Cake is great. Cake is, and will always be, a classic dessert for birthdays and weddings. But, it is undeniably adorable when you shrink that cake into a cupcake. The individual-sized portion, the adorable rounded shape, and the dollop of sugary frosting on top – irresistible.

Vanilla Bake Shop in Santa Monica is similarly charming – the sweetly decorated boutique -bakery features a variety of classic and unique cupcakes ($3.25 each), and even makes teeny-tiny cupcake babies (3 for $5).

Each day of the week features a different assortment, from the now ubiquitous Red Velvet to Toasted Dark Chocolate Coconut to Meyer Lemon Raspberry. My personal fave? The Fudgy Brownie cupcake, available on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, you can find green holiday-themed cupcakes as well!

Vanilla Bake Shop is located at:

www.vanillabakeshop.com