Cupcakes are the sweet-and-cute girls-next-door of petite baked goods, unlike tarts, whose sordid reputation precedes them. Indulge in a treat you can bring home to mom with today's Groupon: for $9, you get a half-dozen large cupcakes (an $18 value) from Zillycakes on Elmwood Avenue.

Zillycakes specializes in custom-made treats designed to-order and handcrafted with fresh ingredients. Delve into this cornucopia of miniaturized confections with your choice of six large cupcakes (regularly $2.95 each, including toppings and sprinkles), which you can customize by cake flavor, frosting flavor, and an additional topping. Sidle up to the bakery's cupcake bar, where you can design your own and then stick around to say "cheers" through a mouthful of fresh cupcake. Yellow cake with buttercream, chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream or ganache, and red-velvet cake with cream flavors are always available, along with four seasonally selected flavors that change monthly; one of them is always vegan. Past specialty offerings have included peach amaretti with peach buttercream and vegan lemon with vanilla frosting and fresh blueberries, while regular toppings include options such as rainbow sprinkles, lavender buds, and peanut-butter Captain Crunch. Zillycakes has all the specialty ingredients to build the cupcake of your dreams, except for those who dream of cupcakes topped with adorable, buttercream-coated puppies.

Owned by Zilly Rosen, a classically trained artist with more than 25 years of baking experience, Zillycakes provides aesthetically exciting as well as delicious baked goods. Even the simplest cupcakes possess a visual balance and symmetry that would impress the most finicky cupcake patron. Alternately, cupcake fans can opt to forgo frosting altogether with a naked cupcake ($1.50), which is less creative, but looks better in a leather cat-suit. Vegan and gluten-free versions of these handheld treats are always available for equal-opportunity snacking.

Zillycakes is closed on Mondays and only open on Sundays for private parties.

Reviews

Zillycakes was featured on Buffalo Chow and the Buffalo Eats blog:

• Zillycakes is a relatively new addition to Elmwood and has a fantastic selection of custom made cakes (check out the wedding book while you’re there), but what really makes them stand out is their cupcake bar. – Buffalo Eats
• Zillycakes makes fewer and decorates them to order on the spot. You pick one of four or five flavors of cupcakes, each offered in $2 small and $3 large - really medium - sizes, then choose a completely fresh frosting from a short list of flavor options, and either free or premium 50-cent toppings as you prefer. – Buffalo Chow