With a cupcake, there is no big commitment like with a larger cake. You can be a bit more choosy as to your desired mix of flavors. However, there is still something so decadently satisfying about unwrapping one of those little cakes and biting into the soft frosting. If you are going to be in the Lake Tahoe area for a wedding, a birthday, bachelorette party or another special event, there are several bakeries where you can buy just one or several dozen of the little, non-committal cakes. Some bakeries will also create gluten-free or sugar-free versions of your favorite cupcake.

Flour Girl
Flour Girl is located inside the Ski Run Marina in South Lake Tahoe, and serves the entire Lake Tahoe basin. They were chosen by The Knot as a 2013 Best of Weddings winner for the Sacramento/Lake Tahoe/Reno area. Flour Girl has a ton of cake flavors like champagne, carrot, almond poppy seed and red velvet. Filling flavors range from pumpkin mousse, chocolate ganache, to fruit preserves, chantilly cream, and more. Their icings include buttercream, chocolate ganache and chocolate and vanilla fondant. Their cupcakes are around $4 each.

Cake Tahoe
Cake Tahoe on Donner Pass Road near Truckee has been making desserts since 1995. Their Coconut and Creme Brûlée cupcakes are divine and they also have gluten-free flavors like Vanilla Bean and Chocolate. Each cupcake is $3.50 each and special orders are $4 each. If you buy a dozen, you only pay for 11.

Witt's Cakes
Michele Witt has baked cakes for Harrah's and the Red Hut Soda Fountain, and now bakes cakes and cupcakes for weddings and other special events. Her flavors include the traditional chocolate, white and yellow along with specialty fillings and frostings like mocha buttercream, lemon curd and salted caramel. Her cupcakes sell for $3 each.

Tahoe Cakes by Grace
The cupcakes by Tahoe Cakes by Grace are $3.50 each and come in a variety of flavors like almond, spice, German chocolate and chocolate beet. Various icings like cream cheese, marshmallow fondant and some sugar-free flavors are available. The cakes are baked fresh with the finest ingredients and can be ordered for birthdays, weddings, bachelorette parties or special dinners at various Tahoe restaurants.

Raley's
The bakeries in the two Raley's grocery stores in South Lake Tahoe will bake custom cupcakes for your event or party. Various flavors, frostings and decorations are available and the cost is around $2.50-$3 per cupcake depending on the design. Their red velvet cupcakes with real cream cheese frosting are darn good.