When you walk into Cranberry Stone Bakery in Pella, Iowa, you immediately know you’re in cupcake heaven, even without looking. The delicious scent of cake and frosting is unmistakable and fills the beautiful dining area. The owner even quips, "The smells are free!"

But you won’t want to stop with just a smell of these delicious cupcakes, arguably the best in Iowa. You’ll definitely want a taste of them as well.

The bakery always offers a core sampling of favorite cupcakes: the unbeatable Dutch Letter, the Strawberry Cream, the White Wedding Cake, and the Classic Chocolate with smooth chunks of Ghirardelli chocolate. While these are all favorites for a reason, the creative lady behind the bakery also dreams up two specialty flavors every week.

Recent specialties have included Salted Caramel Pretzel, Stroopwafel, Monster Cookie Dough, Simply Pumpkin, Peanut Butter Pieces, White Blueberry, and White Raspberry. Check out their Facebook page to see what the flavors of the week are!

If you are sensitive to gluten or dairy, Cranberry Stone still has delicious options for you! While they do use dairy and gluten in their kitchen, they mix up batches of gluten free and/or dairy-free cupcakes to include those with dietary sensitivities as well!

You can also call ahead to check on the availability of grain-free and reduced sugar cupcakes.

The friendly staff doesn’t stop with cupcakes either; they make several other scrumptious treats as well! Never heard of a Pizookie before? It’s a large frosted pizza-shaped cookie that you can order for a party, or you can buy it by the slice at the counter.

You can order cupcake bouquets for a beautiful and delicious gift, and sheet cakes are available for your next party, too. Their buttercream frosting is so good that they even sell frosting shots for those of you who generally eat the cake just so you can get the frosting… we know you’re out there!

The ambiance of the shop itself is enough to draw customers. The sweet-smelling air, the beautiful blue and white Dutch tiled floor, the exposed brick and antique ceiling tiles, and the gorgeous photos of - you guessed it - cupcakes create a lovely place to sit and enjoy your cupcakes with a friend or 5.

The owner used to make the cupcakes in her certified kitchen at home, but her tasty treats soon became so popular that she decided to open a brick and mortar storefront in downtown Pella. We're so glad she did!

There’s a story behind the bakery’s name, too. Cranberry Stone is a spin-off of the name of Iowa’s largest lake, located just a few miles from the bakery: Lake Red Rock. In the name, Cranberry stands in for “Red” and “Stone” stands in for “Rock.”

You can find Cranberry Stone on Franklin Street in downtown Pella. Cranberry Stone is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

So why not buy half a dozen cupcakes (the running deal is to buy 5 and get the 6th free) and head out to the bakery’s namesake to enjoy your treats? Or relax in the lovely shop with a glass of lemonade and a cupcake after cruising a few miles of Pella’s Volksweg Bike Trail along Lake Red Rock. Learn more at Cranberry Stone's website or Facebook page.