Daegu vegan bakery for a baby's 600-day fruit cake: The Sunsu Bread

Picking up a low-sugar fruit cake at The Sunsu Bread on my father's memorial day

I reserved the low-sugar fruit cake from The Sunsu Bread (더순수브레드) on Naver ahead of time and picked it up at the shop in Chimsan-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu. The pickup day happened to be my father's memorial day, and the weather that morning was unusually clear and lovely.

I didn't plan it that way. I just got a good chance to try a sugar-free, low-carb cake, and the date landed on his memorial day. Well, there's no rule that cake is only for birthdays, and I thought it would be lovely to share it with the whole family, so off I went to collect the cake I'd reserved.

It's not in my neighborhood, but I pass this street fairly often, so I'd seen this vegan bakery in Chimsan-dong, Buk-gu, many times: The Sunsu Bread.

What kind of vegan bakery is The Sunsu Bread?

The Sunsu Bread says it uses no eggs, butter, dairy, white flour, white sugar, artificial coloring or animal-based ingredients at all. Every morning it bakes with domestic rice flour, Korean wheat, natural sourdough starter and plant-based ingredients in their natural state. When I asked an acquaintance, she said it's a well-known neighborhood bakery in Chimsan-dong, Buk-gu.

I'd never paid attention to vegan bakeries, but since becoming a parent I've developed an interest in this kind of thing I never had before. So I thought this was a great chance to taste and experience vegan bread.

Sugar-free low-carb cake vs. vegan gluten-free cake: what's the difference?

The Sunsu Bread's cakes come in two lines: non-vegan sugar-free, low-carb cakes and vegan gluten-free cakes. Besides vegan baked goods, the shop also sells all kinds of other desserts: Greek yogurt, açaí bowls, frozen yogurt, bagels, bingsu (shaved ice), coffee and other drinks.

Sugar-free low-carb cake (non-vegan) — the one I tried

• No wheat flour, no rice flour, no sugar
• Sweetened with erythritol derived from nature, they say
• Said to be a cake anyone, of any age, can enjoy without worrying about blood sugar or dieting
• Varieties: low-sugar fruit cake, black sesame cake, cream cheese carrot cake
• The fruit on top of the low-sugar fruit cake may change from time to time

Vegan gluten-free cake

• Made with rice flour and oat cream, no eggs or milk, they say
• Said to be a vegan cake that people with egg or milk allergies can enjoy comfortably
• Varieties: vegan fruit cake, vegan biscuit fruit cake

The non-vegan and vegan cakes each have their own character, so it's best to look at the differences carefully and choose the style that suits you!

What to know when choosing bread at The Sunsu Bread

The display shelves at The Sunsu Bread mix vegan and non-vegan products, so read the product descriptions carefully before buying. Day-old bread is also sold at 30% off, so that's a cheaper way to try it.

Besides the wide range of breads, they were also selling spoon cakes, dujjonku (Dubai-style chewy cookies), oat milk, fruit juice and more.

Apart from the non-vegan dujjonku, white chocolate cookies and rice castella, most of the bakery items on display were vegan. Since this was my first vegan bakery, I asked the owner to recommend bread a 20-month-old could eat, and from the few options I also bought the vegan Kongkongi rice bread (콩콩이 쌀빵), the one I was most curious about, and picked it up along with the low-sugar fruit cake.

Cake and bread carefully wrapped, and off I went home~

Vegan Kongkongi rice bread: taste and price (₩7,300)

The Sunsu Bread's vegan Kongkongi rice bread costs ₩7,300 and is a vegan loaf made with white rice plus chickpeas, green peas and kidney beans. Maybe because it's vegan, it's definitely much pricier than ordinary sandwich bread, but I bought it with the thought that I could feed it to my child with confidence, so it didn't feel like a waste at all.

When I tried it first, it was chewy, and the sweet beans were so good. My husband and I both enjoyed it so much. My child liked the bread part but refused the beans, probably not used to them yet, so I ended up eating everything she turned down. Yum~~

This is the vegetable bread the owner gave us as a freebie. Chewy bread with a mild, plain flavor, a bit like a vegetable steamed bun without the strong seasoning? My husband's reaction was a flat no, but personally I thought, oh! It's mild and tasty!

The low-sugar fruit cake becomes my baby's 600-day cake

The low-sugar fruit cake was originally meant for the family at my father's memorial service, but I couldn't bring it along, so it became my child's 600-day cake the next day (two weeks late, but still).

Isn't the cake box so pretty? I love pastel colors, so colorful and cute~

When I took the cake out, it was topped with plenty of fruit and wrapped so prettily. By the way, they don't just put any fruit on the low-sugar fruit cake; they say they avoid overly sweet fruit.

The fruit can change, so it may differ next time you buy, but my low-sugar fruit cake this time was packed with gold kiwi, Shine Muscat grapes and blueberries. They're all fruits I love, so I was very happy.

When did my baby grow up so much that 600 days have already flown by?? Between the chaos of parenting I can't celebrate and look after every milestone on time like I used to, but this time I was so happy to celebrate with such a lovely cake 💕

I usually try not to feed her grown-up food, but I thought, well, a little cream is fine, so I dabbed a tiny bit on and let her taste it, and her eyes went wide. Before we even ate, the baby's taste review was a pass, it seems.

Is the sugar-free, low-carb cake actually good?

The Sunsu Bread's low-sugar fruit cake had very smooth, moist cream, and the sponge was soft enough too, so it was tastier than I expected. I'd been so, so curious what a sugar-free, low-carb cake would taste like, and finally I got to eat it. As I excitedly peeled off the wrapping, I could feel how soft the cream was, and it smelled so good.

Cutting the cake with a knife, it was just so soft~ And the surprise was the fruit packed into every layer!! Gold kiwi everywhere.

I excitedly started with the cream on the outside and ?????? wow, what is this??? It's so good????? I couldn't help being surprised by how much better it was than I expected. It's not that slippery, odd cream flavor; it's very smooth and moist cream, and the taste is like a less sweet Horang Maru (a walnut cake)? The cream alone gets top marks. So delicious.

Then I took a bite of the cake itself, and wow.????? There's no wheat flour, rice flour or sugar and it can still taste like a cake?? The sponge felt a bit more rustic than regular cake, but not bothersome at all, soft enough, and the flavor itself was in no way lacking. So delicious!!!!!!

While my husband watched the baby, I sat there alone, marveling and eating like crazy... and then my husband dug in afterward and enjoyed it so much. We kept 2 slices for neighbors and friends, and the two of us finished the rest that very day........ Yum⭐

Why I recommend The Sunsu Bread's low-sugar cake if you're watching blood sugar or dieting

The Sunsu Bread's sugar-free, low-carb cake was a dessert that my pre-diabetic husband and I, a lifelong dieter, could eat together without worry. My husband is slim, but he's pre-diabetic, so I worry even about desserts, yet this time I really could let him eat without a care. I think he relaxed and enjoyed it too.

For me, a lifelong dieter, the sugar-free, low-carb cake is a lovable dessert with a huge advantage. For people who really manage their blood sugar or diet, even eating one dessert is stressful, so a cake that takes that worry away, and tastes so, so good too, is something I recommend everyone try at least once. A truly sincere recommendation⭐