Places To Eat In Orange County: Haute Cakes Caffe, Newport

One of the highlights of Sunday’s road trip to Newport Beach was Sunday morning brunch at Haute Cakes Caffe. It came highly recommended by friends and readers, and it was lovely to have a massive (Los Angeles is not really into ‘American’ portion sizes, so this is actually the first time since Lake Taho in 2011 I’ve been presented with such a massive plate of food) Sunday morning brunch; something I don’t do enough in Southern Californa and I used to do practically every single weekend while I was living in London.

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While I was tempted by the many different varieties of pancake on the menu, when my food arrived I was so glad I decided to go for the Brioche French Toast served with a tonne of berries and lashings of delicious syrup which I also dipped a side of bacon in. I love how properly cooked bacon in solid strips you can pick up and dip in syrup here in America is what we would call burnt and ruined in Europe! Anyway, shocking as it is I managed to eat basically the whole delicious thing, except maybe I think half a slice of French Toast.

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Nicole opted for a half plate of a Mexican Scramble and half plate of Oven Roasted Potatoes served with a Gluten-Free English Muffin and lots of fruit. I tried a bit of everything, and it was all simply divine. I wish I had much more time for more road trips to Newport to try quite a bit more of their brunch menu, let alone lunch.

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As he could see were taking lots of photos of the food and our surroundings for our blogs, the owner was kind enough to offer us a little something each from their baked goods cabinate so we could get a taste of that aspect of Haute Cakes Caffe, too. He asked us if we had any special requirements  Nicole noted she was Gluten-Free and was presented with this absolutely delicious Gluten-Free Granola Bar, and I said I’d eat practically anything. (I honestly can’t think of a cake I won’t eat!)

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I was brought one of these amazing looking Coconut Cloud Cupcakes which I had actually been eying up while I was waiting to place my brunch order. Not only was it brought to the table on a pretty little cake stand, when I finally had enough space in my stomach to fit it in on the car ride back to Los Angeles that evening I discovered that it was absolutely delicious. The cupcake sponge was more like angel or chiffon cake; much lighter than expected as was the frosting, which was lovely and coconut creamy but with more of the texture of spray can cream than American frosting. Topped off with one of my personal baking favourites, sweetened shredded coconut (I keep a jar of it in my kitchen cupboard and top basically every bowl of oatmeal I make with a generous sprinkling of the stuff) it made for the perfect cupcake. 

Where did you brunch over the weekend? My next Sunday brunch will probably be with Kathryn when she arrives here in LA at The Tasting Kitchen on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, because I feel it would be a crime if I did not go back there for at least one more meal before I move back to England! 

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