Ready, Set, Swoon: The Best Cupcakes in Virginia

@TWISTEDSISTERSCUPCAKES IN VA BEACH

Taking the time to go the extra mile is the key to Twisted Sister’s sugary success. They do it with the highest-quality ingredients, handcrafting every single cupcake, and sharing sweets and smiles from their VA bakery and mobile cupcake truck.

The name alone is enough to convince you that the Strawberry Shortcake Crème Brûlée cupcake definitely makes the Valentine cut. This fluffy Madagascar vanilla bean cupcake is cored, plumped up with strawberry pastry cream, frosted with strawberry vanilla bean buttercream and topped with caramelized sugar.

Image: Twisted Sisters Cupcakes

@SWEETZBAKERY IN LEESBURG

Sweetz Bakery is super sweet on crafting the finest gourmet treats and custom cakes. Gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan cupcakes are available.

The Chocolate Raspberry cupcake gives your S.O. a traditional chocolatey fix, but with a gorgeous gourmet twist. It comes with raspberry mousse filling, raspberry mousse frosting, and a vanilla rosette garnish.

Image: Sweetz Bakery

@CARYTOWNCUPCAKES IN RICHMOND

Creative daily flavors are a major perk at Carytown Cupcakes, as is its selection of gluten-free and vegan options. Two Richmond locations ensure there’s enough sugary goodness to go around.

The Oreo Peanut Butter cupcake is a yummy treat for your sweetie – or anyone’s inner child. The chocolate cake base features a whole Oreo on the bottom and peanut butter cream cheese icing dusted with Oreo crumbs.

Image: Carytown Cupcakes

@CUPCAKE_COMPANY IN HARRISONBURG

With delicious gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free and egg-free options, the Cupcake Company is dedicated to meeting your needs–and delighting your palate. Cupcakes, cakes, pies, brownies, cream puffs and more are yours for the taking at this full-service bakery.

White Chocolate Raspberry Almond cupcake easily made the sweetie list, and we get goosebumps just thinking about it. White chocolate and red raspberry match the palette of love, while the almond adds a sensuous layer of flavor.

Image: Cupcake Company

@CUPCAKEHEAVENANDCAFE IN HAYMARKET

If you’re wondering what bliss tastes like, head to Cupcake Heaven. You get an assortment of fresh-baked gourmet cupcakes, as well as an espresso bar, smoothies, and light sandwiches.

The Chocolate Salted Caramel cupcake gets the Sweet Tooth prize for being a decadent delight. Chocolate cake embraces a filling of irresistible salted caramel and then gets topped with creamy caramel buttercream and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt.

Image: Cupcake Heaven

@HUMMINGBIRDMACARONS IN NORFOLK

Elegant and delicious, the desserts from Hummingbird Macarons are the crown jewels of the cupcake world. Attention to detail is their claim to fame, ensuring you relish the entire experience.

Buttermilk, butterscotch and a dollop of dreamy vanilla make The Butterbeer cupcake a perfect pick especially if your sweetie is a fan of a certain bespectacled wizard, or just a magically good cupcake! Butterbeer is also creamier and dreamier than the typical gift of bubbly.

Image: Hummingbird Macarons

@CONFECTIOUS_SHENANIGANS IN FLOYD

The popping colors and fresh food at the Floyd Farmers Market was the inspiration behind Confectious Shenanigans, which specializes in fun and creative flavors blended into sweet or even savory cupcakes. All are made with love, and from scratch.

Fun, offbeat Valentines are sure to go wild for the Grapefruit Lavender cupcake, which features lavender cake with a grapefruit custard and frosting.

Image: Confectious Shenanigans

@K8ESSWEETTREATS IN LYNCHBURG

The in-home bakery of Katie’s Sweet Treats shows how truly sweet life can be. Custom-made cupcakes, cakes and cinnamon rolls are their specialties, but orders for other sweet treats are also welcome.

Spoil your Valentine silly with the Black Forest cupcake. This beauty mingles dark chocolate, red Zinfandel, fresh red cherries, white chocolate buttercream, and dark chocolate ganache. Anyone else about to faint?

Image: Katie’s Sweet Treats

@SWEETREASONS IN FREDERICKSBURG

Real food, real people and fresh ingredients–like sweet cream butter, Dutch cocoa, and Madagascar bourbon vanilla–are the secret behind the family-owned Sweet Reasons Cupcakes. SRC has snagged a slew of awards, along with finalist status in Food Network’s Cupcake Wars in 2013.

The Rose Tea-Infused Cake with Rose Buttercream cupcake meets Valentine standards, as roses are definitely the most quintessential V-Day tradition, but in this case–you can eat them.

Image: Sweet Reasons Cupcakes