Buena Park Blueberry Tart – Orange County Register

Cravings for custard and cream puffs is what prompted the drive to The Bakery Cafe at The Source in Buena Park. The fritters look like bear paws, except for the more luxurious and beautiful golden brown color, their insides bulging with vanilla custard. Cream puffs are like cookies or muffins stuffed with firm and sweet whipped cream. But when I arrived late in the afternoon, both of those items were sold out. I found the pastry shelves shabby, almost empty. At this time of day, the small dining room at this Korean bread cafe is dominated by women, mostly grandmothers and great-grandmothers sipping green tea and Freixenet lattes, but also some students bowing hunched over in front of their laptop.

“You have to get here early for ice cream,” the young woman behind the counter told me. They stock up on donuts and leavened pastries in advance in the morning. The afternoon shift is when the fridge is stocked with tarts and cakes and the pantry shelves are filled with loaves of milk bread.

“In that case, I’ll have a blueberry tart,” I said, pointing to my consolation prize in the fridge.

“You mean Earl Gray?”

I took a closer look and noticed the blueberry tart was labeled “Earl Grey.”

“Yes, that’s one.”

Although I didn’t come here for any reason, I have to admit that these tarts are amazingly beautiful. And delicious. The delicate, fluffy crust reminds me of my favorite chocolate graham cookie recipe, but not quite. They are better. They are filled with tea-infused pastry cream and topped with fresh blueberries positioned with jeweler’s precision. The tart really needs to come to room temperature before you begin. The taste is subtle, meditative, tasting more of a black tea than Earl Gray’s distinctive bergamot. The second bite is better than the first, the third is more impressive than the second… They are best enjoyed slowly, without gulping, it can be harder than it sounds.

Most of the actual baking takes place in a larger kitchen on the third floor, at The Bakery, which is perhaps best known for its Korean-style red bean, shredded gombo donuts. That upstairs bakery is in the chaotic food court and isn’t very glamorous, unlike this small cafe and eclectic second-floor retail store. And the company is constantly expanding. More recently, they opened a baking school next to the cafe called The Bakery School, just in case you want to learn how to make blueberry milkshakes or tiramisu macarons.

The Bakery Cafe

Where: 6950 Beach Blvd., 2nd Floor, Buena Park

When: Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner

Cost: $7.50

Phone: 714-646-7220

Online: instagram.com/thebakery.cafe