There are wonderful things afoot in the world of cake decorating ? and they don't involve fondant.

Alana Jones-Mann is a local baker creating outrageously beautiful, always stylish baked goods. Her cupcakes and cookies ? and her cakes; oh my lord, those cakes ? are stunning, and she rarely uses the common cake cover that is fondant. For my cakes, I primarily use buttercream for the exterior, as I prefer to keep the ingredients simple and the taste delicious. I'm not a fan of cakes covered in fondant and always try to encourage my clients to move away from fondant, as well as many of the other more traditional cake styles, Jones-Mann says. Her Otomi cake, an homage to the central Mexican indigenous group and their colorful and entrancing art, looks like fiber art, as do her shag carpet cakes. The cactus cupcakes don't look like real flora, but they sure are adorable.It's a trite saying, but in this case it's true: These look too good to eat. (But of course you'll eat them. Wouldn't want them to go bad.)

Baked goods can be ordered from Jones-Mann's website.