Even from outside the window of Buttercup Bake Shop you get the feeling that the girls inside know what they are doing. They're wearing proper aprons and "Buttercup Bake Shop" bandannas on their heads like some kind of Southern church picnic dessert swat team. They're showing mastery of the spatula as they frost real layer cakes - right in front of you. The lighting is bright, there's cozy tables to sit down and savor your treats, and you can get a nice tall glass of milk, if you want to go all the way in channeling your inner child. Ah. Bliss.

The best treat here is the cupcake, of course - buttercup golden with vanilla icing would be the classic choice, but there's also chocolate, "devil dog", German chocolate, and for the adventurous, peanut butter and jelly. My personal favorite is the red velvet, with a perfectly smooth cream cheese icing, but I'm also a sucker for the classic buttercup golden. Everything is as pretty as it is tasty: the frostings are the most dreamy pastel colors dotted with candy sprinkles, and have been slathered on in thick whips and peaks like some kind of weight-gain advertisement. Everything is done the old-fashioned way, which is why it looks and tastes so good: real frosting that makes store bought or supermarket cakes look pathetic.

Along with cupcakes, treat bars and seasonal pies, beautiful layer cakes are displayed behind the glass like some kind of culinary museum exhibit. Coconut, buttercup golden, lemon, and German chocolate are some of the flavors to choose from if you want to bring what will be the most popular addition to any gathering. Cakes run thirty to fifty bucks, but cupcakes are a reasonable two dollars each. You can take away or order in advance from Buttercup, but I recommend sitting in and hearkening back to the childhood pleasure of a homemade, old fashioned baked treat with all the fat and sugar that makes it so delicious. Sure, The Cupcake has become one of those annoying New York Trends, but don't let that taint your enjoyment of it. And oh, how sweet it is.

Buttercup Bake Shop, 141 West 72nd Street, between Amsterdam and Columbus