Cupcakes are a preferable alternative to birthday cakes, whose constant accompaniment by off-key singing has depleted the planet’s finite supply of forced smiles. Garner genuine grins with today's Groupon: for $12, you get one-dozen cupcakes at Sweet Temptations Cupcakery in Aberfoyle (a $25 value).

Sweet Temptations' cupcake makers pack their baking trays with both classic and nontraditional flavours. Customers can elect up to three different varieties to form their 12 desserts, choosing to sink teeth into double-chocolate treats or finger-ski down the mountain of cream-cheese icing that caps red-velvet cupcakes. Bakers break down the barrier between cookie and cupcake, mixing together the tastes of cream and chocolate cookies, and pink-lemonade confections surprise taste buds. When possible, Sweet Temptations' team creates cakes using locally sourced ingredients from farms, producers, and geysers that spout icing within Wellington County. Customers can also have their cupcakes delivered to the Aberfoyle, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, or Guelph areas for an additional fee.