A cupcake is not simply a dessert, it's a symbol of America's unending love affair with baked delights. Renowned pastry chefs across the country are elevating this humble treat to new culinary heights, using fresh local produce, fine dark chocolate, and a treasure trove of other premium ingredients.

Pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac asserts her joy in observing patrons flocking to glimpse her wondrous cupcake display at Buzz Bakery. Their favorite pick is The 9:30, a rich devil's food cake filled with vanilla buttercream and topped off with chocolate frosting, dipped in chocolate glaze, which MacIsaac describes as an "oversized Hostess cupcake."

Kara's Cupcakes brings the Bay Area's finest to its three locations, with all the ingredients being sourced locally. Founder, pastry chef Kara Haspel Lind's Strawberry Cream cupcakes containing organic strawberries from Watsonville's Yerena Farms with a flavorful cream cheese frosting topping prove to be quite a treat.

Georgetown Cupcake, established by sisters Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis, has become a D.C. sensation, inspiring their cookbook, TV show, and an expansion across the country. Their Salted Caramel cupcake and Caramel Apple cupcake are daily and seasonal specials respectively, much adored by customers and critics alike.

Swirlz Cupcakes presents a rotating range of dual-frosted flavors, with gluten-free and vegan alternatives. It displays an imaginative take on the chocolate silk pie which features a chocolate cake baked with a shortbread cookie crust, filled with a chocolate pastry cream and topped off with chocolate ganache, chocolate buttercream, and chocolate curls.

Rebecca Masson, baker/owner at Fluff offers Cup|Cakes-an innovative twist to cupcakes with cake slices served in cups. With intriguing flavors like Veruca Salt and Birthday Cake, these cup/cakes are a runaway hit.

The Jones brothers, Brad and Bill, manage a thriving dessert venture-the first of its kind in Omaha, alongside their parents, Jerry and Elizabeth. Their Ice Cream Sundae is a fabulous concoction of ganache-filled chocolate cake, iced with vanilla buttercream, drizzled with chocolate, showcasing crushed peanuts and a maraschino cherry on top.

Cupcake, a Minneapolis gem, exploded onto the scene in 2005, offering 30 cupcake varieties. The immensely popular bakery now boasts over 70 flavors. Owner, Kevin VanDeraa's personal favorite is the Handle with Caramel.

At the Cupcake Royale in Seattle, unassuming, fluffy cupcakes with light buttercream rule the show. Their Salted Caramel offering is clearly the crowd favorite and rises to popularity year round.

The duo Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito at Baked deliver their fantastic layer cakes in the form of cupcakes. Their Wintermint cupcake highlights a dark chocolate cake filled with chocolate ganache, and topped with peppermint vanilla buttercream.

Los Angeles-based Sprinkles Cupcakes sees cupcake creation as an art form with inventive varieties like Triple Cinnamon, Vanilla Milk Chocolate, Chocolate Marshmallow, and the bestseller, Red Velvet.

Dessert Club's pastry chef-partner Chika Tillman excels at crafting dainty cupcakes. An interesting addition to the dessert family is the Key Lime version, filled with lemon curd and topped with crushed graham crackers and candied lime.

The home of the doughnut muffin and the apple pie bar also sells terrific cupcakes. At Big Sugar Bakeshop, you can find both surprising new flavors and classics like red velvet cupcakes with vanilla buttercream.

Lastly, Magnolia Bakery catapulted to fame when Carrie Bradshaw of Sex in the City savored a blush pink, buttercream-frosted vanilla cupcake at its West Village outlet. Their dazzling Swarovski cupcake iced with sparkly vanilla buttercream was the star creation for the 2012 New York Fashion Week.