This Toronto Black-owned bakery went viral for its plantain cake. Here’s what’s next

A viral cake slice has taken TikTok by storm, leading to sold-out mornings and plenty of opinions online. And the Caribbean-inspired Toronto bakery behind it is still taking it all in.

Butter and Spice, a small bakery operating out of a single-door fridge inside Little Portugal’s Death in Venice Gelato, has become a recognizable name almost overnight thanks to its brown butter plantain cake. The dense slice is reminiscent of banana bread, layered with brown butter frosting and topped with caramel-coated plantain chips for a little crunch.

Inspired by the Caribbean-forward energy of the annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival, the gourmet creation has been at the centre of social media reviews and “come with me” videos since the summer, drawing crowds from all over the Greater Toronto Area eager to get their hands on a slice.

But with widespread virality, criticism came just as quickly. Some online commenters were quick to label the creation overhyped, a reality owner Marchelle McKenzie says can come with the territory of putting yourself and your business out there.

“I would say in the beginning it was very tough,” McKenzie told Now Toronto in her kitchen workspace, explaining that social media critics don’t always see the everyday sacrifices and work that go into running the business. That includes the 4 a.m. wake-up calls, filming content to promote the bakery and the staff working behind the scenes to bring the treats to life.

“I know what I stand for, and one of my things is that I want to make food that I want to eat, but I also want to create a space that is where people who look like me want to come and eat food that they’re familiar with.”

Finding her way back to Caribbean flavours

McKenzie, a Jamaican-descended baker, has built her passion for food through years of travelling around the world and working firsthand in Michelin-starred kitchens.

But even as her travels have taken her across the globe, she keeps finding herself drawn back to the flavours she knows best.

“I’ve always been like, ‘I don’t want to be a Jamaican bakery. I don’t want to do this.’ But now that I am getting older, I am realizing that there is such a need for nostalgic food in a traditional way,” she explained.

Her cake slices are part of a weekly rotating menu, with the plantain brown butter cake and salted caramel carrot cake now permanent fixtures thanks to their popularity.

But there’s more to Butter and Spice than its two fan favourites. Other treats that don’t always get the same attention include banana pudding, cuppa cakes, brownies and McKenzie’s personal favourite: brown butter cinnamon buns.

Customers can also typically snag a tub of cake scraps, made up of the leftover pieces from perfectly squared slices — a sweet deal for anyone who doesn’t mind their cake coming without the picture-perfect presentation.

Going viral comes with growing pains

McKenzie’s signature “it is soooo good” tagline has become familiar to viewers of her TikTok videos, where she showcases the bakery’s rotating weekly treats. Those videos have helped bring locals through the door, with Butter and Spice regularly selling out by noon.

She credits social media with playing a major role in getting the business in front of new customers.

“I think it has changed in a way that I wasn’t anticipating it as much. It has brought so much business in,” she said.

But the sudden attention also exposed gaps in the business she hadn’t previously considered. As demand grew, emails went unanswered, direct messages were unintentionally overlooked, and the workload became increasingly stressful as she took on much of the responsibility herself.

McKenzie laughs that she initially thought this was simply how entrepreneurship was supposed to work, particularly as the eldest daughter of immigrant parents. But the wave of popularity was humbling and ultimately pushed her to recognize where she needed support.

“One thing about being an entrepreneur that I’ve learned is that you have to know how to delegate and know how to ask for help,” she explained. “When I was in the thick of being viral, it wasn’t always easy to be like, ‘Okay, I have to take a beat.’ Saying ‘Hey, I actually need help in this area’ is not something that I am good at, but I had to get good at it because it wasn’t slowing down.”

What’s next for Butter and Spice?

McKenzie’s beloved treats are heading northwest for a pop-up at RD’s Southern BBQ in Brampton on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 4 p.m. until close.

And for those who can’t make it to the pop-up, there’s more to look forward to in the coming weeks. With the holiday season approaching, McKenzie is working on bringing one of Jamaica’s favourite traditional Christmas drinks into cake form.

“We are working on a different kind of sorrel cake. I’m not going to give you too much, but it’s going to be absolutely delicious,” she teased.