Lines form before dawn, tears flow at sellouts: The $11 cupcake taking New York by storm

An $11 (about 16,000 won) cupcake is causing a sensation in Manhattan. Called a "dotcake," it is a small cake served in a cup, blanketed in dense sprinkles and icing — a simple dessert by any measure, yet one that has people lining up in the early hours of the morning to get their hands on one.

New Yorkers are queuing for dotcakes before dawn and waiting for hours even in the rain, The New York Times reported Friday. Some have been moved to tears after arriving too late to buy one. On social media, videos showcasing the cake's vivid colors and the crisp, crackling sound of its sprinkles have racked up millions of views.

Alex Posner, 27, the Long Island baker behind Dotcakes, is candid about what he is selling. "People say, 'It's just cake and sprinkles,'" he told The New York Times. "And yes. It really is just cake and sprinkles."

Yet the straightforward dessert has exploded in popularity over the past month.

The bakery offers custom products for weddings, engagements and bar mitzvahs, as well as limited-edition versions tied to occasions such as Valentine's Day and Christmas.

The craze has since spread beyond baked goods, spawning dotcake-inspired ice cream, doughnuts, bagels and even nail art, The New York Times reported, cementing its status as a full-blown cultural phenomenon.

Most fans follow the same ritual when they finally get one: scrape through the hardened sprinkle crust with a spoon to hear the signature crunch, then take a bite.

The product comes in a range of flavors — vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, vanilla chocolate chip and Funfetti.

Some say the dotcake is the ideal dessert for the TikTok era. Its colorful circular sprinkle pattern is visually striking, the sound of the hard sprinkles breaking apart lends itself to ASMR content, and the familiar taste evokes childhood birthday cakes.

The fact that it can be easily replicated at home without any complicated preparation has also been cited as a driver of its popularity.

Alexa Matthews, a food influencer and marketing director at Butterfield Market, which holds exclusive sales rights to dotcakes, said the treat delivers on multiple levels. "Dotcakes are a multisensory experience — they stimulate sight, sound and taste," she said. "That's what has taken the craze to the next level."