Which came first, the cupcake or our seemingly endless fascination with them? Is it because they really are a mini cake, rather than a slice? Is it that they’re just so darned cute, with their swirls of frosting and kitschy decorations? Whatever the reason, the Atlanta cupcake revolution raves on, with more of the demi-cakes, from chunky monkey to Oreo mint, popping up everywhere. Here are five of my favorite flavors, and where to get them.

Buttersweet Bakery
625 North Central Ave., Hapeville, 404-767-9884
Owner and baker Charlita Varner’s Key lime cupcake, made with lime in the batter and swirled with cream cheese frosting, is one of the best reasons to step in to her adorable shop in Hapeville (her red velvet ain’t so bad, either). The shop serves continental breakfast (with house-roasted coffee) and lunch now, too.

CamiCakes Cupcakes
2221 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, 404-748-4288
Baker Andra Hall named her bakery — which started in Jacksonville and now has three locations, including Atlanta — after her adorable daughter Camille. Hers are certainly the prettiest of any in Atlanta, made with butter, sugar, spice and all things nice. It’s hard to choose, but my favorite is a simple lemon cake topped with a lemon cream cheese swirl, laced with more lemon: light, sweet, moist and oh so good.

Button Cakes Bakery
Inside Taste, 416 Church Street, Decatur, 404-370-1863 and inside Café Cliché (Fridays and Saturdays only), 340 West Ponce de Leon, Decatur, 404-378-2722
Call 404-313-5472 to reach owner Holly Mann directly
Baker Holly Mann’s mini-me marvels have known a few homes, the latest inside Taste, a foodie gift shop on Decatur’s Church Street, where a pretty little counter displays pretty little cakes. You’ll want to indulge in the little number that’s fashioned after a Hostess cupcake, called “mostess” — moist devil’s food cake with a white frosting center, iced with a smooth mantle of ganache and a line of white sprinkles. But one of her best is the least obvious: moist white cake with white butter frosting. (Hint: Ms. Mann and staff will be giving out samples during this weekend’s Decatur Book Festival.)

Atlanta Cupcake Factory
624 North Highland Ave., Atlanta, 678-358-9195
This itty bitty bakery in Poncey/Hi changes cupcake flavors as often as most people change their socks (hmmm … not a good conjuring combo, now that I think of it). Still, the sugar-cookie cupcake remains one of the best: Fall flavors bring a cookie-flavored batter with Nutella-laced cream cheese frosting.

Little Cake Bakery
3792 Roswell Road, Atlanta, 404-841-8856
Partners Pamela Laurent and Meg Genone have created a pristine little cupcake shop — and the kind of cupcakes that will conjure memories of birthdays past, when it was actually okay for you to smear the chocolate frosting all over your face (it’s not okay, now — unless you are in your car driving away from the shop and no one is looking. Not that I would know). Theirs is the perfect birthday cupcake: moist vanilla cake, not too dense, with a fudgy frosting swirl and playful confetti candy sprinkled on top. That’s the strawberry cream cheese cupcake, pictured.