Downtown office workers have a new excuse to take the long way back from the elevator. Inside II City Plaza, a longtime Baton Rouge bakery and a local coffee roaster are now sharing the same address.

Les Amis Bake Shoppe has moved downtown to Suite 111 at 400 Convention St., and CityRoots Coffee runs a coffee bar at the same suite. Pick up a cupcake, grab a latte and you never have to leave the building.

A bakery with LSU roots

Les Amis is owned by Stephanie Bueche Hansen, a Redemptorist High School and LSU graduate who decided to chase her love of baking. She opened the shop in August 2013, making cakes and desserts for both retail customers and commercial orders. Before the move downtown, the bakery was based on Coursey Boulevard.

The cupcake list is where it's easy to lose track of time. Flavors include Bananas Foster, with rum-caramelized bananas and a banana chip on top, a Chai Latte cupcake with espresso buttercream, and a Margarita version filled with lime curd and finished with a tequila and Grand Marnier Swiss meringue buttercream. Cheesecakes run from classic New York style to a pecan pie version the bakery calls a holiday favorite.

As the holidays get closer, keep an eye on the seasonal menu. Les Amis says those specials can include party trays, gift boxes and specialty flavors, and it announces them through its email list.

The coffee half

CityRoots describes itself as a neighborhood roaster and café focused on small-batch roasting and handcrafted drinks. Its original shop is at 1509 Government St., and the II City Plaza location covers the downtown crowd. You can order ahead online for either spot.

Hours to know

Both businesses keep weekday schedules downtown. CityRoots is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Les Amis is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, plus Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon for pickups only.

Coffee in one hand, a box of cupcakes in the other: not a bad way to get through a workweek.

Photo courtesy of Les Amis Bake Shoppe.