America's sweet tooth is looking for a new chain obsession

Sprinkles' abrupt closure signaled the end of the cupcake era.

Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

• Sprinkles stores abruptly closed at the end of 2025, marking the symbolic end of the cupcake era.
• Dessert trends have regularly created waves of single-offering chain eateries.
• Bundt cake and cookie chains are now vying for the top spot to satiate America's sweet tooth.

The cupcake boom, a twenty-year dessert trend that once captivated the nation, ended with a thunk.