It鈥檚 been estimated that as many as 50 per cent of Canadians have at least a mild insensitivity to gluten. Upwards of 30,000 people in the Comox Valley, then, should be happy to know that a 100 per cent gluten-free bakery has just opened in Cumberland.

Sillycakes Gluten-Free Bakery has already managed to attract a devoted following. These followers include more than 500 fans of its Facebook page, where owner Sarah Vallintine regularly posts her daily selection of baked goods and fans can pre-order their gluten-free goodies.

鈥淭here are a lot of us in the Valley who can鈥檛 eat gluten, and many more who are experimenting with a gluten-free diet,鈥� says Vallintine. 鈥淏ut just because you can鈥檛 eat wheat doesn't mean you don鈥檛 deserve great baked goods.鈥�

While timing has certainly been a factor in Sillycakes鈥� quick success, the true ingredient seems to be the sheer quality of its offerings. In a category overrun with dry bread and tasteless cookies, Sillycakes Bakery has somehow found a way to create gluten-free baked goods that are every bit as moist and delicious as their wheat-filled counterparts.

鈥淚 was given one of her chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream icing and it was absolutely phenomenal,鈥� says Jason Waters, who it should be noted has no aversion to gluten and doesn鈥檛 necessarily avoid wheat. 鈥淕luten-free or not, those things are yummy!鈥�

A quick glance of Sillycakes鈥� Facebook page reveals similar comments, such as 鈥淏est gluten-free cake ever鈥� and 鈥淚 would never know they were gluten-free.鈥�

Vallintine likes to recall a recent email from a customer describing how head-over-heels her father was for one of her homestyle apple pies. When told it was gluten-free, he replied, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 gluten-free?鈥�

For celiacs, who can鈥檛 process gluten, and others avoiding wheat in their diets, it all sounds too good to be true. So what鈥檚 the secret?

鈥淚f I gave you my recipes they wouldn鈥檛 be a secret now, would they?鈥� remarks Vallintine coyly.

Vallintine, who was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2003 and has been experimenting with gluten-free baking for a decade, will only say that she鈥檚 created her own special blend of gluten-free flours.

鈥淚 actually wrestled with the idea of not calling Sillycakes a gluten-free bakery for risk of turning off people who don鈥檛 eat gluten-free,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檝e had so many people, many of whom eat wheat, say that my cakes and cupcakes are the best they鈥檝e ever had.鈥�

Sillycakes Bakery does custom orders for gluten-free cakes, scones, bagels and more. Order at www.sillycakes.ca, call 250-703-3175 or stop by the bakery for a daily selection of fresh-baked breads and treats.

It's located at 2699 Dunsmuir Ave., inside Carmie鈥檚 Caf茅.