Trending Now: Late Night Bakeries

Breakfast burritos? Sure, they're great. But how about 2am cupcakes? And don't donuts taste even better in the middle of the night? Admit it. Sometimes you crave something sweet when you technically should be sleeping. The good news is, for a growing number of communities the late night quest for delectable baked goods is becoming a lot easier.

According to The Bakery Network, a leading resource for industry information, the breakfast food trend has gradually shifted from early morning hours to all hours of the day. Baked goods--cakes, pastries, sweet breads, etc.--are following suit as everyone from college students to bar-closers to third shifters demand more options than their local 24-hour convenience stores can provide.

And it's not just about the yummy goodness. For some enterprising bakeries, it's about innovating the customer experience. A stand-out example is The Doughnut Lounge, a late night Kansas City bakery that has turned the middle-of-the-night craving for sweets into something a little different. Their site encourages customers to "Come for the doughnuts, stay for the drinks!" Cocktails, craft beers and wine share a menu with double chocolate Nutella s’mores, creme brulee, and maple bacon doughnuts. Customers enjoy their gravy doughnuts in a hip urban brownstone until 1:30am on weekends.

Cookie and cake shops, coffee shops and bakery food trucks are extending their hours across the country, hoping to capitalize on the growing market for baked goods at late hours. Varsity Donuts in Manhattan, Kansas parks a truck behind their shop from 10pm to 2:30am for those late at work or closing down the local bar. Insomnia Cookies delivers cookies to select markets from 10am to 3am. And, the list is growing.

Extended hours for delicious and creative baked goods sounds like a win-win to us. Do you have a late night bakery near you? What do you think of the trend?