Still Talking About Cupcakes

We should be over it by now, but everyone's still talking about designer cupcakes. LA Magazine named Dainties the best in LA, Caroline on Crack crowned numerous categories and Magnolia (which began backing in 1996) was recently closed by the health department.
Not always the trendsetter, LA continues to see new high end bakeries popping up, including Vanilla Bake Shop. Located in a high density area near the Third street promenade, I'm sure business will be good. The mini cupcakes and one French macaron were all I tried, so the Icebox Desserts are on the agenda for next time.In stark contrast to Dainties' "it's all about the cream" slogan, Vanilla Bake Shop's taste almost solely like cream cheese (Dainties uses fresh whipped cream). Vanilla's cupcakes are much lighter than Sprinkles', therefore they don't force you into a sugar-induced comatose state. The mini-nature means you can taste more flavors, which I'm always a fan of.
To get the true dose of a Banana Chocolate Chip or Meyer Lemon Raspberry, a full sized cupcake is probably in order, but both were very tasty in the mini versions.The macaron was very crispy on the outside and very soft on the inside. This is quite different than than spongey-throughout versions at Jin and Boule. Not sure if it was sitting out all day or that's the way it was supposed to be.Overall, you can't complain too much about a cupcake or any freshly baked dessert for that matter. So I say let the cupcake competition continue.