Sometimes Halloween candy just doesn’t cut it. If that sweet tooth keeps begging for more sugar, head to the bakery.Sweet Passions Bakery isn’t your typical cupcake shop. Open since 1987, the bakery specializes in straight-from-the-oven wedding cakes. After a couple of brides ordered cupcakes for their special day, Sweet Passions had its first cupcake lovers, with many more buying cupcakes daily. On June 1, the popular San Jose bakery expanded to its Cupertino location. One step into the bakery, and the decor screams desserts. Models and pictures of wedding cakes with perfect flowery details line the walls, and clear glass tables give way to pastry trays. The staff jokes around with anyone who enters the shop, creating a cozy atmosphere for a couple of friends to bond over frosting.

Critics of grocery store cakes and cupcakes be warned: this bakery knows its sugar. Each creation is a perfect balance of uniquely sweet moist cake and melt-in-your-mouth frosting. The red velvet cupcake lives up to all its glory. This rich chocolate creation has a smooth texture, complementing the creamy frosting. Invite your taste buds to experience edible decadence with an almond amaretto cupcake. The pungent aroma of amaretto draws you in, but the flavor of the white cake keeps you hooked. This cupcake features a layer of dark chocolate on top, complete with a chocolate drizzle and crunchy almonds.

The banana cupcake, the bakery’s “ultimate customer favorite”, features banana cake and frosting topped with a sweet banana chip for an added crunch. The cake has an almost subtle banana flavor with warm cinnamon undertones that doesn’t overpower the sweetness of the frosting, and the elimination of nuts from the typical banana bread recipe makes the cake taste smoother. Other cupcake flavors include carrot cake, the owner Dilanthi Perera’s favorite, and cookies ‘n’ cream, which brings the flavor of milk’s favorite cookie to cupcakes. All large cupcakes are $2.95, small cupcakes are $2 and mini “Sweet P” cupcakes are $2.49 for four cupcakes.

Made with fresh ingredients and irresistible flavors, hard frosting and tasteless sprinkles are no longer options for cupcake aficionados. Throw away the fake cake and go for what’s real—embark on your no crumb left behind experiment.