Decorate your own dessert

A cupcake can be a real treat. But a handful of moist cake can taste even better when you decorate it yourself, as my 4-year-old daughter, Rosie, recently found out at Our CupCakery in the Columbus suburb of Dublin.

The bakery, which opened seven years ago in the city’s historic downtown, specializes in made-to-order cakes, cookies and confections. Customers also can stop by the little shop and purchase to-go items including cookies and gluten-free cupcakes.

Rosie, however, wanted no part of the pre-decorated sweets. Her eyes were on the cupcakes she could frost herself.

The bakery’s cupcake bar is a kid-sized shelf lined with jars of toppings including crushed Oreos, candy bars and gumballs. There are also spice bottles filled with a variety of colored sprinkles and nearly a dozen types of bagged frostings to choose from.

Decorated cupcakes and cookies are priced by weight. At $1 an ounce, the average cost is $3.

The activity allows kids to be imaginative with food and works their manual dexterity as they squeeze frosting from a pastry bag.

Rosie chose a strawberry cupcake among a selection of chocolate, red velvet and vanilla. She piped chocolate frosting on top and layered it with spoonfuls of Froot Loops and Skittles. She completed her masterpiece with a shake of butterfly sprinkles.

One bite of the sugary concoction was enough to appease my sweet tooth. The freshly baked cupcake certainly was the best part.

Rosie and I sat at a quiet café table, looking out the window into the historic neighborhood. The bakery has an upstairs space for decorating parties and baking classes, too. But on this day, one cupcake would do.

Our CupCakery is located at 16 N. High St., Dublin. For more information, visit OurCupCakery.com.