Colorful, delicate and sweet—what’s not to like about a cupcake? These cute little bites o’ sugar first became en vogue (outside of the children’s birthday party set) back when Carrie, Samantha et al. scarfed them down during the “Sex and the City” days, and their popularity shows no sign of waning. Bakeries around town have been pushing the boat out lately with increasingly innovative flavors and techniques. So the next time you want to wow your friends, pick up a dozen or so of these cool, creative cakelets at one of our recommended spots below.

Sweet Secrets

This adorable spot on Graham Street is like a breath of fresh air amidst a busy local food market full of frenetic people in business suits on their way to SoHo. The tender colors of the shop as well as the delicacy of its pastries give the place an exclusive, straight-out-of-a-fairy-tale feel. One of Sweet Secrets’ all-time classics is the Strawberry n’ Cream cupcake. The super-moist base is the result of a fine-tuned baking process that uses strawberry puree, and the baby pink topping of strawberry buttercream is full of the flavors of the original fruit. Sweet Secrets’ brand-new Apple Caramella has real apple pieces enclosed in the base, paired with a hint of exotic cinnamon. Sweet Secrets also offers boxes of super-cute mini cupcakes, which can be ordered to spell out a greeting or message.
G/F, 35 Graham St., Central, 2545-8886

Coco

For pastries that pay as much attention to their design as to their taste, paying a visit to Coco at the Mira is a must. Pastry Chef Jean-Marc Gaucher’s creations range from the Asian-inspired matcha-azuki cupcake, with black sesame, red bean and matcha green tea cream, to the Caribbean-influenced banana flambe with Jamaican rum and caramel white chocolate cream. Perfect for the summer heat are the poppy-citrus, a vanilla and poppy seed combo with fresh lemon curd and white chocolate cream, and the bright red mango velvet, which has mango jelly cubes embedded inside the pastry.
G/F, Lobby, The Mira Hong Kong, 118 Nathan Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2315-5566

Antique Patisserie

Started in 2005 by two sisters who felt the need for a high-quality pastry shop located outside of the major hotels, Antique Patisserie is a boutique bakery newly relocated from its former haunt on Lyndhurst Terrace to the quaint and artsy Gough Street area. A white painted glass door opens the way to a warm interior filled with dark brown furniture and a bronze chandelier. The handmade cupcakes have to be ordered in advance to ensure the freshest products. You can choose your own combination of base and frosting to match the occasion, and a variety of choices is available, including toppings flavored with Baileys, orange elderflower, gooseberry, blackcurrant and more. Among the regular cupcakes are the less-common lemon meringue and banana caramel varieties.
G/F, Shop C, 2 Mee Lun St., Central, 2542-2816

Sift

A popular destination for dessert fanatics, Sift offers an amazing array of cupcakes that stick to a classic recipe: a soft and light base contrasted with a rich cream topping. We love all their chocolate variations, including chocolate banana, chocolate raspberry, hazelnut chocolate crunch, luscious chocolate, s’mores, mocha, oreo, peanut butter chocolate chip, salty caramel chocolate and vanilla chocolate. There are also the more exotic cinnamon-spiked carrot cupcakes, supplemented with Madagascar bourbon and topped with a classic vanilla cream cheese frosting. For a safer bet, opt for the Snowball cupcake in original dark Valrhona chocolate, topped with shaved coconut and coconut cream frosting.
G/F, Dominion Centre, 49-53 Queens Rd. East, Wan Chai, 2528-0084

Cream Thumbs

With the cupcake’s enduring popularity, a number of savvy home cooks have started successful enterprises, providing tasty treats to friends, family and, eventually, business clients. We spoke to two cupcake gurus who’ve been steadily building an enviable reputation with their delicious homemade treats.