Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery Opens Today In Seattle

Autumn Martin has wowed us with her unique and innovative confections, forward thinking flavor combinations, and the all-around deliciousness of her sweet treats. Today, she takes her creativity one step further with the opening of Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery, an 1,800 square-foot bricks and mortar dessert shop and wholesale production headquarters.

Located in Seattle's historic Ballard neighborhood at 5427 Ballard Avenue NW, the dessert shop is a hybrid between classic soda fountain shop and dessert cafe. The dessert shop seats about 26 guests, including six coveted counter spots. Guests order from the counter and then grab a seat or take treats to go.

Martin has taken dessert to a whole new level, focusing her shop concept on the tried and true dessert that gave Hot Cakes its name - Molten Chocolate Cake. Martin has had much success selling her take-and-bake molten cakes in mason jars and decided to create a place where molten cakes are baked to order and toppings are abundant!

Martin is serving high quality, organic comfort desserts and confections, plus a few savory items in addition to the cookies, pocket pies, and molten chocolate cake that have earned her a devoted following.

Opening menu items include:
- Molten Chocolate Cakes for $6 (dark decadence and vegan dark chocolate) and a special s'mores molten chocolate cake for $8 plus a selection of toppings for $1(whipped cream, nib toffee, double chocolate or peanut butter cookie crumbles, and rhubarb jam)
- Ice Cream (chocolate or vanilla) with one topping for $4 or two for $5
- Milkshakes for $5.25 (salted caramel, dark chocolate, malted vanilla, sweet cream, and blackberry lavender) - and boozy milkshakes for $10 - think smoked chocolate chips, smoked cocoa power, chocolate ice cream, and Laphroaig scotch
- Creme Brulee with a side of rhubarb jam for $6
- Grilled Chocolate Sandwich with salted caramel dipping sauce for $6
- Salted Pretzel for $6 with two dipping sauces (salted caramel, chocolate, peanut butter milk chocolate, and jam)
- Pocket Pies for $5 (apple cardamom ginger, cherry fig fennel, potato au gratin, veggie pot pie, and eggs benedict on the weekends)
- Salted Caramel Cinnamon Rolls for $3.50
- Josephines for $3 (plain, bacon, and rhubarb-lemon balm)
- Cookies for $3 (s'mores, bacon oatmeal raisin, double chocolate, salted peanut butter, and chocolate chip)
- Northwest Cake for $3.75 per slice or $30 whole
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Beecher's Flagship and gruyere for $8 or with blue cheese, sauteed dates, and cured ham for $10
- Broccoli Salad for $6
- Pickled Vegetables for $5
- Homemade Chips for $5

Drink options include: Espresso from Blue Star Coffee Roasters located in Twisp, Washington. Martin and Blue Star owner, Dan Donohue, worked together at Theo Chocolate where he was the cocoa roaster. The dessert shop is the first place in Seattle to serve his coffee. Tea, sipping caramel, sipping chocolate, kombucha, bottled beer, and selective cocktails are all available.

There is also a retail area at the front of the shop where patrons can purchase Molten Chocolate Cakes to take and bake, Hot Cakes' line of organic Salted Caramel sauces, bags of chocolate covered espresso beans, homemade Tootsie Rolls, salted butter toffee, and bags of smoked chocolate chips.

While still at Theo, Martin set out to capture a favorite childhood flavor profile and began experimenting with smoking chocolate. Today, you can find the result of that creative experimentation in her s'mores cookies and milkshakes featuring her alder-smoked chocolate chips.

Born and raised in Washington, Martin spends much of her time in the outdoors enjoying the bea