Not Jus’ Donuts Bakery isn’t known for their donuts, despite the name. It’s the place where one can also get a moist cake, a sweet milkshake, a delectable cookie or a rich pie.
Not Jus’ Donuts is a skip away from campus, located at 2020 Dowling St., just a block from Interstate 45. It’s so close to UH that the car or bus ride, the 80 Lyons and 30 Clinton, which both run along Wheeler, drop you at their front door, is barely eight minutes.
The bakery was decked out in November by Buddy Vastro’s new show “Bakery Boss,” and now the place looks different inside and out. The exterior now sports purple and green awnings, and the inside has a few round dark wooden tables, making it seem more spacious than before.
But the cakes and such are the same. The owners, Andrea Spears and her mother, Myrtle Jackson, opened the bakery in 2000 and have since been treating the public to pastries with recipes originating six generations ago.
Spears said the most popular items on the menu are the sweet potato pie, pound cake, sour cream pound cake, oatmeal raisin cookies and bundt cakes.
I tried a vanilla bundt cake. The cake can fit in my hands, but it was so rich I couldn’t eat it in one seating. The vanilla icing appeared to have oozed down the sides when the cake was warm, giving it a glazed coat. In fact, the bundt cake was the only thing on the menu that looked messy — and it looks only slightly messy.
Not Jus’ Donuts has beautifully crafted cakes and gigantic cookies for any occasion, with cakes featuring SpongeBob, Elmo and fraternities’ or sororities’ letters. They even make 3-D cakes; one looked like a bowling ball. When you visit, you might not see all of these cakes, but one type of cake they tend to keep on display is a wedding cake, which is stunning as well. In general, a custom cake at Not Jus’ Donuts appears to be thoughtful down to the smallest detail.
And so are the cake balls, cake pops and cupcakes. What you will find at every visit, it seems, is a bouquet of cake balls of all shades, some even sporting sprinkles.
Not Jus’ Donuts is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.
