I’m sure it’s still finding its feet and will remain a regular feature of this section of town.

Straddling the outskirts of Liverpool’s China Town is this adorable little bakery with perhaps the cutest name in Christendom. Chinese bakeries are a real indulgence as it’s fascinating to browse all the exotic and intriguing pastries and cakes the East has to offer. For example, Sweetheart’s egg tarts are a Liverpool-​renowned treat and whether or not they originated from our humble British egg custard tarts, they’re still a very interesting and moreish little pie with an Asian twist.
Light and crumbly almond biscuits, bready pineapple buns named for their appearance and not their flavour, banana rolls (same story) with their sticky rice vanilla pastry and cinnamon filling, cute peanut butter buns with their layers of nutty filling and crunchy sugar, sweet and crispy sachima, coconutty cocktail buns, sweetheart cakes (not named after the shop but a traditional Chinese pudding, also known as wife cake) made with Chinese all-​spice, almond and melon paste, cream horn-​like buttercream buns, donut-​like jin deui (but be careful, they’re crispy, covered in sesame seeds and often filled with bean pastes), intricately-​stamped and incredible looking mooncakes (little pie-​like creations that look like works of art)… you’re likely to suffer a coronary just browsing the shelves of sugary treats from a nation that barely even touches dairy.
But it’s not just for those with a sweet tooth. Traditional Chinese bites such as the sausage bun (okay, not too traditional, it’s essentially their version of a hot dog but using their lovely dense brioche-​like Chinese bun bread), ham and egg bun (essentially similar), ground beef buns or baked cha sui baau (filled with barbecued pork) are great if you’re after something small and savoury to fill a gap.
Chinese bakeries have always fascinated me and they’re great places to scope out food eye candy even if you’re not buying. There’s something more rustic and endearing about the way in which the Orient does baking, and I’m suitably impressed with Sweetheart.