A traditional dessert in America, the cupcake is nothing new, but in recent years it has morphed into a must-have gourmet treat, popularised in part when a heroine on the trend-setting television series Sex and the City ate one in an episode shown in 2000.

This calorie-laden dessert, usually colorfully decorated, has taken the United States by storm through specialised cupcake retail chains, like Magnolia Bakery and Crumbs, and outlets such as chocolate retailer Godiva and the Cinnabon cinnamon bun chain that are cashing in on the boom.