Coffee & Treats in Mercer Island

The ovens at Laura's Gourmet Bakery gild the edges of both traditional and gluten-free pastries. When sliced, coconut-ring cakes reveal an inner layer of chocolate, and red-velvet-cake sandwiches embrace mascarpone frosting. Gluten-free selections include cinnamon-raisin scones and caramel-pecan brownies. Cups of Victrola espresso or blended fruit smoothies complement the sweet flavors better than eating a spoonful of salt between bites.

From the vantage point of Sugar Rush Baking Company's lengthy dessert and coffee bar, visitors can catch a glimpse of the busy kitchen staff as they craft cakes, cookies, scones, and brownies throughout the day. This bakery team works with a dedication to homestyle techniques, decorating custom-layered cakes by hand and accentuating them with frosting flowers plucked fresh from the candy garden. The shop specializes in miniature cupcakes, and with more than two dozen signature flavors including chocolate cake with mint-buttercream frosting, the team has been forced to create an entire separate menu for the tiny candle cushions.

In an interview in the Stranger's Chow Bio, 3.14 Bakery owner Jessica Haury admits to being a math geek, which is why she pulled in that famous irrational number to represent her bakery's specialty: pie. Haury sees baking as therapeutic, asking "Who can feel bad when there's a homemade pie in the house?" With that in mind, she sells each freshly baked morsel hoping it can bring some good to someone’s day. The bakery’s seasonal menu captures the bounty of nature throughout the year with the flavors of cherry, rhubarb, or apple in the personal pies, pie pops, and single slices. The bakery doesn't stop at perfecting pie, the team also rolls cake balls and bakes seven-layer bars, cookies, and gooey cinnamon rolls perfect for sticking to coworkers' foreheads. Diners who wish to enjoy their goodies onsite can settle into a chair with a fork and a steamy cup of coffee on the side.

Lick Pure Creamery’s founder, Michael Avery, found his artisanal ice cream calling along the sun-drenched beaches of California. Doling out frozen cups of ice cream from a pushcart, he established a thriving business that he relocated to Seattle in June 2012. The gourmet ice-cream shop is now open inside the Zaw take-and-bake pizza shop on Pine Street in Capitol Hill, with plans to expand its frozen artistry throughout Seattle.

Lick's unique ice creams are made fresh daily from all-natural ingredients. Each variety is hand-crafted to create diverse flavor profiles that take sweet teeth on a culinary journey. Rejecting typical flavors such as chocolate or vanilla, Lick instead offers evocatively named concoctions such as Honey Bacon Buttermilk Cornbread, each crafted with intriguing mixtures of flavors. Avery and his staff also create special batches, including one infused with hand-smoked strawberries.