Polkadot Cupcake Shop, Fair Lawn

The bakers at Polkadot Cupcake Shop crown their signature red-velvet confections with swirls of icing when they aren’t busy developing adventurous new cupcakes. When the desire for innovation strikes, though, they stir batter infused with the flavors of cinnamon and french toast and top the tiny cakes with sweet maple cream cheese. Cocktail-inspired inventions include a chocolate cupcake steeped in Guinness with irish-cream frosting. Bakers also pull full-size cakes from the oven’s rippling warmth and festoon them with swirls of frosting, fondant, and birthday wishes. To ensure cakes stay pristine, staff members deliver orders to homes and have permanent restraining orders against clumsy rollerbladers.