When I parked just down the street from the two-story, olive-green house where Georgetown’s Deep Sea Sugar and Salt bakery is located, it was 10 minutes before the shop opened, and there was already a line. I was lucky number 13 in line. To be fair, there isn’t always a line here, but for some it can be a bit jarring. I wasn’t waiting long before a person behind me asked, “Um, is there a special or something?”
Nope. No special. Just glorious cakes in all their multilayered beauty. I’ve seen owner Charlie Dunmire graciously address the line in her Instagram stories. It’s simple, really. In order to keep their staff as safe as possible in the tiny interior, you order cake from the window, one person at a time. Yes, even if you have a preorder or special order or just need a gift card.
A highlight on the shop’s Instagram page reads, “There is no space for multiple lines. There is one line for everyone. No one person is more important than another person.”
Honestly, the line goes quickly and, better yet, there’s cake at the end. Slices like the heavenly Chocolate Blackout, a chocolate cake with chocolate pudding, chocolate cream frosting and chocolate ganache (!!), and the dreamy Lemon Cream, with lemon curd and mascarpone cream alternating between layers of ricotta olive oil cake, topped with lemon cream cheese frosting.
There is a solid list of signature flavors plus two seasonal options, available in slice form, as a cupcake or as a whole cake. Available flavors are written on a white board and erased as they sell out. All slices are $8 and vary in size as some flavors are three thick layers while others are up to 12 delicately thin, almost crepelike layers.
If you’re planning on going before the end of February, don’t miss the Grapefruit Olive Oil cake. It has six gorgeous layers of grapefruit juice-soaked ricotta olive oil cake, tart grapefruit curd and sweet mascarpone cream separating each layer. A tangy cream cheese frosting runs around the top and side. It’s the perfect blend of bitter and sweet. Maybe you’re not a grapefruit fan? Go for the other February seasonal, the Pink Champagne with a Champagne soak and raspberry jam filling on a pink Champagne cake.
Deep Sea Sugar and Salt: noon-5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday; 6601 Carleton Ave. S., Seattle; 206-588-1186; deepseasugarandsalt.com
If you’re not too keen to wait in a line (although I promise, there isn’t always one here!), there are two other spots to satisfy any sweet tooth just a few blocks away.
Noon-5 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday; 6322 Sixth Ave. S., Seattle; 206-763-1151; cakesofparadisebakery.com
If you’re after cake with bit more tropical flair, head to Cakes of Paradise Bakery. I cannot guarantee there will not be a line here — the guy who boxed up my cake said they’re pretty much always busy. I consider it pure chance that when I went on a Tuesday afternoon, it was only me and one other customer in the shop (who emphatically told me not to leave without a slice of Chantilly Cake). The gleaming cases are filled with doughnuts, cookies, whole cakes and slices in a rainbow of bright colors.
The Chantilly Cake ($5.95/slice) — with layers of rich, buttery chantilly icing sandwiching two layers of chocolate cake — is a solid choice for chocolate lovers. However, the Guava Cake ($5.75/slice) is what truly stole my heart with its unbelievably moist strawberry cake spackled with whipped cream and electric pink guava filling. It looks like the cake of my 8-year-old Lisa Frank-loving dreams and it tastes just as wonderful; fruity and not too sweet.
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday; 5805 Airport Way S., Seattle; 206-485-7266; lowridercookiecompany.com
Located in the Georgetown Trailer Park in a Silver Streak trailer, you can get cookies at Lowrider on the weekends (for weekday cookie cravings, head to their Central District shop). The cookies aren’t exceptionally large — you probably couldn’t balance one atop your morning coffee cup — but one bite explains why you don’t need a saucer-sized cookie. Lowrider cookies are dense and almost fudgy, but balanced with a sprinkle of salt as to not hit you over the head with sweetness. Unable to choose just one or even three, I picked up a half dozen ($13.75) plus a special stuffed cookie.
The two most popular flavors are brown butter triple chocolate chunk and birthday cake — both are exceptional. There’s a double chocolate topped with sprinkles that has a wonderfully deep cocoa flavor, but my favorite was the limited run cookie, made with local Spinnaker dark chocolate chunks, almonds and bits of toffee, a sprinkling of sea salt atop each one. It’s got great texture — the guy working the counter called it a “grown-up cookie” — but my kid loved it just the same.
The stuffed cookie ($4.75) was a hockey puck of delight. It’s a funfetti cookie stuffed with a mound of chocolate cake similar in texture to a cake pop, topped with chocolate and sprinkles. Share it with a friend, or split it in half, saving some for later.
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