The Next Big Thing: What Will Succeed The Cupcake?

Last week, Crumbs Bake Shop pulled a will-it-or-won't-it plot twist of epic proportions: One day, the company unexpectedly shuttered all of its shops prompting Business Insider to declare the "cupcake bubble officially burst." Then, a little less than a week later, surprise, it's all good! Still, it could signal the end of an era. Once Magnolia Cupcakes got the Carrie Bradshaw seal of approval back in 2010, cupcakes became the It food, and chains like Crumbs expanded fast. Now, with one of the biggest names in the biz pulling a stunt like this? We're not so sure.

In the past couple of years, new foods have shimmied onto our radar and challenged the cupcake's seemingly hold over trend snackers. Blair Waldorf accomplished a similar acclaim for macarons several years after Bradshaw. And, while the bite-size French confections are still going strong, we can't help but think: Can they reach single-serving-cake heights of fame?

We've rounded up some of the tasty treats we think will give cupcakes — and macarons, for that matter — a run for their money. We judged these foods on qualities like portability, Instagrammability, and most importantly, absolute deliciousness. Our speculations about the next fashionable food du jour, just ahead.