"El Diablo" at Tango is perhaps the finest chocolate concoction known to mankind.

It's a little far-flung, but I recommend the Fish Tale Brewpub in Olympia. Overall the place is nothing too wonderful, but it features the best dessert I've ever eaten in the United States: Esterhäzyschnitte. It's a "Hungarian layered hazelnut merengue cake, filled with rich melted chocolate whipped cream," and it's absolutely transcendent. A cursory Google search indicates that the Fish Tale may be the only restaurant serving such a delicacy for thousands of miles around.

Carmelita once had an incredible creme brulee - the best I ever had. But I think that was for Valentine's Day, it wasn't a regular item unfortunately. But the chocolate muck-muck is great too. Take her to Carmelita.

Macrina, of course. Duh.

Sadly it's probably out of season, but the strawberry shortcake at the Kingfish is insanely good.

I can absolutely guarantee at least one adamant concurrence from another Stranger staffer.

How about Gelatiamo at Third & Union? They have wondeful cakes and other fancy Italian treats!

Play it safe if in doubt and do Billetante on Broadway.

The Cake House on Weller Street or Piece of Cake (both in the ID) are awesome. Chinese cakes are like, oh, nine hundred billion times better than WASPy american cakes because they are lighter and much less sweet (but still sweet) and filled with fresh fruit if you want. The icing is light and whip creamy and that is the best thing you can get a fat little american brat!~

Oh crap! Chinese cakes are great, but I forgot about this guy in "tangletown"!
http://www.hiroki.us/
He's got all kinds of cakes and deserts, and this place is without a doubt, 100% sure, if you don't think so you have no taste or haven't actually been there , the sure-thing best desert place in Seattle. Not a question about it.
Gâteau Basque is the speciality, but the tiramisu is also great. Just about everything in their is superb.

Black Muddy River at B&O - Best with a Brit (From their drink menu).

Best dessert is definitely the Kingfish. That was a great recommendation.

If you are looking for a bakery, try Sweeet Lorraine in Magnolia, a good Jewish bakery.

Please avoid Dilletante on Broadway. It's okay, but definitely not special in any way in terms of atmosphere. It's more like a place to go after a movie, but not a birthday.

B&O is also great.

I also had some crazily good dessert at Restaurant Zoe in Belltown. Weird combinations that taste delicious.

there's that cake place next door to blue c sushi in fremont-- isn't it called just desserts? they make AMAZING cake-- the mexican chocolate is so rad. the white chocolate and raspberry is amazing too. i take out of town guests there.

for something non-cake, the El Diablo at Tango, like someone else said, is otherworldly. Seriously, I dream about it. Really.

Lovely vegan & organic delights at Flying Apron. Seriously, I'm not even vegan and I fucking love that stuff. Its located right downstairs of Cedars off Brooklyn and 50th in Udistrict

kingfish yep( red velvet and strawberry shortcake good and big ), b&o yep ( dang near any cake they make but their german chocolate cake is my favorite west of the miss. and their devil food cake got me laid TWICE.. serious )tango yep (the diablo is infrickinsane especially with a good cognac)macrina yep. but also worth a mention is sugar in west seattle( they can serious throw down pineapple upside down cake... hoo boy )and north hill bakery on 15th can getcha with grandma's chocolate and their lemon chiffon .. but if it's brulee your lookin for..campagne kills.. just frickin kills with their brulee trio which changes often , but often includes a earl grey brulee that slays and they got armagnac for the grown folks which makes you make THAT noise..knowhahmsayin ?
and i've done the research...

simply desserts in fremont, if you want a fucking awesome cake you take out. white chocolate strawberry = especially good.

I don't know anything about desserts, but that was probably the CUTEST blog entry I've ever read.

Coconut cream pie at Dahlia Lounge (also available at The Palace Kitchen).

I second the kudos about the white chocolate strawberry cake at simply desserts in fremont! YYYYYYUMMMMYYYYYY!

Well for old school Seattle bakery cake there is always borracchini's on Ranier.

as for an earlier suggestion...Sweet Lorraine in Magnolia closed about 2 years ago.... sad but true

Mistral in Belltown has a superb pastry chef. A little pricey perhaps, but the almond tart, rum chocolate cake and yes, creme brulee, are all worth it.

It closed? I'm so embarrassed. Obviously, I haven't had good cake in a while. Carry on..

If she's a coconut cream pie girl, order one ahead from Flying Fish near the market. It's for sure THE BEST PIE I've ever had. (Not the best ambience in there--take it home and light some candles.)

what about the Guinness and Baileys cake at Pies & Pints? that's some rich chocolatey goodness.

WHY THE FUCK WOULD ANYONE EVER GO ANYWHERE BUT B&O.

Just Desserts in Fremont is good but the a hours are iffy (having worked in the Lake Union Center building, I've been disappointed few times at the end of a short walk for sugar).

I assume that since the daughter wants a fancy-ish dessert, she probably would enjoy a fancier environment. Tango, the Dahlia Lounge, Cafe Campagne would be nice...

yup, like it's been said before, el diablo at tango is out of control amazing. it graced my lips 5 years ago and i now live far away, but i can remember exactly what it tastes like. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Columbia City Bakery chocolate cake with hazelnut filling. Or any of their other gorgeous and yummy offerings. They need 48 hours advance notice for special offers but there's usually something in the case you can take home pronto.

Boracchini's cakes are terrible by the standards of cheap sheet cakes, Costco is much better if you need cake for several dozen. I'm saying this as a life long resident of the Rainier Valley where kids were declining pieces at sports team banquets in the 1970s(kids who could eat endless Vince's pizza downed with 'graveyards' every soda mixed together), long before everybody became a foodie.