Have you ever felt like something was missing in your life, but couldn’t quite put your finger on it? For me, it was a horrible, horrible realization: cake had disappeared from my life. I haven’t been to a birthday party since the pandemic hit. But I’ll let you in on a secret: you don’t need a birthday, a holiday, a wedding, a special occasion, or even company to enjoy cake. These are individually sized cakes and slices you can enjoy all by yourself, any day of the week.

Monday | The Amelie from Pix Pâtisserie

Lying awake after midnight with a case of the Sunday scaries? The Pix-O-Matic vending machine is here for you at all hours, and the cure-all is the Amelie, the 2002 winner of the Patisfrance Chocolate Competition: Cointreau genoise, chocolate mousse, and vanilla crème brûlée enrobed in chocolate with a crunchy, hazelnutty praline center reminiscent of a luxe Ferrero Rocher. 2225 E Burnside St

Tuesday | Olive Oil Cake from Montelupo

There are still four days of the work week left. You need hope and sunshine. This is it: a fruity olive oil cake, frosted in luscious, tangy lemon buttercream and dotted with a plush amarena cherry, under a scatter of edible flower petals. 344 NE 28th Ave, montelupo.co

Wednesday | Carrot Cake from JinJu

Patisserie Leave it to JinJu’s Korea-born, French-trained pastry wizards to bust carrot cake out of a rut. No walnuts or raisins here! Instead, the elegant surprise of pecan praline crackles through three stories of lusciously moist cake and cream cheese frosting, capped in shards of white and dark chocolate. F*** it, it’s Wednesday and I’m eating fancy carrot cake. 4063 N Williams Ave —Karen Brooks

Thursday: Matcha Tiramisu from Soro Soro

Move over, matcha Kit Kats. This tiramisu is packed with refreshing, slightly bitter matcha flavor throughout. That goes from the bright green matcha cream on top to the matcha-loaded sponge cake— with plentiful mascarpone oozing out between the layers. With all that caffeine from the matcha, you’ll be propelled to Friday in no time. 2250 E Burnside St

Friday | Tres Leches Cake from Nightingale

Kick off the weekend in style. Treat yourself to a delicately crumbed, marzipan-infused tres leches cake from the recently opened Mexican restaurant Nightingale. It’s like eating a milk-soaked, almond-slivered, whipped cream–topped cloud. 18 NE 28th Ave

Saturday | Coconut-Pandan Layer Cake from Berlu

Weekends are for biking to Berlu’s Vietnamese bakery and loading up on a box of treats (or simply grabbing one of everything). Our pick is the coconut-pandan layer cake: lightly sweetened sponge cake layered with creamy, aromatic, bright green pandan leaf custard, sprinkled with finely shredded toasted coconut. Bonus: everything, including this cake, is gluten and dairy-free. 605 SE Belmont St

Sunday | The PDX Rose from La Rosé Pâtisserie

This Beaverton bakery, expanding to Portland in early 2021, combines French patisserie with Asian flavors and “not-too-sweet”-ness. Inside the display case, choose from a dozen individually-sized cakes, each one a work of art. Our pick to close out your weekend with a touch of elegance: the namesake PDX Rose, fashioned from Japanese vanilla sponge cake, white chocolate buttercream, and a gelée center of lychee and rose water. It’s decorated like a pink rose in bloom, complete with water droplets. Now that’s a cake. 17020 SW Whitley Way, Ste 102, Beaverton