It was a sunny morning when I decided to stop by Jamaica Cakes on Pico. I’d heard good things, and I was ready for something sweet.

They had some great looking chocolate espresso cupcakes, looking almost like muffins, with just a dollop of cream cheese frosting, and red velvet, but no others. Still, there was a pleasing assortment of cookies and a number of breakfast pastries. I wanted that chocolate espresso cupcake, but went against my better judgment. I got two red velvets for later, a blonde brownie and a raspberry scone.

The store itself was bright yellow with a few tables and coffee, a nice place to read the paper, or maybe do some work, while the ladies in the back talk about which cupcakes to make next. It’s tricked out with mock-ups of their gorgeously decorated cakes.

The scone was great – light and fluffy, studded with oats with a seam of raspberry jam running through the center. The blond brownie was good too. It had chocolate and butterscotch chips, a nice chewy consistency and pecans. Delicious! The red velvets were something of a disappointment. The icing was great, not too cream cheesey, but the cake had a weird bitter aftertaste. No good!

You vegans out there should know that they have a full vegan cake menu, as well as cookies, brownies and pies. That’ll be for someone else to review. And the bakery has a full selection of cookies, pies, tarts, tortes, cheesecakes, bars, buns and rolls for those of us not so vegan-ly inclined.

Personally, I’ll be back to try that chocolate-espresso cupcake.

Jamaica’s Cakes
11511 West Pico Boulevard
West Los Angeles
(310) 478-1971

Photo by Jacy for LAist