The Violet aesthetic is simply beautiful. Quality ingredients, artfully prepared. Claire Ptak’s vision brings the best of California and melds it with traditional British fare. I love her use of natural ingredients to flavor and pigment her icings and use of wild flowers to decorate her cakes. Congratulations on the honor of preparing the Royal wedding cake. Well deserved.
A sinfully wonderful assortment of delicious treats. Friendly staff and cozy spot for a cuppa and taste of heaven. What diet?!
Violet's recipes are simply divine. I have had the pleasure of tasting her baking from her own hands, as well as enjoying many recipes from the Violet cookbook that friends have prepared. Just last night I was kvelling over the Rye Chocolate Brownies - to die for!!!
I've been baking from the Violet cookbook.....made many a wedding/celebration cake using the fabulous red velvet recipe to great accolades. And the banana bread has saved b/bread for me....so delicious. I thought I saw there may be another cookbook out or coming? I will seek it out!
Simple yet stunning, well worth a visit when in London
Lovely place with really really good cakes. Love the carrot one.
Ameiiii está ideia de bolos com flores naturais ��
Lovely buzzy atmosphere and good coffee and delicious cake.
Jane Perlstein Collins
+5
Still the most delicious cakes you will ever taste...
Natalia Nowak-Pizzinat
+5
Really refreshing lemonade, tasty scone and (finally - as it never happened before in any other place) not-too-sweet cupcake. I'm definately coming back!
Love it open West London please Claire xx
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Glad I made this find. Read an article of cakes that were instagram able and came across this delightful bakery/cake shop. As soon as I walked in the vibe was wonderful. Staff were oh so friendly and even gave me an umbrella when it started bucketing down with rain. It is a small shop with seating available outside. The range of cakes made my mouth water and wanted to get one of everything but I knew I couldn’t!
As I wanted to takeaway for dessert after dinner I thought the mini cupcakes were the best option to get a variety. The flavours chosen were Chocolate Salted Caramel, Chocolate Vanilla, Vanilla Mango, Chocolate Violet, Chocolate Chocolate, and Vanilla Strawberry. Had to get a regular sized Chocolate Espresso as none in the mini size. Coconut Macaroon was also bought. Took them back and everyone was delighted with the cakes. The cupcakes went down well as they were decadent and the richness of the flavours came out. Not too sweet and well balanced. The macaroon was a hit too. Make sure to pay a visit and grab your own box of yummy treats.
Space is at a premium in this cosy little cafe. The word cosy always makes me laugh somewhat. As you could otherwise call it cramped, squashed or mole-like. Yet, cosy is a much more palatable word conveying warmth and happiness. Although, in this case, I think cosy is an apt description.
Delicious cakes. I had the Devil's food cake, and it's a superb overload of chocolate and cream and thank you very much for it. Tried the chocolate and caramel brownie with sea salt, also very tasty but, peraonal preference here, would prefer the core to be a bit gooier and moistier, as makes for a better contrast with the crunchy outside. Also got to savour one with lemon drizzle and pastry base (can't recall the name) and really enjoyed it. Not a huge lemon fan, but the taste is full, not to acidic, and the texture coming from the pastry is deliciate and immaculate.
The place has some tables and chair outside, ideal for a afternoon snack under the sun.
They have such an amazing selection of cakes and pastries, coffee is wonderful and the few times I've dined inside I've always found the staff to be so friendly and welcoming.
My lovely friend Ceri let me know about a bakery in Hackney, fairly close to where I live, that she thought I’d like. She works in publishing and they recently published the cookbook for it – ‘The Violet Bakery Cookbook‘. I was lucky enough to be given a copy, which I’ll be giving away as a competition prize on my social media channels early next week, so keep your eyes peeled!
Cute coffee shop and bakery, good for chilling in upstairs if you're looking for some laptop space. Wifi included. They make great coffees and sensational pastries, definitely a treat kinda place.
I had the avocado toast the other week which was amazing, two thick sourdough slices, an entire avocado covered in lime and chili flakes. #foodporn A touch on the expensive side, avo toast was £7.50 and for an extra £1 I upgraded to include a salad, didn't eat again that day so actually good value overall.
Next step was Violet, run by Clare Ptak, for dessert and more coffee. Hidden in a rather nondescript building was a fabulous cake shop. On one side was an enviable array of cakes to choose from whilst on the other side the chefs were abuzz making new creations. It was so good that I completely neglected to take a photo of the lemon squares before I wolfed them down. With the filter coffee it was great eating and chatting away outside as we took full advantage of the warm autumnal day.
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Violet's is a well known cafe hidden in the heart of Dalston. You can visit their stall on Broadway market on a bustling Saturday, but I headed to Violet's Cafe instead.
The first thing I noticed was how small the cafe was, and it's surroundings. I know Dalston houses a variety of small establishments, but I wasn't expecting to find a teeny tiny cafe in the middle of some houses. That didn't dent my eagerness though as we snatched a seat from someone who was just leaving. Luckily the weather was gorgeous so we were fine sitting outside, however if it hadn't been I fear our journey may have ended there, as there is no indoor seating. Inside the staff were busy making cakes and serving customers takeaway delicacies in little monogrammed paper bags. The staff were friendly, although noticeably rushed, however they didn't let it affect them. We ordered some tea, and two toasties, as I'd heard from a friend that the toasties at Violet's were pretty scrumptious. I loved the crockery that everything was served on, and it felt so in tune with the cafe - very granny-chic. Our toasties were as delicious as we'd been promised, if a little bit greasy for my tastes. Although the side of cornichons made me incredibly happy - they're a favourite of mine. We left soon after but didn't leave without grabbing a mini cupcake and whoopie pie for the walk home. The cakes have made Violet's famous, and are why their Broadway market stall is sold out every weekend. So did they live up to their high standards? They certainly did. The cakes were moist, full of flavour and we devoured them in a second!
A gorgeous tiny little cafe, a short walk from Dalston Junction in the very heart of London fields. The temptation of baked goods was too much to resist and together we split a Cinnamon bun, Violet cupcake and a couple of salted caramel oreo cookies.
The cinnamon bun was such a highlight, gooey enough for a bun but holding it's own with a spicy sweet filling with raisins and just enough to give you a sugary hit without being overpowering. The violet cupcake wasn't as great as the bun, despite being the cafe's namesake and the salted caramel oreo cookies were a little too sweet for me. However to be fair that could be because I'd opted for a blood orange juice to get at least one of my five a day instead of relying on one of their wide range of teas to balance out the sweet.
It's been a while since I was back, but I am hoping to come back soon for another gooey bun hit.
What a cutesy little corner of Hackney! Gorgeous cakes - I devoured a rich, chocolate cupcake and one plum pudding. Apparently the lemon and violet cupcakes are their specialities, but they run out fairly quickly. I doubt I'll be back in Hackney any time soon, but I'm glad I trekked to this lovely little cafe. Next time, I'd like to make a meal of it, they have a lovely little kitchen, a fresh fresh menu, and apparently a sunshiney terrace. one for the summertime then...
First time visiting after having baked repeatedly from the first cookbook. Absolutely exceeded expectations - wish I lived in London so I could become a regular. Loved getting a signed edition of the latest cook book!
I’ve been visiting Violet for over a decade and they make the most delicious cakes! The coffee and savoury food is also lovely. My young daughter is a huge fan and we’ve always had great service. I also love that they support their local community - thank you! Photos are a nostalgic throwback from their stall at Broadway Market in 2011, it’s amazing to watch a local business grow x
Friendly staff but have to say that the cupcakes are a bit expensive. Nevertheless, I’m not going to lie: the salted caramel cupcakes at Violet are to die for!
The only reason for me not giving this place a 5 is because I recently purchased their vegan cake ( a slice of it) and it tasted a bit stale or like sawdust; I can’t decide if the cake was old (since it wasn’t as moist as the rest of their cakes) or if my pallets isn’t made for vegan cakes.
Either way, the place is relatively small, but if you’re a foodie like myself or have kids who like learning about cakes, it’s always cool to watch staff decorate cakes from the side window.
I love that Violet is run by an American mom and it’s this reason that keeps bringing me back — women must support other business women!
One of our favourite bakeries in London for a reason. Located in a peaceful neighbourhood it’s a go to for an afternoon sweet pickup dessert and coffee. Would totally recommend their egg yolk sea salt cookies and cupcakes too! Need to try more of their warm and savoury dishes.
Best scone I’ve ever had!!! Cakes were not my preference but I can tell they are good ! Can’t wait to try again!
I love this place but it has gotten more expensive over the years, so I cant justify the cost to eat their goods as often as I like. I have brought the new cook book, can cook the treats at an affordable budget. Faves are the vegan cupcake, salted egg cookie, sour cream and chives scone, pumpkin quiche. I have tried the other cupcakes but they were a bit too sweet for me, so I can understand why they are fairly small in size otherwise it be too sickly! The new cookbook is fab, highly recommend. Thanks.
American-style cakes are hard to come by in London bakeries in my experience, so this place was such a joy. I travelled all the way from South London to visit Violet and I was not disappointed. Their oat and Californian cookies were also glorious - so chewy. The chocolate sponge cupcake with the violet icing is one of the best cakes I've eaten this year.
Ordered a birthday cake from here after seeing rave reviews. The lemon and elderflower cake was really good with proper lemon flavour coming through. Would only suggest that they dial back on the buttercream a bit. The thick layer on the outside detracts from the flavour of the cake
Nice and quiet cafe. Their cupcakes were really good, one of the best I had, very light and tasty in the same time. Cookies were good as well. Had a coffee as will which was good.The options were limited but I would like to try more things in the future.
Vincenzo Marchese Ragona
+4
Lovely bakery in the heart of East London, a lot of character and very good coffee and food. Maybe some of the items in the savoury menu are slightly overpriced but in general is a great spot. Kimchi toastie is a must and so are their baked goods. The location is also gorgeous (even better if sunny)
Delicious cakes. I absolutely loved the fact that this venue is in a very quiet road between Hackney and Dalston. Loved also the understated decor and the focus on cakes.
I was very pleased with my Amalfi lemon elderflower cake. it was delicious and the cake was the perfect consistency.
My other 'love at first bite' was their chocolate cupcake. I usually dislike chocolate in cake but this one didn't have such a decadent after-flavour and it was nice and fudgey at the same time.
Loved the flowers on the cakes. Looked so fresh. Only leaving 4 stars as it would be great to have more flexibility over ordered cakes with the icing. Thanks!
Me and my partner like this lovely cafe. We especially like the avocado on toast. The quality of ingredients are exceptional and the flavours are well balanced. However, we have a couple of points we wish to improve.
1. Single-use plate and cutlery
It looks like they use compostable plates and cutlery, but compostable items are actually NOT compostable. Normally, it's treated as rubbish, not even as recyclables. They need to be collected as single stream and sent to a special facility to be composted. The price of their lovely food and cakes are not cheap, but serving with single-use items is a kind of turn-off.
2. Kimchi menue items
I'm Korean, and I was very intrigued by their Kimchi scone and Kimchi blue cheese toast. We tasted the toast and it was disappointing. As Kimchi itself has a quite strong flavour, I think blue cheese is NOT a good combination. I would recommend cooking the kimchi and combining it with milder cheese, such as mozzarella or a young cheddar cheese.
Such a lovely place. Really lovely staff. The lady who served me was so nice, happy and polite. The chap took time and care making my coffee. The coffee and cinnamon bun were both great! Thanks guys!
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