Hot Cakes, Ballard WA

I stopped by opening week having a few hours to kill before dinner on Capitol Hill.  I know that Hot Cakes has had a presence at a few markets in Seattle, but have never had the opportunity to sample their sweet offerings.

First off, I have to admit to being an ultimate consumer of purveyors of sweets.  I love sweets and in my next lifetime I would like to be a pastry chef.

Hot Cakes in Ballard is a gem.  My family and I enjoyed a few minutes sitting, watching and enjoying everything this sweet spot had to offer.

The space is rustic and offers a few tables and chairs to provide you with instant gratification of their delicious treats.

As I ate, I savored the flavors and textures worthy of the "Oh Wow!" stamp.  I would expect nothing less from Autumn Martin, an accomplished pastry chef and chocolatier extrodinare.

Anything you order is going to be fantastic.  I especially enjoyed my chocolate chip cookie (their cookies just came out of the oven at four in the afternoon) and a sip of my son's chocolate milkshake.  My husband enjoyed their signature molten chocolate cake, rich with a delicious taste of really good chocolate.  We later enjoyed a cinamon cardamom hand held pie (fantastic).

If you're looking for something sweet, head to Hot Cakes.

In The Kitchen: The Cupcake Gallery

Cupcakes seem to be the perfect size for just a little sweetness.  Being that you get more than just a bite, but less than a slice it's almost justifyable to have one.

Cupcakes have evolved over the years, and their ingredients getting more and more fancy and creative.  Long gone are the days of boxed mixes and plastic jar frosting in my kitchen at least.  Today, my cupcakes are made with organic butter, free range chicken eggs and flavorings from beyond the pastry world.

Here are a few creations that I've made.  Recipes found online or adapated.

Chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting

Lavender cupcake filled with lemon curd, lavender cream cheese frosting

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcake with Hazelnut Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Ted Allen's In My Kitchen

Pineapple upside-down cupcake with pineapple buttercream frosting
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Cardamom cupcake filled with Blue Cottage's Ginger-Peach Jam
with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting

Vanilla cupcake with Nutella frosting
Recipe adapted by A Cupcake Story

Red velvet cupcake topped with cream cheese frosting
Adapted from Ina Garten

Out and About: momofuku milk bar @ Madison Square Eats

by Miranda Xsavier, almostFitToEat east coast correspondent

I'm working today and for my lunch break and I took advantage of the warm weather and went to Madison Square Park for Madison Square Eats.  It's their MONTH LONG food fest which is like the Bite of Seattle.

Right now in NYC the weather is perfect - a warm 80% (but we won't talk about the humidity) but I do miss the milder Seattle weather.  At the food fest I visited momofuku milk bar.

image from milkbarstore.com

momofuku milk bar is a NYC bakery and more.  There really isn't anything in Seattle that I can compare it to.  I got a slice of Crack Pie and heard good reviews. It's a pretty small slice for 5 bucks. The crust is an oatmeal cookie crust. The filling is chewy and reminds me of my moms filling for the braso de mercedes dessert. It's very sweet. It's ok. Would I get it again? Maybe if it were fresh from the oven (this was from an ice box) since it was at a food fest.

photo by miranda xsavier
e. coast correspondent, www.almostFitToEat.com

I also got their Compost Cookie. Which was ok too. Chewy and has butterscotch chips. It's alright.

photo by miranda xsavier
e. coast correspondent, www.almostFitToEat.com

I think their best item is their cereal milk which is a soft served ice cream that resembles the flavor of cereal nectar - the flavored milk that tastes oh so good.  Here it has cereal on the outside like a mix of Cap'n Crunch and I think salted Frosted Flakes. Though it's small it's definitely satisfying.

photo by miranda xsavier
e. coast correspondent, www.almostFitToEat.com

On your next trip to NYC, visit momofuku milk bar.

Read My Mind - Molly Moon's Booking Signing Party

Molly Moon's new cookbook is out!  She recently hosted a book signing party - complete with entertainment and lots of ice cream.  We got there right at 8pm, but by 9pm the place was packed.  Lots of food, drinks and of course, ice cream complete with make-your-own sundae toppings galore.

Molly Moon, the queen of ice cream, has really made her mark here in Seattle.  She currently has five locations and a roving ice cream truck.  For eastsiders, you'll find the truck at various markets (see schedule once the markets open).  Using locally sourced ingredients she creates flavors you can't buy at your grocery store.  My favorite is honey lavender.  The scout mint and Stumptown coffee flavors are popular in our household.

Support local business!  Have a scoop (or two) of Molly Moon's ice cream.
You can read more about her in the Seattle Times.