Baking: Shares in cake frosting go cold

The reign of the cupcake may be at an end (Rex Features)

In great news for patisserie purists and weight watchers everywhere (but a potential catastrophe for fans of icing): the cult of the cupcake may at last be coming to an end.

The Wall Street Journal reports the market for the over-iced confections is crashing, gold-like, as Americans invest in alternative artery-clogging treats.Stock in Crumbs, one of dozens of US cupcake chains, has collapsed from a high in 2011 of $13 (£8.50) a share to just $1.70, as analysts call time on a frosted phenomenon.

The trend swept America in the early 2000s after Carrie et al poked down cakes from Magnolia Bakery, another chain, in the hit comedy series, Sex and the City.

In Britain, where cupcakes meant sponge pellets smeared with icing you could see through, we devoured the fancy imports, and home-baked companies rose to meet demand. There aren’t signs of a crash yet here, but when America burps we tend to get tummy ache (or something) so we suggest a new trend: actual cake.