I honestly don’t think I’d eaten a cupcake as an adult until the cupcake hysteria, spawned by Magnolia Bakery in NYC, finally hit San Francisco. The past few years have made up for it though. I’ve been to wedding receptions that have forgone the traditional three-tier for a pyramid of cupcakes, and every birthday party and departure at 7x7 is graced with a box of cuties from the likes of Citizen Cupcake, Delessio and Miette. Life pre-cupcakes is like life pre-email: How did we do it?

At this point, there’s no denying that cupcakes have become exhaustingly trendy, too expensive, overly frou-frou. I’d like to say I’m too cool for cupcakes—that faced with more sprinkles, I’m going to puke. However, I can’t deny that the allure of having a miniature cake of one’s own remains big. Big enough that I recommend you lovebirds stop by Kara’s Cupcakes, a Marina shop devoted entirely to the little things, and pick up their Valentine’s Day four-pack ($15), which includes Passionate Passion Fruit, Chocolate Velvet, Sweet Vanilla and by far one of the best cupcakes I’ve had yet—the Chocolate Cherry Kiss. The reason that it’s not in this photo is that I ate it, so you’ll just have to envision a moist, delicate chocolate cake topped with a swirl of vibrantly pink buttercream that tastes exactly like fresh fruit.

Apparently, tourists are about to get a taste of Kara’s soon too. In April, they’re opening another shop in Ghirardelli Square. Stay tuned.