Cupcakes are a preferable alternative to birthday cakes, whose constant accompaniment by off-key singing has depleted the planet’s finite supply of forced smiles. Garner genuine grins with today’s Groupon to Cupcake Love in Solana Beach. Choose between the following options:

• For $6, you get six cake pops (a $13.50 value).
• For $20, you get two dozen mini cupcakes (a $42 value).<p>

The passionate confectioners at Cupcake Love craft delectable pastries in 12 featured flavors every day from scratch using gourmet ingredients and real belgian chocolate. Coo-elicitingly adorable mini cupcakes come in a dozen flavor combinations, including two weekly rotating flavors and 10 standards. Standards include the best-selling Fancy Pants red velvet, which swathes traditionally russet-colored chocolate in cream-cheese icing, and the Chocolate Sin cupcake, made with an extra helping of belgian cocoa and crowned with sensuous chocolate ganache. Weekly special flavors include the Gingerbread Man, a gingerbread cupcake infused with aromatic vietnamese cinnamon, and the candy-cane cupcake, topped with a luxurious peppermint buttercream. Alternatively, patrons can opt for whimsical cake pops dipped in white or dark chocolate, with custom decorations available for holiday parties, bridal showers, or celebrations of new ink cartridges.