More than maturing by another year, blowing out candles, enjoying thoughtful gifts and usually a bit of a celebration, my favourite part of my birthday is unquestionably the cake. This well-known fact has been indulged by my loving mom, who even bakes me a mini version of a birthday treat on November 10, my half-birthday.

When I was small, several candles would be set upon an ice cream cake. Through my teens, we'd slice through anything chocolatey enough to make the knife sticky, and most recently, I'm counting down the days until I can lick the cream cheese icing off my fingers from the luscious carrot cake baked especially for my aging another year. As I've grown up, I can't help but notice more and more I'm certainly far from the only one who uses my half-birthday as an excuse to relish a tasty treat; in fact, mini treats seem to be having their moment in the spotlight and are being scarfed down simply for enjoyment, not necessarily just an occasion.

Bakeries, and more specifically cupcake shops, are taking over the nation. Once a rather crummy area (pun intended), Toronto's Queen Street East has more recently become a delight to families and foodies alike, thanks to the new crop of bakeries. Specialty bakeries and cupcake shops have replaced run-down buildings, and the smell of tempting sweets wafts all the way down to Yonge Street.

The cupcake trend can be traced back a few years, when American specialty cupcake shops like Sprinkles and Crumbs first opened and upped the ante. By making the small treats elegant and special — and most importantly, delicious — they quickly became popular. People started to go crazy for cupcakes, and even more established traditional bakeries, like the famous Magnolia Bakery in Manhattan, began to create their own versions of the mini treats — cupcake wedding cake, anyone?

The cupcake trend has been so significant, Sprinkles has made a fortune selling their batter online for those unable to make it to their L.A. shop. Even Ben & Jerry's ice cream is joining in on the fun; their red velvet cupcake flavour is not only delicious, but incredibly popular, surely because of the trendy flavour so commonly tasted in the baked version.

Perhaps the mini treat trend has been so successful due to the overall shift into a more health-focused nation; as people buy more and more into an attempt at a healthy lifestyle, a mini-sized treat leaves room for indulgence without the guilt. Starbucks has effectively satisfied their customers' needs for this by creating a whole slew of tiny yet delectable treats, all under 200 calories. On the menu is, of course, a variety of cupcakes, whoopee pies (in the trendy red velvet flavour) and their own creation, a cake pop, which is simply a ball of cake covered in chocolate on a stick. Thrilled by the notion of indulging in small measures more often, now you can have your cake and eat it too.