A popular California-based bakery chain beloved by the likes of Drew Barrymore and Oprah has abruptly shuttered giving staff just one day's notice.

Sprinkles Cupcakes announced it had closed its 20 locations across six states on December 31.

The shock move comes after 20 years in business, during which time it gained a legion of A-list fans including model Gigi Hadid who snacked on the sweet treats to help with her pregnancy cravings.

The company said the decision to close was taken due to 'financial conditions due to unforeseen business circumstances', according to the New York Post. 

'The wind-down process will be conducted in an orderly manner to address remaining operational obligations and preserve value to the extent practicable,' a closing notice said.

However, the move has angered staff who claimed they were given just a day's notice of the closure after being relied upon to help manage the busy holiday rush. 

Founder, Candace Nelson, who sold the company to private equity firm KarpReilly Capital Partners in 2012, said she was shocked to hear of the closings. 

'Even though I sold the company over a decade ago, I still have such a personal connection to it, and this isn’t how I thought the story would go,' she said in an Instagram video. 

Sprinkles Cupcakes announced it had closed its 20 locations across six states on December 31. It was beloved by many celebrities, including Drew Barrymore (pictured in 2016) 

Oprah even promoted the brand on her show, which help boost its cult following 

Hillary Duff was also a fan of Sprinkles cupcakes. Pictured:  Duff in LA in 2015

'I thought Sprinkles would keep growing and be around forever. I thought it was gonna be my legacy.' 

Sprinkles hit the map after launching its 'cupcake ATMs,' although it is unclear what will happen to the sugar-filled vending machines. 

The bakery operated more than 20 stores, including in Beverly Hills, where it started, as well as across California. It also had spots in Washington DC, Arizona, Texas, and Florida. 

Employees ranted under the company's latest Instagram post, which promoted getting cupcakes to ring in the New Year, about only getting a day's notice about their sudden layoffs. 

'Cupcakes are sweet. One-day layoff notices are not,' one wrote. 

'One day notice is crazy. Just used us for the holidays then tossed us aside,' another wrote. 

Kimberly Salgado, who worked at the Irvine store for three years, told the New York Post: 'They let us be in the dark and spend our Christmas Eve there and work hard during the holidays to get them that holiday profit and then they just dumped us on New Year's Eve.