It is accepted that the current cupcake "craze" originated in New York City, where the likes of the Magnolia Bakery have raised the petite little cakes to an almost celebrity status; who thought they'd find themselves waiting in line on a Saturday night...not for entry to an exclusive club, but rather, to be able to purchase a cupcake? And yet, every weekend it's the case; we've seen it ourselves.

Naturally, the trend has caught on nationwide, with cupcake-specific bakeries opening to great success in different areas of the country. And we say bring this trend on: cupcakes are an inherently happy food after all, so why not spread the joy?

New York Cupcakes, which has two locations in the Seattle area (one on 4th Ave. near Westlake Center, and one in Bellevue Square), has obviously taken inspiration from the NYC cupcake explosion. But is there a line between spreading a good trend, and capitalizing on it?

When members of the Cakespy crew recently visited the Fourth Avenue location, things didn't start out well. For one thing, the signage appears to be taped up in the window, giving the small shop a temporary, impermanent feel; the lack of seating does not provide a very welcome atmosphere. At two o'clock in the afternoon the case looked picked over, with several shelves empty but still labeled with flavors that had either sold out or were not available that day. After looking through racks of novelty holiday flavors including the festive-looking "Peppermint" mixed with more classic flavors like the "Black Ty Affair" (vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting) or the "Pure Joy" (a white chocolate buttercream confection), we went for the "Spice Cake" in the modest "medium" size, which was $2.50 plus tax.

And our take on on the cakes? Unfortunately, New York Cupcakes is far from joining the ranks of the Magnolia Bakery or Buttercup Bakeshop. The frosting, although buttery and a good texture, was strangely flavorless; the cake, rather than yielding a moist, tender crumb, was more dry and muffin-like. All in all, when the cup was empty we felt unsatisfied; although they were sweet, and nicely decorated, they lacked the denseness and rich flavor that can raise a cupcake from run-of-the-mill treat to true sugary delight.

With baked goods, sometimes you have to take what you can get. Perhaps had we first visited the location in Bellevue Square, where the other options would be limited to food court fare, we would have had a better experience; perhaps we would have expected less. But our opinion couldn't help but be influenced by our geographical location in downtown Seattle, where there are other choices. It is for this reason that we must offer this humble opinion: if you're craving cake downtown, you'd be much better off walking four blocks down to the Pike Place Market for your sugar fix.

New York Cupcakes has two locations; we visited 1514 4th Ave. in Seattle; a second location is located at 175 Bellevue Sq. (in the mall), Bellevue.