Sweetness Bakeshop & Cafe | East Kendall/Pinecrest | American, Bakery, Coffeehouse, Dessert | Restaurant

Sweetness Bakeshop & Cafe

Alex Broadwell
While food trucks get all the shine on the local affordable-dining scene, it's easy to forget that some of them are offshoots of actual brick-and-mortar establishments. Case in point: Sugar Rush Miami, the city's first baked-goods truck. The mobile bakery wows with so-bad-for-you-they're-good concoctions such as deep-fried cupcakes and super-thick milkshakes. But it's worth heading west on Sunset Drive to visit the store that begat Sugar Rush, Sweetness Bakeshop and Café. There's a lot more to be found in the inviting, cool-colored space. First off, there are - surprise! - savory items. A range of sandwiches ($4.95 to $5.95) and other simple lunch fare, like salads ($5.95), keeps the suburban spot bustling even at lunchtime. There are also sweets to be found here that aren't aboard the truck. Aside from cupcakes, Sweetness offers non-cake desserts ($1) such as tangy, mousse-like key lime pie shots and honey-goat cheese puddings, which sound almost virtuous enough to have for breakfast. If good intentions be damned, though, guayabera cupcakes, with a guava-paste filling and stiff cream cheese frosting, also make a delicious start to the day. There's another important fact about Sweetness worth pointing out to party people: Should a sugar craving strike in the wee hours of a Friday or Saturday night, it's the only local bakery open late - "until the last person leaves," which is usually around 1 a.m.