Beautiful bites

Almost too pretty, that is, to eat — but don’t let that stop you. Here are some of the bakeries serving up cute cupcakes that offer a treat for your eyes as well as your tastebuds.

Queen City Cupcakes - Best of the Best

816 Elm St., Manchester, 624-4999, qccupcakes.com

Since 2011, this downtown Manchester storefront has been offering freshly baked small-batch cupcakes daily in a rotating menu of flavors (an example of a recent line-up: Carrot Cake, Samoa, Fruity Pebbles, Cannoli and more).

In January 2023, Queen City Cupcakes moved all its operations a few doors down, joining forces with its sister gift shop, Pop of Color, at 816 Elm St.

 Bearded Baking Co.

819 Union St., Manchester, 647-7150, beardedbaking.com

Jon Buatti took over ownership of Michelle’s Gourmet Pastries & Deli in late 2019 and, in November and December 2020, was a featured contestant on Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship. Bearded Baking Co. offers cupcakes (in early June some flavors included Banana Split, Orange S’mores and Seven Layer Bar) as well as custom cakes, cookies, doughnuts and more.

Carina's Cakes

14B E. Broadway, Derry, 425-9620, find them on Facebook @carinas.cakes

Originally from Sweden, Carina Hultgren of Carina’s Cakes has lived in

Derry since 2003, opening her own bake shop on Crystal Avenue before later moving downtown, to its current spot on East Broadway. Carina’s Cakes features a menu of more than a dozen rotating flavors of cupcakes (such as Butterbeer, salted caramel and funfetti), which are regularly updated on the shop’s Facebook page.

 Cupcakes 101

132 Bedford Center Road, Bedford, 488-5962, cupcakes101.net

As its name might suggest, you can find this cupcake shop on Route 101 in Bedford. Established in 2011, Cupcakes 101 has grown over the years to now offer more than 80 flavors of gourmet cupcakes (such as chocolate marshmallow, red velvet and peanut butter cup), along with cake pops, candies and other specialty items.

 Frederick's Pastries - Amherst

109 Route 101A, Amherst, 882-7725, pastry.net

Originally established in 1980 by Frederick and Gloria Lozier in their Nashua garage, Frederick’s Pastries has two full-service bakeries, in Amherst and Bedford. The couple’s youngest daughter, Susan Lozier Robert, purchased the business from her parents in 2004 and continues to run it today. Like their custom cakes, Frederick’s cupcakes come in a wide array of flavors and designs (like the Mermaid Cupcake, sporting ocean-colored frosting and a tail, or, a Purple Velvet Cupcake) jumbo in size and featuring house buttercream or fudge frosting.

 Frederick's Pastries - Bedford

25 S. River Road, Bedford, 647-2253, pastry.net

Under the direction of current owner Susan Lozier Robert, Frederick’s opened a second location in Bedford Square in July 2007. As with the Amherst shop, you’ll find all kinds of decadent cupcakes (such as Mint Chocolate Chip and the berry-filled All American Cupcake) here in addition to the shop’s signature cakes, cookies and other sweet indulgences.

 Buckley's Bakery & Cafe

436 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 262-5929, buckleysbakerycafe.com

Like its neighbor, Buckley’s Great Steaks, this spot is part of Michael Timothy’s Dining Group, owned and operated by longtime Nashua chef Michael Buckley. A wide array of scratch-baked desserts and pastries are available here, from cookies and cinnamon rolls to cakes and cupcakes (in varieties such as Cookie Overload and Chocolate Sundae).

 Love & Flour Bakery

303 S. Broadway, Salem, 912-5214, loveandflourbakery.com

Located on Route 28 in Salem, Love & Flour was founded in 2016 by Jaime Elizabeth, a self-taught baker and cake designer who fell in love with the craft in 2010. The shop is known for its custom-order cakes and its wide selection of freshly baked sweet treats, from gourmet cupcakes to cookies, dessert bars and brownies.

 Fresh AF Bakeshop

34 Church St., Kingston, 642-8609, freshafbakeshop.com

This Kingston shop, which opened in December 2021, features the baking prowess of Taryn Merrill, a Sandown native who earned a baking and pastry arts degree from Johnson & Wales University. Though she’s known for her custom cakes, Merrill dabbles in all kinds of pastries, from cupcakes (sample flavor: lemon berry cupcakes) and cookies, cake pops and tarts to cinnamon buns, French macarons and even stuffed doughnuts.

 Lucciano's Bakeshop

4 Orchard View Drive, Londonderry, 432-2442, luccianosbakeshop.com

Lucciano’s is known for its gluten-free desserts, which include all kinds of flavors of cakes, cupcakes (with flavors including Mocha Joy, Chocolate Raspberry and Tiramisu) and ice cream cakes, and will oftentimes feature seasonal items for each holiday.