UPDATE | January 16, 2013: 

Magnolia Bakery held a media launch event in Qatar on Jan 15. and hosts a grand opening today.

The bakery, located at the Dar Al Salam Mall in the Abu Hamour area, is open for business as of Jan 17, 2013, from 8am-11pm.

Original story

Arabian Business reports:

Magnolia Bakery, the New York cupcake maker made famous by the television series Sex and the City, plans to open stores in Qatar and Kuwait in the next 18 months, its owner said.

The store, which opened its first overseas outlet in Bloomingdales Dubai last year, is undertaking a global expansion, to include outlets in Brazil, Portugal, Turkey and Mexico.

“We consider ourselves to be a high-end luxury brand,” Steven Abrams said in an interview with the Financial Times.

“In the rest of the world, cupcakes don’t have the cultural longevity and history, but maybe in some of those cultures they will become a staple. The market is ripe for us.”

Cupcake shops have been popping up across Qatar over the past couple years.

Read our story on some of the best places to satisfy your sweet tooth here.