Eliza Shapiro, who knows the culinary landscape of Morningside Heights like no other, was quick to alert us to the very important development of a new Crumbs Bake Shop at 108th and Broadway. It will take up residence in the shopfront which formerly housed Crystal Gourmet. We hope this won’t be accompanied by gang violence. Although Crumbs is the country’s largest cupcake chain (which went public in a $66 million merger in January), the shop originated on the UWS. They have seasonal collections, like in clothing catalogs, but for cupcakes.

Cupcakes cost $4.50, and include the Half and Half: a 590-calorie cupcake that Crumbs describes on its website as “marble cake filled with white butter cream, topped with half vanilla cream cheese frosting mixed with chocolate chip cookie crumbs and half chocolate fudge mixed with brownie pieces and covered with chocolate chip cookie and brownie pieces.” It will be interesting to observe how the corporate cake squares off against Robicelli’s, the foodblogs’ indie darlings on sale at Joe.

No word yet on the official opening date