[Photographs: Kelly Bone]

Tucked away in Essential Chocolate Dessert's display case—beneath the voluptuous cupcakes and jumbo Ding Dongs—sits the petit cake truffle. This diminutive truffle reduced everything wonderful about cake into one (or two or three) bites.

Flavors change daily—notable ones include German's chocolate and carrot—but the top choice is the Red Velvet Cake Truffle ($1.50). Remnants of red velvet cake are mashed with ultra light buttercream frosting, rolled into a golf-size-ball, and dipped in chocolate. Red velvet crumbs adorn the top. Lighter than a chocolate truffle but richer than a cake pop, the smooth innards deliver intense bites of cake-flavor in a buttery "ganache." Encased in thick milk chocolate, it's the most civilized way to eat cake with your hands.

Essential Chocolate Desserts

10868 Washington Blvd Culver City, CA 90232 (map)
310-287-0699; essentialchocolate.com

About the author: After nearly a decade in Brooklyn, Kelly Bone landed back in Los Angeles where she writes The Vegetarian Foodie. She spends the rest of her time designing office cubicles... you might be sitting in one right now! Follow her on Twitter at @TheVegFoodie