When people think of cupcake shops, the name Sprinkles usually comes to mind. On our latest eating mission, we visited the Sprinkles of the East Coast, Crumbs Bake Shop. Founded in 2003 by Mia & Jason Bauer on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Crumbs has been well-received and loved for their delicious cupcakes. Serving up the classics like carrot cake, and red velvet (over 50 varieties total!), Crumbs adds their special twist by offering three cupcake sizes: the Signature size measures a whopping 4.5 inches across, then there is the Classic size at 3 inches wide and finally the Taste size which is 2.25 inches across.Check out our photos from our trip to Crumbs Bake Shop[gallery link="file" orderby="ID"]How popular have cupcakes become? Well, let’s take a look at the unofficial stats. According to the blog, Cupcakes Take the Cake, there are currently approximatley 422 cupcake bakeries in the U.S. and counting! There are even cupcake shows baking up on T.V. like Food Network’s Cupcake Wars where contestants compete for a $10,00 prize by creating uniquely delicious (and pretty) cupcakes where the winner is decided by a panel of judges, one of which is founder of Sprinkles, Candace Nelson.Perhaps the lure and charm of cupcakes can be best explained by Crumbs, “Perfectly formed. Lovely to look at. Delicious to eat. Cupcakes delight both the eyes and the soul.”