Most people love cupcakes but it is a bit of a mystery why.
They are just tiny cakes with a little extra icing and an endorsement by the ladies from TV's Sex and the City.
Living in the UAE, we all know Dubai likes extravagance and you could say it has built a brand around being a big, expensive cupcake with beautiful icing and a fat, juicy cherry on top. And, true to form, the most expensive cupcake in the world is being sold in the emirate. Coated in edible 23 carat gold sheets and priced at Dh3,700 (US$1,007), the Golden Phoenix cupcake is available at Bloomsbury's in Dubai Mall.
Presumably, it was named the Golden Phoenix with irony - because once you have scoffed one, nothing will rise from the ashes of the huge hole burnt in your wallet, not to mention your bank account.
Its official unveiling cost Dh100,000 as it was presented on an Italian Villari 24 carat gold plated Maria Antoinette Princess tea trolley and on 24 carat gold painted Empire Morning cake stand, two pieces of kitchen equipment I'm sure we're all familiar with.
Shafeena Yusuff Ali is the chief executive of Bloomsbury's in the UAE and the daughter of MA Yusuff Ali, the founder and managing director of LuLu Hypermarket.
It was she who created the Golden Phoenix, which caused quite the social media stir when it was launched last month as many countries battle with austerity measures and food security is a global concern. However, Bloomsbury's will give 50 per cent of profits from the Golden Phoenix to the United Nations' World Food Programme.
Generosity to match the size of this cupcake's price tag.
