1.17.09: Baked Good of the Day: Carolina's Cornetto from Tutta Bella Pizza

Our discovery of Carolina's Cornetto was a chance encounter. Waiting at the bar until our table was ready, the barista had accidentally cracked the shell in which this dessert is served, and so gave the damaged one to us for free. Score!

This treat is apparently new on Tutta Bella's roster--it's a rework of the cannoli that used to be on their menu, according to our server. Basically, the shell has changed and the composition has been altered: it's an Italian pizzelle cookie cone filled with a blend of mascarpone, sweet ricotta cream, dried cherries, grated orange peel, pistachios & chocolate.

Once we finished dinner we also got the Tiramisu and the Cantucccci ("little stones")--a
Trio of traditional Italian cookies similar to biscotti--and both of these desserts were certainly respectable, but it was the Cornetto that really stood out to us. Not only was it a sweet (and free) surprise, but it was a perfect size (just a couple of bites) and the contrast of textures and flavors -- crunchy and creamy, slightly sour and sweet--was memorable.

Carolina's Cornetto, Tutta Bella Pizza.

1.16.09: Baked Good of the Day: Cherry Cobbler Bar from Louisa's Cafe Bakery

All I can say is, whoa. How had I never been to this place before?

Well, it's all about the location. Louisa's Cafe Bakery is on Eastlake Avenue East, and to a car-less person who doesn't enjoy any bike ride with even the slightest hint of an incline, this is kind of like no-man's land. But I had seen their cute logo while riding on the bus, and today I finally made it inside.

Louisa's is a cafe / breakfast and lunch spot, but they also have an extremely respectable bakery case, will all sorts of cookies, cinnamon rolls, mazurkas (!) and brownies and bars. Generally cherry isn't my go-to flavor, but the top crust on the cherry cobbler bar looked too good to pass up. At $3.75 it was an investment, but it weighed about the same as a hardbound copy of War & Peace, so I found it fair.

Even as a liker-rather-than-lover of cherry flavored baked goods, I recognized that this was good stuff. The bar held its shape nicely--no unbecoming ooze here. The cherries were not too sweet, but rather slightly sour, which provided a nice complexity to the flavor. But what really got me was the buttery top and bottom crust--slightly crunchy, with a touch of saltiness and a nice coating of coarse sugar on the top, it was simply wonderful. This bodes well for the rest of their baked goods--next time I'm definitely going for the cinnamon roll.

Cherry Cobbler Bar, from Louisa's Cafe Bakery.

1.15.09: Baked Good of the Day: Raspberry-Almond Tart from Svedala Bakery

Last week, I ventured down to the Pike Place Market with the goal of checking out new bakery Svedala Bakery. It's a small stall in the same corridor as Daily Dozen Donut Co., specializing in Swedish pastries none of us had ever even heard of, but wanted to try, such as Mandelfläta (cardamom yeast bread with almond paste), Mazarin (almond tarts) and Dröm Rulle (chocolate sponge cake rolled with vanilla buttercream). You can imagine my horror as I approached at about 9:30 in the morning and they weren't open yet. Seriously, it should be a law that all bakeries open by at least 6 in the morning--or ideally, they'd be open 24 hours.

But reading that their goods were also sold at Whole Foods, today I ventured over to the Westlake location and picked up one of their very pretty Katalan--a Mazarin with a layer of raspberry jam.

Dude, this thing was good. Starting from the bottom, you've got a delicate, buttery crust that wasn't too flaky but was deliciously crumbly and moist; a very thin layer of raspberry then gives way to a thick filling of sweet almond paste, which was all topped off with a sort of raspberry jam icing. It's not a very large pastry--maybe 3 inches in diameter--but it certainly packs a decadent and delicious punch.

Katalan from Svedala Bakery, via Whole Foods Westlake.

1.14.09: Baked Good of the Day: Cookies by Little Rae's Bakery

Little Rae's has been garnering quite a bit of press for their First Family cookies--and deservedly so, in my opinion--I think they're very well-designed. But are Little Rae's cookies delicious?

I haven't tried the Obama cookies, but I was very impressed by their same-flavor-but-different-shape Alien cookie, which I picked up on a trip to Cafe Bambino in Ballard. I was pleasantly surprised by their subtle flavor and satisfying texture--a touch of crunchiness from the hard icing on the outside, giving way to a soft, just-a-touch crumbly interior. Of course, it didn't hurt to later find out that the bakery is committed to using fresh and natural ingredients--no hard to pronounce ingredients in these cookies. Also, they happen to be one of the few completely nut-free bakeries in the area, if allergies are an issue.

Little Rae's Bakery is a wholesale bakery; their products can be easily found at Metropolitan Market locations and at coffee shops throughout the city.

1.13.09: Baked Good of the Day: Carrot Cake at Mr. Spot's Chai House

Confession: we'd never even been to Mr. Spot's Chai House until this week. But after a disappointing trip to Cupcake Royale (disappointing because they were out of cupcakes for the day!), we decided to give the Chai House a try. And we found a most gorgeous-looking carrot cake there.

Happily, this carrot cake was delicious as well: exceedingly dense and moist, with fluffy frosting an inch thick all around. Oh yes. Many of the baked goods in their case were not made in-house (Top Pot Doughnuts, etc), so we don't know if the cake was made on the premises (the employee wasn't sure), but regardless of its origins, we're happy to have come across this fine specimen of carrot cake.

Carrot Cake, found at Mr. Spot's Chai House.

1.12.09: Baked Good of the Day: The White Chocolate Macadamia Brownie by Finale's Gourmet Desserts

In general I'm not a huge fan of Tully's Coffee, but I have a weakness for the bar cookies made by one of their vendors, Seattle wholesaler Finale's Gourmet Desserts. And one of my favorites is their White Chocolate Macadamia brownie.

Now, the name "brownie" is somewhat misleading, because it really is more cookie-like, comprised of Macadamia nut shortbread with white chocolate and caramel in-between. But names aside, it's ridiculously rich, and exceedingly addictive, what with its crunchy top layer, soft midsection and perfect balance of sweet-and-salty; I still don't care much for Tully's coffee, but I will travel for these bars.

White Chocolate Macadamia brownie by Finale's Gourmet Desserts; they can be found at various Tully's locations throughout the city.

1.9.09: Baked Good of the Day: Caramel Turtle Brownie from Macrina Bakery, Seattle

I don't know about you, but I don't care for light, cakey brownies--for me, the denser, fudgier, and heavier, the better.

Macrina's Caramel turtle brownies are my kind of brownie. Weighing roughly the same amount as a brick, they're so dense, moist, and fudgy that it's almost impossible to finish the entire thing in one sitting. Almost.

While I generally don't think that toppings or flavorings are necessary with brownies, the caramel-nut combo is a nice complement: the caramel is smooth and slightly salty, providing a nice subtle counter-flavor to the chocolate; the pecans give it a nice added texture.

Of course, after eating one of these brownies you might have to just sit down and rest for a while, but oh, are they worth it.

The Caramel Turtle Brownie is $3.50 at Macrina Bakery.

1.8.09: Baked Good of the Day: Galette des Rois at Le Panier, Seattle

Christmas may be over, but the Epiphany brought on a whole new season of cakes and goodies, starting with the tres-Frenchie galette des rois. After several attempts to locate one in Seattle (no luck at Belle Epicurean or Le Fournil), I finally found it at Le Panier in the Pike Place Market; and this one was certainly worth the wait.

The galette des rois, while part of the same family tree as the New Orleans King Cake, is not the same--as baking expert Dorie Greenspan so eloquently put it,

"The galette is really very simple, if a little time-consuming to make--it's an almond and pastry-cream filling sandwiched by two rounds of (all-butter) puff pastry dough--but so, so good."

Like the King Cake, one of the most important aspects of the galette des rois is the prized porcelain figurine to be found hidden in one of the slices. Luckily enough, I arrived at Le Panier to receive the piece with the little "feve".

But prizes aside, this cake is definitely a treat--while it doesn't have the same visual appeal as a frosted cake, it's buttery, flaky, and rich enough to more than make up for it. Or as they say in French, le yum.

Galette des rois, available for a limited time only at Le Panier.

1.7.09: Baked Good of the Day: Chocolate Tart from Le Fournil

Initially, I headed over to Le Fournil hoping for a galette des rois, the traditional French cake served on the Epiphany and for several days after. Alas, not a galette was to be found at this traditional French bakery, but it wasn't a complete wash--I picked up one of their gorgeous-looking chocolate tarts.

The chocolate tart (or, if you're feeling Frenchy, the tarte au chocolat) is comprised of a brebaked sweet pastry shell filled with the most divinely rich chocolate ganache--this stuff is so dense and decadent that it will leave teeth-or-tine marks when broken apart--just like the inside of a decidedly rich truffle. I'd like to say it's suitable for sharing, but I know that personally, I'd rather not, instead opting to eat this in lieu of dinner. How could it be wrong when it feels so right?

The Tarte au chocolat is available at Le Fournil.

1.6.09: Baked Good of the Day: Pink Feather Boa Doughnut from Top Pot, Seattle

Top Pot Doughnuts can be a polarizing subject for Seattleites, but I am definitely a fan of their doughnuts, especially the Pink Feather Boa Variety.

The Feather Boa is a dense cake doughnut which is available with pink (vanilla?) or chocolate icing, topped with a generous handful of coconut shreds. It's a happy doughnut to look at, and with a lovely three-part sensation as you bite into it (crunchy coconut, soft frosting, dense cake), a happy one to eat as well.

The Feather Boa, available at all Top Pot locations; for more info, visit toppotdoughnuts.com.