Wednesday, March 14, 2007; F01

You want to order those cupcakes online, but what can you do to increase the chances you'll be satisfied?

· "Go simple," says Melissa McCart, who writes the blog CounterIntelligence. "Too much frosting or an emphasis on decorations may be masking an average cake underneath."

· Especially if descriptions are vague, make an extra effort to get all the details you want, because you lose the personal interaction of a storefront bakery, advises Amanda McClements, who writes Metrocurean.com.

· For bigger orders in particular, play it safe: Ask to sample the products first.