In 2000, season three of Sex and the City , Carrie Bradshaw sat on a bench outside Magnolia Bakery in New York City, and bit into a big pink cupcake. Curls tucked behind her ears and frosting stuck to her lip, it was a moment that launched a million ships. At the time, the phrase “viral pastry” didn’t yet exist. But if it did, it would be the only way to describe the frenzied explosion of cupcakes that followed. In 2005, Sprinkles (RIP) opened in Beverly Hills as the world’s first cupcake bakery. By 2009, there were multiple cookbooks dedicated to the treats, including a compendium by Ms. Martha Stewart herself . That same year, Cupcake Wars , a reality competition series, premiered on Food Network. All kingdoms crumble, though, and after a decade-plus reign, the cupcake was left behind—an aging monarch overthrown by Dominique Ansel’s cronut , and the neophilic nature of social media feeds. Could now—a quarter-century after Carrie’s afternoon snack—be the right time for a cupcake revival? We think so.…