Where Was Hallmark’s ‘The Sweetest Heart’ Filmed? Can You Visit the Cupcake Shop?

Crown Media Chris McNally, Julie Gonzalo

In 2018, Hallmark premiered a new spring movie, The Sweetest Heart, based on a book called Heart’s Desire. The book was part of a series about the fictional town of Indian Lake. But the movie wasn’t filmed in La Porte, Michigan, which was the inspiration for the Indian Lake book series. The movie is about Maddie, who is trying to save her cupcake shop and may need to turn to her ex, Nate, for help. Read on to learn all about where this movie was actually filmed and how you can visit the cupcake shop in person.

The Sweetest Heart (earlier called “Heart’s Desire”) was filmed in British Columbia, Canada, mostly in Langley. The cupcake shop featured in the movie was filmed at Frosting Cupcakery & Bake Shop on Fraser Highway in Langley, according to WhatsFilming.ca and the Cupcakery’s Facebook page.

Here are some reports from fans while the movie was filming in late January:

What's Filming

@WhatsFilming · Follow

@danielle_1703 Thank you very much! That’s the Hallmark movie The Sweetest Heart #BellLetsTalk

1:46 pm · 31 Jan 2018

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By the way: Just one look at Frosting Cupcakery’s creations and you’ll likely want to visit in person. Here is just a “taste”:

And here’s what the inside of the shop looks like. Appear familiar? You can host your own private party there if you want.

This is Chris McNally’s debut as a lead in a Hallmark movie. Chris McNally told TrunkSpace that he started out commuting from Vancouver to Langley for filming. But that was about a 45 minute drive and just too long since most of the filming was in Langley. So for weeks two and three he just ended up staying in town. Julie Gonzalo was also staying in Langley, so that really helped with the filming.

He told TV Goodness that while they were filming the last scene in the movie, the location almost felt haunted. “That scene seemed to be haunted when we were shooting it. We kept getting interrupted. Someone set a fire across the street and the police came and we had to wait for them to clear it. Lights were also shutting on and off. Aside from all that, it was my favorite to shoot.”

The movie is based on the book Heart’s Desire by Catherine Lanigan. You can see the author talking about the movie in the video below. Lanigan is starting her 50th book, and she planned to host a party celebrating the movie’s debut, The News Dispatch reported. “This is about as big as it gets as far I’m concerned. The Hallmark Channel is the No. 1 watched cable network on Saturday nights.” Although the movie is filmed in Langley, Lanigan’s book is part of a nine-book series about Indian Lake. And Indian Lake, she said, is based on La Porte. “My hope is that we do many more shows about Indian Lake for Hallmark.”

The movie references buttermilk maple cupcakes. If you’ve ever wanted to try them, Hallmark has a recipe here.

Here’s a synopsis from Hallmark about the move. “Maddie is doing everything she can to save her cupcake business. With the help of a handsome investment banker, Maddie’s luck begins to turn around in all aspects of her life. However, when her first love Nate unexpectedly returns home after 14 years, she will have to choose between a new romance and the man she never stopped loving.”