Welcome to the final 2016 Coffee Spot Awards shortlist of the day, the “Best Cake” Award, won in 2015 by Mr Wolfe. Despite what it says on the tag line, the Coffee Spot’s not all about the coffee. After all, what would a cup of coffee be without a decent slice of cake to go with it? So, cake plays a major part in the Coffee Spot and this Award celebrates the Coffee Spots which excel in the cake department.

This is another of my favourite Awards and while I didn’t visit that many dedicate cake spots, I was nonetheless treated to some absolutely fantastic cake along the way, proving that, like good coffee, the more you look, the more good cake you find.

You can see the shortlist after the gallery.

There are 15 Coffee Spots on the shortlist this year, all listed in order of publication.

Sweetleaf Williamsburg

It was at the Williamsburg branch at the wonderful Sweatleaf that I discovered the magnificence that is doughnut holes. Particularly cinnamon ones. The doughnut hole is an excellent invention: bite-sized, sweet, full of doughnut goodness, plus, being a hole, it has no calories whatsoever. Obviously. Sweetleaf roasts all its own coffee, by the way and the Williamsburg branch is lovely.

Exploding Bakery

Part bakery, part coffee shop, the Exploding Bakery in Exeter bakes some amazing cakes, which, unsurprisingly, are available for enjoy with your coffee. Even better, you can sit there and watch them being baked. How wonderful is that? The Exploding Bakery is also shortlisted for the Best Coffee Shop near a Railway Station and the Smallest Coffee Spot Awards.

Iris & June

Iris & June brings amazing coffee to the area around Victoria Station. And cakes too. I had a slice of the awesome apple and blackberry pie, which came with the offer of cream. A crunchy, sweet pastry case held a generous filling: rich, fruity and bursting with blackberries. Iris & June is also shortlisted for the Best Neighbourhood Coffee Spot and Best Coffee Shop near a Railway Station Awards.

Playground Coffee

Bristol’s Playground Coffee has many excellent qualities, including its varied cast of roasters (and now there’s gin too). However, I was struck by the slice of millionaires’ shortbread I had, the perfect accompaniment to my coffee. Playground Coffee is also shortlisted for the Happiest Staff Award.

The Cow & Co Cafe

Liverpool‘s The Cow & Co Cafe started life as a design shop which slowly morphed into speciality coffee shop. It still retains its roots as a design store, but it was the cake that caught my attention. I was spoilt for choice, eventually selecting the orange & cranberry cake. The Cow & Co Cafe is also shortlisted for the Most Unlikely Place to find a Coffee Spot Award.

Under Pressure Espresso

Under Pressure Espresso has an amazing selection of cakes. I nearly had the pecan slice, but in the end the Scandinavian chocolate bun won out, a rich, chewy dough, liberally sprinkled with dark chocolate. Oh, and I had the last slice of the cinnamon streusel (a cinnamon-swirled cake with an immensely rich, coffee cream icing. Coffee Under Pressure is also shortlisted for the Most Unlikely Place to find a Coffee Spot Award and Coffee Spot Special Award.

Intelligentsia, Jackson Boulevard

I have very fond memories of Chicago’s Intelligentsia, particularly the branch on Jackson Boulevard where I had a lovely morning bun, a delightful concoction of light pastry dough, topped with crunchy sugar. Intelligentsia is also shortlisted for the Coffee Spot Special Award.

Kin

Kin, in London’s Fitzrovia, has many commendable features, not least its awesome selection of cakes. I was treated to a slice of the pear and apple cake. This consists of two layers of rich, lemon-flavoured cake, separated by a layer of apples, with a layer of pears baked into the bottom of the cake. It’s then served pear-side up. I found it lovely and fruity, while the cake was good enough to eat on its own. I probably should have stolen the recipe.

Filter + Fox

Liverpool’s Filter + Fox is coffee shop by day and cocktail bar by night, where I had an awesome slice of red velvet and custard cream cake. Filter + Fox is also shortlisted for the Best Lighting and Best Physical Space Awards.

Bakesmiths

Another coffee shop, bakery, Bristol‘s Bakesmiths is the coffee shop wing of much-loved Cakesmiths, whose cakes share space with those baked on the premises. Need I say more? Bakesmiths is also shortlisted for the Best Breakfast Award.

Crosstown Doughnuts

Crosstown Doughnuts is a legend in its own lifetime. Now it has a coffee shop in Soho. With doughnuts. What more could you want? More doughnuts? Well, Crosstown has those too. The coffee’s excellent too. Crosstown is also shortlisted for the Smallest Coffee Spot Award.

Democratic Coffee Bar

I went all the way to Copenhagen and all I had was a great time, some excellent coffee (all roasted in-house) and a most excellent almond croissant, still warm from the oven courtesy of Democratic Coffee Bar. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better example of its kind.

The Espresso Library

The Espresso Library in Cambridge served me a slice of sticky date and coconut cake. This was nothing short of excellent, like a (cold) sticky toffee pudding cake, but without the custard. The Espresso Library is also shortlisted for the Coffee Spot Special Award.

La Colombe, Blagden Alley

I’m rounding things off with two entries from America. For some reason, American coffee shops tend to have different types/styles of cakes. At La Colombe in Blagden Alley, Washington DC, I had Monkey Bread for the first time. Made from lovely, soft bread, cinnamon sugar and with the occasional nut, it was neither too sweet nor sticky, coming apart in bite-sized chunks in my hands. La Colombe is also shortlisted for the Best Physical Space Award.

Ultimo Coffee, Newbold

Philadelphia’s Ultimo Coffee served me a slice of the raspberry crumble. This is a tray bake, with a pastry base and sides which are covered with raspberry jam and topped with crumble, rather like a crumble version of a Bakewell Tart. It was simultaneously really sweet, crunchy and tasty. I enjoyed it so much that I may have to work out how to make it myself!

A special mention also needs to go to the following:

Coffee & Fandisha, which served me a lovely cranberry drizzle cake
Double Knot, where I had both the coffee cake and a lemon bar
The Speciality Coffee Shop, which has an awesome homemade Bakewell Tart
ManCoCo, where I had the Chocolate Rollo Brownie

And the winner is The Espresso Library
Runners-up: Bakesmiths and Crosstown Doughnuts

Don’t forget to check out the other 19 Coffee Spot Awards for 2016.

---

If you liked this post, please let me know by clicking the “Like” button. If you have a WordPress account and you don’t mind everyone knowing that you liked this post, you can use the “Like this” button right at the bottom instead. [bawlu_buttons]
Don’t forget that you can share this post with your friends using the buttons below.