Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery

Oh my gosh. So good! The perfect amount of cake. It seemed a little small, but then the richness hits you, and you’ll be thankful that it’s small. The ice cream on the side is a must! I don’t think it’s shareable though… or I wouldn’t be sharing. I got the peanut butter cup cake, and it was fabulous. It was my first time here, but I can’t wait to try something different next time. They all sound so good!

Come here to get your chocolate craving filled.
Hot Cakes has a real trendy vibe in a very casual, relaxed setting. You order at the counter and get your food relatively quickly (about 15 minutes).
We got the standard dark decadence, the cake was moist, soft and on the light side. Essentially just a vessel for the main attraction, THE CHOCOLATE. This is the kind of dish I imagine someone trying then yelling like that one Spongebob episode.
The molten chocolate filling was rich, velvety, but a heavily on the sweet side. The portion is big enough to share, I doubt mortal stomachs could handle anymore without getting sick from the amount of sugar. If you’re looking to get your chocolate fix, you’ve come to the right place.

Necessary dessert stop on any tour of Seattle. It’s a bit out of the way, especially if you’re limited to the light rail for travel, but is worth the walk.
Our friends ordered the Vanilla Milkshake, and my wife and I split the peanut butter cup molten cake. The seat outside near the firepit opened up allowed us some relaxes, quiet seating outside of the noisy inside.
The molten cake was serve on a beautiful wooden board, where the cake and ice cream are kept separate to not melt together. The molten cake was gluten free, and the ice cream vegan. We were in heaven. The perfect dessert stop.

Hot cake 5 star — f’ing good. Some carmel, salt and vanilla ice cream. Probably the best dessert in seattle.
Shake 2 star– 9 bucks for a milkshake, nah. It’s good. It’s like a mix of dark and milk chocolate.
Good service and late hours.

It was around 8:30p on a Sunday night and all the tables were full! But we placed our order and one table opened up just for us! Just a few minutes later our hot cakes came out. We’d opted for one PB and one S’more. The PB was definitely my favorite of the two. I wasn’t crazy about the S’more because it uses the smoked chocolate. Smoked chocolate sounded like a cool idea, but it just didn’t work for me. It became an overwhelming flavor in the dish, especially compared to the small amount of marshmallow that was happening.
But I loved the PB! The cake itself was barely there, simply a light and fluffy shell to hold the warm, ooey, gooey, deliciousness. I was happy to see that the molten inside wasn’t just PB, it was PB and dark chocolate. You also get a generous sized scoop of vanilla ice cream. Underneath which is hot fudge and chunks of a dense, chewy PB cookie!
This place was definitely delicious and worth the visit! I would love to return for more PB goodness and maybe to try a completely different treat as well!

To die for!
I don’t think I need to say more. While in Seattle, my friend raved about this place. And by the end of the night, I definitely had the hots for the cakes. Mhmm. Yes I made the joke.
I got the original. The cake was rich, decedent, and savory. My taste buds were feeling all of the goodness it had to offer. And paired with the simple vanilla ice cream, need I say more?
As for the location, it’s pretty open. Room for people watching, and/​or cozy-​ness if you’re looking for that ambiance feel. I especially liked the outdoor seating, expect it was a little too chilly for that. Overall, I recommend this place to anyone whose looking for a simple or filling dessert!

Super cute place to grab dessert/​coffee. They also have a small selection of beer, wine, and spiked drinks. Open seating.
Dark Decadence — Super small portion for the price. This is more of an individual size rather than for sharing. The cake was good, but the price just left a bad taste in my mouth. Not worth it.
Rhubarb Bread Pudding & Vanilla Ice Cream — This too was expensive, but I liked this a little more because you really can’t get rhubarb bread pudding anywhere so it was worth more. Not too wet or dry. Vanilla Ice Cream was a-​ok.

Love the idea of this place! It’s kinda like a café/​coffee shop where you come up to the counter and order. Then find seating and they bring you your order.
My friend and I ordered two molten cakes and coffee. Our orders came fast and in the cutest setup. The cake, was heavenly, decadent, rich and oh so good.
The prices are a bit steep but I think it’s more for the experience. I would recommend trying this place and eating the tummy chocolatey goodness!

Oh my god — if you have a sweet tooth and love cakes, this is your place!
I had ordered the peanut butter cup cake and and my husband had the s’mores cake. They make the cake in a small cup when you order it, so when it comes to your table it’s amazing. It also comes with a small scoop on ice cream on the side. The peanut butter cup was really rich so in terms of portion, the size of the cake they give you is a good size. My husband’s s’more came with a roasted piece of marshmallow that was on top of the cake, and a side of graham cracker.
I love their plate presentation (it’s like a small plank, with a spot for the cake cup and another spot for the ice cream). I love sustainable products so I appreciate that they use compostable products.
Would I come back here again? Yes, I would but it’s definitely a come here once in a while type of thing (price wise, these cakes are pretty expensive).

Last night was my first time at this new location. I was glad to see that there was no line out the door on a Thursday night, unlike the Ballard location.
Hello Robin is usually our place for dessert but they close at 10pm. I thought Hot Cake’s warm chocolate chip cookie (it’s topped with ice cream and caramel sauce) might fulfill the craving. And boy it did. It was delicious. Crispy edges and soft gooey center paired with more gooeyness from the caramel and with the ice cream on top it is just heaven on a plate.
We also got the bread pudding with rhubarb sauce I usually love bread pudding but this time I wasn’t that much of a fan. My bf really enjoyed it, though. I thought the rhubarb was too tart for me. The bread pudding was on the firmer side, just slightly sweet, with a nice crisp top.
They also have savory items on their menu, but. why would you?

I highly recommend this place for those that would love to gain some extra weight. With that being said, I doubt this is the place to regularly visit if you don’t want to be on the waiting list for health problems, but this is the place that you should check out at least once to see what hot cakes is about. It’s rich, chocolaty, and the sweet tooth will definitely appreciate.
We ordered the s’mores hot cake, thank god we decided to share between 3 people because I wouldn’t have finished it. Not that it wasn’t good, it was just a little too rich for my taste. I actually liked the vanilla ice cream that came sprinkled in toffee better than the cake. Shoot, I even liked the graham cracker more than the cake.
They do have espresso here so maybe it’ll still be a place for me to check out in the future because the atmosphere here is pretty cool. It’s clean and relaxing, the bathrooms were individual stalls that I can take my sweet time doing my business without being pressure to hurry up with a line. Hahaha.
Tell me about your experience if you’ve been here or is going to after reading this review:)

This is the ULTIMATE chocolate lovers place to be! Everything is rich, decadent, and seriously chocolaty!!! You seriously will fulfill your sweet tooth craving and even have some still in the crevices of your mouth.
This location is nice– spacious, lots of seating, and high ceilings. I ordered the PB cake and it was rich as a mother –beeeep – . Like butter x sugar x chocolate goodness. So this is definitely your cake spot if you seriously need a crapload of sugar. The cakes are moist, oozy, and quite tantalizing. I think the ice cream (i asked for coconut sorbet) was also a great addition. Very velvety and creamy, so so good. I could’ve eaten like a tub of that. But I think it doesnt help cut the richness of the hot cakes. The cook of my cake was good– had a great top, crusty but soft and the inside was thick but decadent at its finest.
Portions are tiny for the $ 10+ price. But are you really gonna make these hot cakes at home? I would attempt to then get too lazy and say eff it – i will go have someone else make it for me. It’s a brilliant concept, fun for dessert and girl chats and dates for sure.
They also have booooozy shakes (i have yet to try and am open to them) and a few other non chocolate cake items. Street parking and walking distance to and from lots of restaurants, bars, and places to see!

We resorted to this place for dessert because it was the only place open until midnight in the city. I was craving for ice cream but in the moment I couldn’t help but smell the aroma of their hot cakes right when we walked in.
They have such a huge menu (literally), posted on the wall behind the counter but is the actual size of the wall that your neck might get stiff if you are looking at it for too long. Lol. They mostly have desserts, coffee & tea, and some breakfast/​lunch items.
The hot cakes… Oh my gosh. My cake was so sweet & rich that I couldn’t finish it all even if I were hungry. There was a lot of dark chocolate inside of the hot cake, which was just a little overwhelming. However, the ice cream did balance it out a little. But that also came with a caramel sauce and eating it with the cake was just too much for me.
I am usually a sucker for sweets, especially dark chocolate but this was just too sweet for me. I would come back to this place, but I would just try something different.
The only downside is finding street parking, but if you are looking for something sweet then this will definitely be worth it!

Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery has two locations in Seattle; I hear the Capitol Hill one is not as good, but visited anyway since it was more convenient. This cute shop is family friendly and offers a variety of seating, including a cute fire pit outside! In addition to tasty cakes, and sweet treats, they also offer beer, wine and liquor.
— MOLTEN CAKE — 1.5 STARS: Very disappointing and overcooked in parts. This was cooked in a paper cup, and it was dry and the edges were near burnt and stuck to the cup.
— SMORES TART — 1.5 STARS: This looked much more delicious than it tasted — it was hard to eat, too sticky, and the crust and chocolate layer were super hard and not very good. What’s unique about this one is that there was a bit of smokiness to it, but I would definitely not order it again.

3.5
I know everyone goes absolutely bonkers for their hot cakes. But I’m just gonna put this out here before you continue reading, I’m not really a fan of it (don’t hurt me!). It’s extremely rich and chocolatey. The filling is dark and thick. My mouth almost felt glued together by the overwhelmingly thick chocolate filling, like I needed milk. I love chocolate, and I know this may be a chocolate lover’s dream. but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. And it’s small… don’t be deceived by all the pics you’ve seen.
BuuUuuUuuuUUuut! Hope is not lost. There are other things that makes this place a great go-​to for dessert. The location is central, the atmosphere is super cute, and every angle in the space is instagram worthy! Parking can be a bummer. But I will drive circles just to order their crème brûlée! It’s a vanilla custard crème brûlée. Smooth, creamy, and to die for. I hear angels sing when I crack the top layer and take a heaping spoonful. GET IT.

Really wanted to like it. Super cute, open till a little later than most places especially on Sundays, and a little fire pit for diy s’mores. I got the Butter beer (quite nice) and the Black and Tan molten cake. But the «lava» part of the lava cake was really Xanthan gum-​y. Just way too thick and not even that hot! They’re served in paper cups and when I got mine it was barely above lukewarm temp.
All in all, a massive disappointment. Perhaps the other items are tasty but I’d expect the hot cakes to be out of this world because, ya know, the name and everything. Try the butterbeer, though!

Came here after dinner with the girls. Ordered and shared the S’mores, Black&Tan (with vanilla instead of chocolate ice cream), and crème brûlée.
I had really high expectations for this place but it didn’t really deliver or maybe my expectations were just too high.
I cannot justify nearly $ 10 for a hot molten lava cake that is literally baked in a small paper (but recycled) cup in an oven (more like microwave) that looks like what Subway uses to toast their bread! They give you one small scoop of ice cream with the topping either caramel or stout caramel (depending on what you order) on the bottom instead of drizzled on top. I understand that the topping would just slide right off, but let’s go for the effort of presentation and more caramel!
The s’mores was okay. It is made with smokey chocolate chips, but it was a tad bit too smokey tasting for some of the girls. Especially at the bottom where all the chips and flavor seem to be.
The black & tan tasted better. A classic molten lava cake with vanilla ice cream but with the stout caramel to give it a twist from the classic a la mode. Honestly, I couldn’t really taste the difference between that and the regular caramel. They just didn’t give enough of the caramel!
The crème brûlée was totally forgettable. A thin lightly fired sugar crust atop a super soft almost liquid like crème brûlée. Among the 6 of us, we couldn’t even finish it!!! And I LOVE DESSERT!
Overall, I am glad I visited and tried the hype. Glad, I didn’t wait in a crazy line. Maybe I went to the wrong one? I should’ve gone to the other one? I dunno. What I do know is that one can make molten lava cake in their own home and eat as much of it as they want with as much the ice cream as they want and as much CARAMEL as they want!!! Over hyped. sorry! The workers are super nice though!!! Cute set up inside and pretty spacious! Maybe next time I’ll try one of their shakes instead… or anything else!

Am I in The City? $ 10 for one serving of dessert? Now I am definitely paying the Capitol Hill rent for this place.
I came in right at opening and this place was pretty empty. Nicely decorated and the hot cake was delicious. The serving size looked small and I wish they could be more generous with the portion, but it felt just right. I will be sure to come back to try more if I am in the area again.
I really like the space. It is ideal for solo diners, small, or large groups. Perfect study space in the early mornings when it is not overly crowded.
Two single stall bathrooms in the back that are clean. They have paper towels.
It is difficult to find free street parking in front of the store. There is a small paid lot two blocks away.

I’m giving this a 3.5. I would probably give it a 4 but it just seems a little expensive. What you get is definitely delicious so it’s a worthy occasional splurge.
I wanted to order so many things from the menu, including the chocolate sandwich but had to show some restraint in favor of both my waistline and wallet. I ordered the chocolate decadence which is a molten cake with ice cream. My husband and I planned to split it. The cashier told us it might be small to two people to share but we decided to take that chance.
We took a seat and waited for a few minutes while it was being made. Wow, it was delicious! Hot, fresh, wonderful! While it was rather small for two people it was also incredibly rich and I think it was perfect for us to share. We could have each eaten one but I think I would have felt sick after eating the entire thing myself (just because it’s so sweet/​rich).
It’s a really nice place to sit. It’s really clean and very modern and provides nice windows for people watching.
I would like to stop by again at some point and try one of their other unique desserts.

Some like it HOT!!!
And I definitely do! Who doesn’t like a warm chocolate chip cookie and ice cream? Or an ooey gooey dark decadence chocolate cake with über melty center? A cup of butter beer perhaps for all you HP fans! And that caramale one? Or the ice cream sammiches! You get the point, don’t you?
My first visit to their Ballard location was back in 2012– when they first opened. I believe it was day 2. It was May, it was cold-​ish! And molten lava cake was just what the doctor ordered :) I didn’t even mind waiting in line for it. I walked in, was greeted by the smell of melted butter. I tasted – The end! So glad they have a second location now!
When this place opened less than half a mile from my house, I squealed! And almost jump out of my car: D Well to be fair, I saw it on my way to dinner! Hot cakes already opened on the hill?! Shut the front door!!! And it was the opening night! Line was already huge at 7 pm! I mean come on! You can’t just wait in line, watch all the chocopocalypse go down and not taste it! Or wait forever. Just doesn’t work for me.
S’moress!
Sipping caramel with mescal!
Spiked butter beer – yummmm!
Milk and cookies!
Chocolate sammiches!
The list goes on! They are pretty penny with around $ 9.50 per cake! But you can get just the cake sans the ice cream for around $ 7! The lines move fast-​ish but still have a wait. But then again, all good things take time to make! Better bring your waiting pants on! Cause once you get your little paws on those molten cakes, boozy shakes and grilled sandwiches, you’ll be asking for s’mores!!!