I’m not sorry; if there’s one food trend that I absolutely, positively cannot stand, it’s cupcakes. No hand-held edible has obnoxiously taken over the food world more than that saccharine genre of baked good, which usually consists of too-dry cake and grainy buttercream that’s too much of everything. Maybe I’m being a total dessert curmudgeon, but most cupcakes aren’t my thing. I prefer an oddball dessert with a decadence that makes me sweat a little; the kind with a thick, savory accent and a penchant for getting messy. Think Deborah Racicot’s s’mores tart at Gotham Bar and Grill, Pichet Ong’s white miso semifreddo at Spot, or the cured olive shortbread from Abraço, which shatters and melts on the tongue and goes perfectly with a creamy/bitter espresso.

I’m also a tad hypocritical, because if an unlikely food is put into cupcake form, then I might make an exception if it’s odd, decadent, savory or messy enough. Kate, author of Framed: My Life, One Picture At A Time, has convinced me to do just that with her recent cupcakeified food posts, which include mini, hand-held versions of macaroni and cheese, lasagna, french toast, and ice cream cake. I’m still a cupcake curmudgeon, but these varieties don’t put me off; surprisingly, these delicious-looking, bite-size treats from a muffin tin do just the opposite.