Friday, September 21, 2007

The newest hot sugary thing

Apparently, cupcakes are in. Everyone is buying cupcakes now.
First came the craze for gourmet coffee. Then, over the past year, America went nuts for frozen yogurt. Now, the latest craze is a throwback to childhood, or perhaps a hint of naughtiness disguised as nothing but all-American wholesomeness – the humble cupcake.

Suddenly, cupcakes are everywhere. In New York, the queues to buy them at an establishment in Greenwich Village called the Magnolia Bakery stretch out of the front door. In Los Angeles, Oprah Winfrey and a gaggle of other stars frequent a Beverly Hills cupcake emporium called Sprinkles. Parents are serving cupcakes instead of cake at their children's birthday parties. Courting couples are planning cupcake weddings instead of the more traditional tiered cakes with white royal icing. You can buy chai latte cupcakes, mojito cupcakes, cupcakes filled with chocolate ganache and coated in a light dusting of fleur de sel, cupcakes made to look like flowers, even cupcake-motif t-shirts and cupcake underwear.
There's a cupcake store in Raleigh, and I still can't imagine that there would be enough demand for cupcakes over other sweets to support an entire business, but what do I know? Personally, I'd prefer cookies. And one of the notable elements of our school is that it is just a few blocks from Krispy Kreme thus enticing students to buy a dozen on the way to school. Cupcakes just don't seem as enticing, but I guess I'll have to investigate this new phenomenon. We wouldn't want to be behind the newest trend, would we?