Cakewalk Special: A Carrot Cake Caper in Seattle
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 
Easter may be over, but even if you've already devoured the last Cadbury Creme Egg, there’s no need to stomp on daffodils or snatch at flavorless jellybeans in a fit. Instead, hop along to the next sweet fix with our Carrot Cake Tour of Seattle, provided by our newest Cake Gumshoe, Seattle-based Kitty Cake. She bravely sampled, reported on, and (very skillfully!) photographed some of the best spots for Carrot Cake in the city. Here are her findings and thoughts:
CUPCAKE ROYALE Carrot Cupcake – This retro-cool cupcake clearly likes to party--and it’s easy to get the party started when wearing sweet cream cheese frosting, sugary sprinkles, and a hint of cinnamon.
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DECADENCE CUSTOM CAKES Classic Carrot Cake – Owner/Pastry Chef, Dan Mikosz doesn’t diss the common man. Sure, Dan’s love of quality ingredients and all things pretty has him in high demand by boutique hotels, lavish weddings, and special events; but he does not ignore the call of the wild cake child. Plan ahead at least 48 hours, and a moist-moist, poached-pear party, carrot abundant cake, topped with just-sweet-enough, creamy-creamy frosting and the most charming marzipan carrots you will ever meet, can be yours.
Ingredient notes: No raisins. Yes walnuts. Pear.
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HIROKI Carrot Cake with Coconut & Pineapple – We called to verify some of the ingredients in this treat, but the only thing the guy on the other end would reveal was that the raisins are specialty raisins and not available to the average consumer. Gee, thanks. Discover for yourself what’s in this super-secret recipe, which includes not-too-sweet, smooth coconut-covered cream cheese frosting, specialty raisins, fat shreds of carrot, chopped walnuts, and a subtle touch of pineapple – a super moist mystery.
Ingredient notes: Yes raisins. Yes walnuts. Pineapple and coconut.
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MACRINA BAKERY Old Fashioned Carrot Cake – Not afraid of confrontation, this venerable cake looks you straight in the eye and demands that you eat your vegetables (well, at least one). Toasted walnuts, tangy citrus cream cheese butter cream, and plenty of fresh carrots make us want to ask for more.
Ingredient notes: No raisins. Yes walnuts.
Availability / where to buy: Available frequently; call ahead to confirm. Various locations; online at macrinabakery.com.
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METROPOLITAN MARKET 4-inch Orange Almond Carrot Cake – You must be a fan of orange extract to enjoy this little treasure, as the sweet and creamy frosting is fragrant with orange, which is sold at Metropolitan Market but is baked by Montlake Mousse. The toasted almonds help cut the sweetness, making for a cake that we’re not certain we want to share.
Ingredient notes: No raisins. Yes almonds.
Ingredient Specifics: “Carrots, sugar, canola oil, cake flour, eggs, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, pure vanilla extract. Frosting: powdered sugar, cream cheese, unsalted butter, orange extract, almond extract, shaved almonds.”
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THE ESSENTIAL BAKING COMPANY Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwich – The sandwich may look ladylike, but our dear Spy was anything but dainty trying to keep this happily-spiced and well-carroted cookie sandwich intact (thanks to the firmness of the not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting center) as it was gobbled up in the driver’s seat of the car (looked too good to wait).
Ingredient notes: No raisins. No nuts.
Ingredient Specifics: Wheat four, carrots, butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, baking soda, cream cheese frosting (cream cheese, powdered sugar, sour cream, vanilla extract).
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TROPHY CUPCAKES Old Fashioned Carrot Walnut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – A parade of deliciousness that rivals any Easter candy leftovers. Cinnamon, nutmeg, golden raisins, and slightly tangy cream cheese frosting get this carrot cupcake a standing ovation.
Ingredient Notes: Yes raisins. Yes walnuts.
Availability / where to buy: Available Tues., Thurs., and Sat. at Trophy Cupcakes, 1815 N. 45th Street, Suite 209; online at trophycupcakes.com (new location coming soon too!).
- As for the important question of whether or not buying in bulk can be a beautiful thing, Kat votes YES when it comes to Costco's (4401 4th Ave. South) surprisingly delicious carrot cake, which serves 48 and is satisfyingly moist, filled with apricot mousse and topped generously with rich cream cheese frosting.
FLYING APRON BAKERY Carrot Muffin – Sitting smart in the Fremont Public Library, this carrot muffin knows what’s good for you. Like bunnies, these giant juicy raisins seem to multiply with each bite. Nuts and coconut add a great crunch/chew factor to a very moist muffin. Who knew being this good could feel so… well, good?
Ingredient notes: It’s the Big O! Organic, that is. Yes raisins. Yes walnuts. Coconut.
Ingredient Specifics: “fruit juice sweetened, organic brown rice flour, organic garbanzo bean flour, certified gluten free oats, organic coconut, organic walnuts, organic raisins, filtered water, concentrated pear, peach and pineapple juice, organic canola oil, pure vanilla extract, baking soda and sea salt”
Availability / where to buy: Available daily at Flying Apron Bakery, 3510 Fremont Ave N; online at flyingapron.net.
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LOUISA’S BAKERY AND CAFÉ Morning Glory Muffin - Good morning, Morning Glory! Louisa’s Bakery helps out Caffe Vita on occasion, so look for these delicious muffins when picking up your coffee.
Ingredient Notes: No raisins. Yes walnuts. Currants and pineapple.
Availability / where to buy: Available daily at Louisa's Bakery + Cafe, 2379 Eastlake Ave. E.; 206-325-0081.
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MACRINA BAKERY Morning Glory Muffin - Crazy moist and good for you.
Ingredient notes: Yes raisins. Yes walnuts. Apple, pineapple, coconut.
Availability / where to buy: Available daily. Various locations; online at macrinabakery.com.
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(Final Disclaimer: Secure your carrot cake by calling ahead to ensure that it exists [not in the existential kind of way, as this will leave you hungry, though perhaps philosophically satisfied.] Bakers sometimes enjoy playing with our emotions and don’t necessarily keep set daily menu selections.)
Of course, this is just a few of the fine establishments in the Emerald City offering our favorite orange-hued treat-- you have a favorite that is not listed above, please submit it and--please--share the details of its goodness.
Reader Comments (21)
Oh Jessie, Jessie, Jessie....how you make a Bear jealous. I would love to try any AND all of those, they look truly tremendous.
Ahem...Starry Nights Catering in Kirkland makes carrot cake to die for. Ask Dan Mikosz...he used to work for us, you know. :)
Denise, Starry Nights Catering
Oh man all mighty am I hungry now! For Carrot Cake anyway. ~Kelly
http://www.deniablydomestic.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow">unDeniably Domestic
well now...i am not a big carrot cake fan and i never would have thought of costco but...apricot mousse, you say? i'll have to look into this.
I am so about carrot cake...my little girl was born the day before Easter..so you know what I did for the cake? Carrot Cake..how can you not....but I don't need an excuse to make it..plus its good for you with all those carrots..I have to have good eye sight when looking for the next slice of cake!
YUM! Just posted about a carrot cake I made with whiskey praline filling and orange cream cheese frosting, and now I want to grab more carrot cake! I am curious if Kate had a favorite?
Great list, but what about Hello, Cupcake's Carrot Cupcake? Lots of to-die-for cream cheese frosting and moist cake topped with a tiny sugar carrot...no rasins, no walnuts, LOTS of awesome.
I've had the Morning GLory Muffins from Macrina at my local "Java Bean" coffeehouse, and I have to say, they're just incredible. Oh, and they're also vegan!
To those who were curious, I asked for favorites and this is what she said:
Cupcake = Trophy
Muffin = Flying Apron
Cake = This is a tough call, as they are all so different and have differing availability. Quick fix as most frequently in stock: Hiroki; Time to spare: Decadence; Lucky Strike: Macrina
Even this hardline chocolate lover adores carrot cake! Some of those options sound just fantastic (and so creative)!
that does it. i'm moving to seattle.
Thanks for the great info. My question is: How does the Trophy cupcake not have walnuts if walnut is in the title?
Bri: Good catch. I'll have to ask Kitty, maybe it was more ground into the cake batter so they weren't as discernable. I made the change though!
I really love the idea of carrot cake without raisins - I think they're unnecessary when carrot cake is so good on its own!
Phewf, what a list!! Carrot cake madness! I like the look of the Hiroki one! Specialty raisins even, lol! Even the idea of nuts in a carrot cake gives me a hive. Nuts to nuts in carrot cake!
I love carrot cake with walnuts! Raisins I can take or leave, but nuts are a must!! (Sorry Lyndsay!)
Wow, they all look delicious, but that cookie is especially intriguing!!
How funny! I actually have 3 carrot cake orders in next month! It seems to be a cake that is making a comeback...thank goodness. BTW that is my nickname..carrot cake
I feel like I can taste the Macrina Bakery's carrot cake....it looks so moist and delicious!!!
I love that this review notes whether the cake has raisins or not! I am a raisin hater on a mission to avoid all raisins in desserts, muffins, etc. and it is harder than you might think!!!
Carrot cake is my all time favorite and so few really do it well.
Looks like there is a plethora doing some interesting things in Seattle and we'll have to pay more attention on our next trip.
I hope you take time to bake up some cupcakes and participate in the Virtual Cupcake Crawl.
For details: www.kitchenrap.blogspot.com It's all about the fun!
Elaine