Gongdeok café for apple churros financiers: Fluffy Bake Shop

When Hamin and I go out together on weekends, we usually eat first and then stop by a café, but this time we switched up the order. Café first, food afterward.

While looking for a good café around Gongdeok Station, Fluffy Bake Shop caught my eye. I searched it up and found that it specializes in baked treats, with everything from madeleines and financiers to canelés. Honestly, the note about using Lescure AOP butter was unfamiliar to me, but apparently the quality of madeleines and financiers really comes down to the butter. Hamin loves baked treats too, and I love the coffee-and-dessert combination, so we went straight there on Saturday morning :)

Fluffy Bake Shop location and parking

Come out of Exit 2 at Gongdeok Station and keep walking to the right. It is just a 2–3 minute walk, so it is really convenient by public transport :) If you are driving, you get one hour of parking support at the Gongdeok SK Leaders View Complex 2 parking lot.

We went on Saturday morning, and there were plenty of seats, so we got in straight away with no wait 👍 Saturday hours only run until 4:30 PM, though, so make sure to check the time if you are planning an afternoon visit!

A cozy shop with warm wood tones

I could tell what kind of place it was just from the exterior.

The clean, unfussy sign and a single madeleine-shaped logo gave off a clear “this place knows baked treats” feeling.

As soon as you walk in, a gentle scent of freshly baked butter fills the air, and it really was such a pleasant smell 😍

Inside, the wood-tone interior and warm lighting create a cozy atmosphere. Little plant decorations here and there make it charming but still tidy. It looks like a takeaway-focused shop, but there are tables where you can sit and eat, and it seemed nice for quietly enjoying it like a café on your own too. The second Hamin walked in, he said, “Dad, this place is pretty,” haha.

Baked-goods selection and prices

The baked treats are neatly arranged by type in the display case: 16 kinds of madeleine, 9 financiers, and 3 canelés. At around ₩3,000–₩3,600 each, it was easy to try several different kinds without feeling burdened.

Gift packaging options

Gift wrapping is available too. There are lots of options, from four-slot pulp lunch boxes to six-slot and 15-slot shopping-bag boxes, so they would be perfect for thank-you gifts or anniversary presents. Popular items can sell out quickly from Saturday morning, so I recommend going early!

Trying six baked treats

These are the six things we chose.

• Walnut caramel financier
• Apple churros financier
• Espresso pecan madeleine
• Vanilla canelé
• Plain madeleine
• Egg tart

They wrapped each one individually, so we brought them home and had dessert time with coffee ☕

Walnut caramel financier

A sweet, rich caramel aroma hit my nose first. The flavor of Lescure butter formed the base, with walnuts on top, so every bite had layers of nuttiness. The caramel was not overly sweet and felt perfectly balanced with the butter; it went so well with an Americano.

Apple churros financier

The name was so unusual that this was the one I was looking forward to most. There was a cinnamon aroma and a gentle apple-jam note, plus a crisp churro-like part that made the texture fun. It felt lighter than a regular financier, and Hamin reached for this one first too, haha.

Espresso pecan madeleine

I sincerely recommend this to coffee lovers. It is filled with espresso jam in the middle, so one bite releases a bold, pleasantly bitter coffee aroma. The crunchy pecans add texture, making the flavor rich rather than one-dimensional. It was my first time getting such an intense coffee flavor from a madeleine 😳

Vanilla canelé

Crisp outside and chewy inside. It has that signature canelé texture, crisp on the outside and soft within, and the gentle vanilla scent gives it a clean yet refined flavor. There was also one topped with cacao nibs, and I need to try that next time.

Plain madeleine

This was Hamin’s pick, haha. It has a smile stamped into it, so it looks like something kids would love, and it is the most classic option, letting the butter flavor come through exactly as it is. The other items have rather elaborate fillings or sauces, so this one actually showed off the butter’s pure flavor best.

Egg tart

This was something I ordered without huge expectations. But wow, it was genuinely surprising. The tart shell was so crisp that even the sound of the first bite was different. The egg filling was smooth without being too sweet, and I found myself thinking, “Oh, this place is good at egg tarts too?” If you come to this Gongdeok Station café, definitely pick up an egg tart 👍

Pros and a few things to note

• Pro: Lescure AOP butter makes a noticeable difference in quality
• Pro: A wide variety of madeleines, financiers, and canelés
• Pro: You can try several kinds affordably at around ₩3,000 each
• Pro: Plenty of gift-packaging options
• Note: Saturday and Sunday closing time is 4:30 PM, so afternoon visitors may find items sold out
• Note: Popular items sometimes sell out by Saturday morning

I recommend it to anyone looking for a good café around Gongdeok Station, a premium baked-goods gift, or a dessert outing with their child :)

One-line verdict: egg tarts and canelés I still remember

At first, I thought it was simply a great madeleine shop, but then the egg tart surprised me once and the canelé surprised me again. Saying they use Lescure butter does not mean much just in words, but when you actually eat it, the flavor itself feels different. It finishes nutty rather than heavy or greasy.

Hamin enjoyed both the plain madeleine and apple churros financier too :) “If you are looking for a good café near Gongdeok Station, I recommend this place, which does everything from baked treats to egg tarts.”

Taste: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) · Price/value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) · Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5) · Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

100% willing to revisit. Next time, I am going with plenty of time before closing and plan to try every kind of madeleine, haha.