Saturday Sweets: Sweetness Bakeshop, Neighborhood Favorite
The dessert scene in Miami has been steadily growing for years now, but do you remember in 2010 when mini cupcakes were taking over the world? Sweetness Bakeshop entered our lives at just the right time and was ALL over that craze. I remember the first day I stepped foot into Sweetness Bakeshop, I was in between classes and had stopped in to visit my grandmother on my lunch break when she showed me a flyer she picked up about a bakery opening that very day. Naturally I left my next class and immediately made my way there.
The moment I walked in, I knew I found my new home away from home. Cupcakes, coffee, and WiFi was all this college kid needed. Within a few weeks I was on a first name basis with the entire family behind this delicious little bakeshop. But I wasn’t the only one obsessed with them, they gained a cult-like following fairly quickly.
Sweetness Bakeshop is owned and operated as a total family affair. Stephanie Diaz graduated with a Business Degree from FIU in December 2009 and with her mom, Yami’s love of baking and the entire family’s support – Sweetness Bakeshop was up and running by March 2010.
Customers could walk in and expect to see dad sweeping the floor, grandma building boxes, mom running the cash register, and brother, Danny and Stephanie baking and bickering in the kitchen – I’ve heard it compared to Que Pasa USA, the Bakery Edition. Obviously it wasn’t just the family, but the desserts everyone was coming in for.
The cupcakes, desserts, mini flans, and G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) cookies are all fan favorites. A few years into it, Sweetness started a food truck called Sugar Rush and were able to open a second location in Hialeah and began producing wholesale desserts for Baptist Health Systems and Pincho Factory. Though the quality of their treats never changed, that “loving family bakery” feeling suffered because someone was always hidden in the warehouse or running around between locations. After a year or so the family quickly came back to their roots, returning to only the Sunset location with a fun edgier rebranding and lots of face time with their customers.
Now let’s talk the desserts – Sweetness Bakeshop has a plethora of treats and flavors on hand at all times. Every day cupcakes include Thrilla Vanilla, Guava, Chocolate, and Red Velvet. As well as the fun flavors that change seasonally and by day of the week – anything S’more or Nutella are my favorite. There’s Crack Cookies that are crazy addicting – Stephanie’s favorite, so you know they are good! And my favorite, the infamous G.O.A.T Cookies, a chocolate truffle-like brownies INSIDE of a chocolate chip cookie. Protip: ask them to heat it up for you! As a family bakeshop, we can also expect plenty of old school recipes to come pouring out of their kitchen with love.
Yami has been in the kitchen lately cranking out her grandmother’s Pecan Crusted Rum Cake. Her grandmother went to college in small town Danville, Virginia for four years and brought a ton recipes home to Cuba that are used in the Sweetness kitchen today, with a twist. The Banana Pudding is made with Maria Cookies rather than the ‘Nilla Wafers we would normally see. Strawberry Flan from Spain can also be found on their menu.
American classics with a Miami Cuban twist is what you can expect coming out of this kitchen. The Diaz family does their absolute best to not only make amazing desserts but to be a known part of the community, whether it’s asking how a child’s weekly spelling test went and rewarding them with a free cookie or slipping samples of new recipes out of the kitchen to get the opinions of their regulars before putting them on display.
Thirsty customers can also find a selection of local craft beers and Miami roasted coffees – currently they are brewing coffee from our friends over at Per'la, a favorite among the MIAbites team. For the sweet lover who can devour cupcakes and still want more there’s also a few mouthwatering milkshakes on the menu.
I always go for the G.O.A.T Cookie milkshake, I know I know I’m obsessed, but at least I’ll admit it! If you have ever been to Sweetness Bakeshop, then I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say it’s the best family bakeshop in Miami, and if you haven’t been yet – then you are seriously missing out! While you’re on the way there make sure to download the Perka App, they’ve got a customer reward program where you can earn free cupcakes, dessert shots, and some other great perks!
9549 SW 72nd St, Miami, FL 33173
(305) 271-7791