BEST BIRTHDAY CAKES
Sure, you can get a birthday, graduation or retirement cake at Costco and feed a crowd, but a step up in price is worth it to get a taste of these irresistible cakes
Affordable and Elegant: Both the coconut cake and the carrot cake at Whole Foods are our top picks for quality cakes without the sticker shock. (8-inch cake for $27, serves 10–12.)
More Bang for Your Buck: Macrina’s Mom’s Chocolate Cake has that retro-elegance that’s perfect for a dinner party. (25-inch cake for $60, serves 20–25.)
Completely Splurge-worthy: Iska Pallis of Cake is garnering raves for her winsome flavor combinations—try the orange blueberry, with layers of moist orange cake, white chocolate Bavarian mousse, orange curd and organic blueberries. ($60, serves 8–10.)
HEY THERE, CUPCAKE!
Cupcake parlors are sprouting up all over town, tempting us with little cakes topped with billowy frostings in the creamiest, dreamiest of flavors. But when a craving hits, we make a beeline for Trophy, which creams the competition by baking their beauties every hour!
Chocolate mint cupcake at Trophy ($2.99)
Many chocolate cakes disappoint with underwhelming flavor, but not these dark beauties. Each cupcake is topped with creamy mint buttercream flecked with chocolate sprinkles and adorned with a green mint wafer.
Chocolate graham cracker with toasted marshmallow at Trophy ($3.50)
Chai Cardamom cupcake at Trophy ($2.99)
Imbued with an exotic, subtly spicy, cinnamony flavor, these cupcakes are a delicious departure from your standard vanilla or chocolate combo.
The Hummingbird cupcake at Trophy ($2.99)
Made with coconut, banana and pineapple and adorned with a lavish portion of tangy cream cheese frosting, this little hummer wins points for its tender crumb and moist texture.
Red velvet cupcake at Trophy ($2.99)
This classic Southern favorite is a slightly tangy, moist, cocoa-flavored cake with a generous swoop of cream cheese frosting.
Mocha cupcake with coffee butter cream at Hello Cupcake ($1.95)
The dark chocolate cake portion of this cupcake is tasty, but it’s the pronounced espresso flavor in the decadent icing that makes this treat sensational.
SWEET STACK: A BAKER'S DOZEN OF SEATTLE'S TASTIEST COOKIES
Best Nut Cookie: Brutti ma buoni at Café Juanita
Brutti ma buoni translates roughly to “ugly but yummy,” but these staples, served on cookie plates ($8 for a cookie assortment including this one) aren’t even all that ugly. They are dense and bumpy with fragrant Holmquist orchard hazelnuts, but also a little bit chewy.
Best Madeleine: Chocolate madeleines at Lark
Whether a madeleine is a cookie or a cake might be a matter of debate, but there is little doubt as to the happiest way to eat them: chocolaty and straight from the oven ($8/order of 20).
Best Butter Cookie: Scottish oat cake at Macrina Bakery
It takes a good bakery to make a cookie as plain as this ($1.10) so delicious. The diamond-shaped crisp is thin, flaky and just right for tea.
Best Texture in a Cookie: Chocolate macaroon at Honoré
With a perfect meringue-like chewy texture and a deep, oozing chocolate ganache filling, this Ballard newcomer’s soft chocolate macaroons ($1.75) have already earned “best in Seattle” status.
Best Crumble: Russian tea cookie at Café Besalu
Fragility is strength in a Russian tea cookie ($1.35), and these are so tender they practically quiver. They collapse in your mouth into an airy cloud of confectioner’s sugar and buttery pecans.
Best Tea Cookie: Black sesame tea cookie at Fresh Flours
This buttery cookie (75 cents) is an ideal dipping shortbread—not too sweet and almost effervescent with tiny, nutty-tasting black seeds.
Best Morning Cookie: Cornmeal cherry cookie at Seattle Art Museum’s Taste Restaurant
Best Over-the-Top Cookie: The Redmond crisp at Pomegranate Bistro
2. Campagne
It's adjacent to Pike Place Market. It's an up-scale seafood diner and the prices are greater than an average diner. If you're searching for a place to grab an impressive bite near Pike Place Market, I do recommend here!
2319 East Madison Street Seattle, WA 98112
