Brown Betty Dessert Boutique

The cupcakes are as broad-brimmed as a church lady's hat — the better to hold generously applied chocolate, cream cheese, or vanilla buttercream frostings. Co-owner Linda Hinton Brown and her small crew of bakers are equally meticulous with their fancy cakes and delightful old-fashioned pound cakes, all named after great homemakers from Brown's family. (Listen to "Aunt Eva Says," a pineapple-packed pound cake.) Our pick: the chocolate-on-chocolate cupcake.