Channelling Your Inner Homer: Jelly Modern Doughnuts

Dan    Calgary & Area, Restaurants     calgary, desserts, doughnuts, eating out, new to town

It’s time to kick that cupcake to the curb. The bourgeois that is ‘doughnut’ has finally said: ‘Enough! We shall no longer eat [cup]cake!’

Jelly Modern Doughnuts just recently opened up in downtown Calgary and has dubbed itself as ‘Canada’s original doughtnut bakery cafe’. Whether that’s actually true or not, I can’t say, but I what I can say is that these are some of the best damn doughnuts I’ve ever tasted.

Modern’s bright pink interior captures your attention as soon as you step in, as does the smell of freshly baked goods.

The majority of the doughnuts are the same blank canvas, but each with their own unique topping. The pastry chefs and bakers behind the scenes put an emphasis on sourcing ingredients locally, to ensure premium flavours and freshness! The day of the week you stop by their shop will dictate what types of sweets are available to you. For example (and much to my dismay) I was unable to taste the Peanut Butter and Jelly doughnut, as it is only available on Mondays and Tuesdays. I’ll have to make a trip back especially for this one. Worried about missing your favourite doughnut? Don’t fret, as you can check out the weekly baking schedule on their website so you’ll be able to time your cravings accordingly.

On this particular morning, I had a variety of doughnuts to choose from. Although they all looked delicious, I felt as though purchasing more than three would be too much for one man to handle/eat. I settled on the Maple Bacon, Seasonal Fruit-Filled, and Banana Chocolate Chip.

I also grabbed a cup of coffee, which was surprisingly good, as I don’t usually associate doughnut shops with fantastic coffee (sorry Timmy’s fans…). They have a traditional espresso machine as well, so you can also get your latte/cappuccino/etc…fix as well as your sugar.

The Seasonal Fruit-Filled variety when I stopped by was raspberry. I’m rarely let down by anything raspberry-related, so this doughnut was a winner. It was nice, light and cakey with a whole bunch of sweet raspberry preserve (the best part, obviously!). The seasonal fruit option is available every day of the week.

Next up, Banana Chocolate Chip. A banana bread cake doughnut with mini-chocolate chips, dipped in a carmelized banana glaze to finish. The doughnut itself was a bit dry, but the banana glaze was amazing, and made up for it. This one is only available on Saturdays and Sundays, so banana fans are out of luck during the work week.

Since bacon is everyday nowadays, why not throw it on top of a doughnut right? Maple and bacon has forever been a solid combination, so it was no surprise that the Maple Bacon selection was my favourite of the bunch. (It’s also available every day of the week)

Other notable baked goods worth coming back for include Jelly Modern’s cinnamon buns (available on weekends) and bags of mini-doughnuts, which are only available on Saturdays, but, hey, it beats having to wait for your summer fair, right?

If I haven’t convinced you yet to pop by for a taste, let me also mention that any baked items left over at the end of the day (they close at 6PM, 5PM Sundays) are donated to a local charitable organization, so that nothing goes to waste. They also showcase local artists in the cafe each month, as well as offer a community room for private functions. I see a lot of children’s birthday parties in Jelly Modern’s future, don’t you?

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