The Blushing Bakeshop, Charlotte

The Blushing Bakeshop's first location opened in Washington DC in 2006. Riding a tide of good reviews and buttercream, the bakers soon expanded to Charlotte. The secret to success, as one might expect, lies within their recipes. They make more than 80 flavors of cupcakes, using premium ingredients such as Valrhona cocoa powder, pure Madagascar bourbon vanilla, and European sweet cream butter. More basic ingredients such as milk, eggs, and produce come from local providers to ensure freshness. They remain equally stringent with the ingredients put into their larger cakes; they favor a swiss meringue buttercream frosting that's light and less sweet than traditional frostings, and only using heavy fondant for accent decorations and emergency tire patches. They modify their recipes to suit their customers needs as well, preparing sugar-free, vegan, eggless, and gluten-free versions of many of their treats.