Cupcakes have inspired the creation of many reality television shows and countless bake shops throughout the United States. It’s no surprise seeing as this seemingly effortless dessert is scrumptious, perfectly portioned, and extremely versatile. What more could a dedicated sweet tooth desire?
Whilst its initial concept was simple—moist cake topped with sugary frosting—the cupcake has since risen past its humble origins. These days, it’s not unusual to encounter fancy cupcakes topped or filled with gourmet ingredients such as maple bacon icing or mixed berry compote. Satisfying dessert lovers of all ages and palates, cupcakes won’t disappear from the culinary scene any time soon. With that in mind, here is your guide to the best cupcakes in each of the 50 states. We hope you saved room for dessert!
The Best Cupcakes in the U.S.
| Alabama Dreamcakes Homewood, AL | Montana Cupcake Mountain Cupcakery Bozeman, MT |
| Alaska Kastle’s Kreations Homewood, AL | Nebraska Jones Bros. Cupcakes Omaha, NE |
| Arizona Urban Cookies Bakeshop Phoenix, AZ | Nevada Mix Cupcake Co. Reno, NV |
| Arkansas SugarDumplin's Cupcakes Homewood, AL | New Hampshire Queen City Cupcakes Manchester, NH |
| California Kara’s Cupcakes San Francisco, CA | New Jersey Cupcake Magician Red Bank, NJ |
| Colorado Church of Cupcakes Denver, CO | New Mexico Gold Rush Cupcakes Albuquerque, NM |
| Connecticut NoRA Cupcake Company Middletown, CT | New York* Magnolia Bakery New York, NY |
| Delaware Sweet Somethings Desserts Wilmington, DE | North Carolina Happycakes Cupcakery nc Homewood, AL |
| Florida Sweeter Days Bake Shop Fort Lauderdale, FL | North Dakota Bakeology Fargo, ND |
| Georgia The Atlanta Cupcake Factory Atlanta, GA | Ohio The Cute Little Cake Shop Strongsville, OH |
| Hawaii Hokulani Bake Shop Honolulu, HI | Oklahoma Cuppies & Joe Oklahoma City, OK |
| Idaho Sugar Rush Cupcakery Boise, ID | Oregon Saint Cupcake Portland, OR |
| Illinois Molly’s Cupcakes Chicago, IL | Pennsylvania Pamcakes Cupcakery Philadelphia, PA |
| Indiana The Flying Cupcake Bakery Indianapolis, IN | Rhode Island Sweet Indulgence Cranston, RI |
| Iowa Scratch Cupcakery Cedar Falls, IA | South Carolina Cupcake Down South Charleston, SC |
| Kansas Billy Vanilly Topeka, KS | South Dakota Oh My Cupcakes! Sioux Falls, SD |
| Kentucky Cake Flour Louisville, KY | Tennessee The Cupcake Collection Nashville, TN |
| Louisiana The Kupcake Factory Homewood, AL | Texas Crave Cupcakes Houston, TX |
| Maine East End Cupcakes Portland, ME | Utah Cupcake Chic Orem, UT |
| Maryland Georgetown Cupcake Bethesda, MD | Vermont my little cupcake Burlington, VT |
| Massachusetts Sweet Worcester, MA | Virginia Alexandria Cupcake Alexandria, VA |
| Michigan SugarHigh Bakery Homewood, AL | Washington Trophy Cupcakes and Party Seattle, WA |
| Minnesota Sweet Retreat Cupcake Boutique Minneapolis, MN | West Virginia The Cupcakerie Morgantown, WV |
| Mississippi For Heaven's Cakes & Catering Jackson, MS | Wisconsin Tamara's the Cake Guru Oshkosh, WI |
| Missouri Jilly's Cupcake Bar & Café St. Louis, MO | Wyoming Alla Lala Cupcakes and Sweet Things Homewood, AL |
| District of Columbia Baked & Wired Washington, D.C. |
Expert Picks
We reached out to the owners of each of these top cupcake spots to ask which of their tasty treats they'd most recommend, and the results are in!
Happy Cakes (North Carolina): If you're feeling unsure which cupcake to go for, Angela recommends picking a winner with one of the past three of their Cupcake Super bowl champions: Chocolate Caramel Cream (2014), Oreo Overload (2015), or Turtle (2016)
Cupcake Magician (New Jersey): The team at this New Jersey cupcakery advises trying breakfast for dessert with a Pancakes and Bacon cupcake, or Peanut Butter Explosion.
Sweet (Massachusetts): owner Alina is a big fan of her Cannoli Cream Filled Cupcakes. Deliziosa!
Cupcake DownSouth (South Carolina): When in Charleston, you have to get the Bourbon Pecan Pie...cupcake! Or for those who want their cake with more bite, explore the After Dark line of liquor-infused cupcakes.
SugarDumplin's Cupcakes (Arkansas): The colorful cupcakes here include top picks Salted Caramel, Blackberries and Cream, even Strawberry Lemonade!
Gold Rush Cupcakes (New Mexico): Melanie points us to the Cupcake Wars winning Bananas Foster cake, but also encourages visitors to try Goat for the Gold, a combination of vanilla, Bavarian cream, and white wine infused caramel.
Cute Little Cake Shop (Ohio): Cassata cupcake? Why not, says owner Janet. We also like the sound of a Jelly Donut Cupcake. Three sweet things in one!
NoRA Cupcake Company (Connecticut): If you're feeling boozy or seasonal (or both!) try this cupcake shop's signature Irish Car Bomb Cupcake: Guinness chocolate cake, Jameson ganache, Bailey's cream cheese frosting.
Cupcake Mountain Cupcakery (Montana): Who says you can't get a good Key Lime pie outside of Florida? Try the Key Lime Cupcake here for a taste of the Sunshine State anytime.
Tamara's The Cupcake Guru (Wisconsin): If you can't decide which dessert to get, this place has got you covered. Pick up the signature Lick the Bowl cupcake, a mix of brownie batter and cookie dough both inside the cake and topping the frosting.
My Little Cupcake (Vermont): Enjoy an exotic twist on the Salted Caramel cupcake here, as they use Mediterranean sea salt on top of the buttercream icing.
Scratch Cupcakery (Iowa): Cupcake adventurers, this place is for you! In addition to cute cupcake names like Wedding Day and Oh Happy Day, you can also sample a Churro cupcake or even Oatmeal Cream Pie. If there's oats, does that mean it's healthy?
East End Cupcakes (Maine): You've got your chocolate, your salted caramel...put them together and pick up this place's signature cupcake. Or sample a Tiramisu or Carrot Cake cupcake.
Do you travel for food? Find the perfect accommodation on Tripping.com!
This article was written by Justina Tran.