Is it the portion? The portability? The entrepreneurial entry point for women? Whatever the case, as with pet rocks in 1975, the Rubik's cube in 1980 and the Cheetah Girls, like, yesterday, the time is now for the cupcake, which has moved like Michael Corleone on the layer cake and the sheet cake. Of all the contenders currently depleting Middle Tennessee of muffin tins—including delightful Dulce Desserts, The Sugar Bar, Sweet 16th and Gigi's, each with a devoted and deserved following—Jessica Parsons at Cuppycakes takes the crown with her beautifully sculpted butter-cream frosting, rosy natural colors and fanciful creations. (One example: "the Scout," brown-sugar cake topped with toasted coconut and chocolate ganache in homage to the Girl Scout Cookie staple Samoas.) Best of all, even though she's currently working out of her renovated garage in Spring Hill, the accommodating single mom will deliver cupcakes to Nashville on a day's notice—and her chocolatier mother Cathy's truffles are the best we've tasted in Middle Tennessee. Ask nicely, and maybe Parsons'll make her amazing off-menu cayenne cupcakes. (cuppycakesbakery.com) —JIM RIDLEY