photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

The site for the Nothing Bundt Cake store at 2540 Iowa St. is pictured on March 27, 2023.

Nothing But Cake, of course, is a motto that has been serving both me and the elastic waistband industry well for decades. However, Nothing Bundt Cakes is a national dessert chain that soon will be serving Lawrence.

Nothing Bundt Cakes has reached a deal to locate in the shopping center at 2540 Iowa St., according to its website. That’s the shopping center that has First Watch and is next door to Applebee’s on one side and Popeye’s on the other. (If you’re keeping track, that is breakfast, lunch, dinner and now dessert. If the center gets a mattress store, I’ll be able to sell my house.)

It will be the first Lawrence location for the bakery, which of course, specializes in making bundt cakes of various sizes, decorations and flavors. The chain, though, has a significant presence in Johnson County, with stores in Olathe, Overland Park and Mission, plus a new location opening in Shawnee, according to the company’s website. It also has a bakery in west Topeka.

As for its menu, look for full-size bundt cakes — 8-inch and 10-inch versions that theoretically serve eight to 18 guests — covered in a special cream cheese icing. (The cakes that is, not the guests, for the most part.) The store also does elaborate decorations, creating tiered versions of bundt cakes, topped with everything from party hats to mortar boards to sports pennants.

The menu, though, also goes smaller. It offers “bundtlets,” which are about the size of a large cupcake. It also offers “bundtinis,” which are about the size of a one- or two-bite minicupcake.

photo by: Nothing Bundt Cake

Bundt cakes that are featured on the Nothing Bundt Cake menu are shown.

All the cakes, regardless of size, come in nearly a dozen flavors, according to the company’s website. They’re mostly classic cake flavors, such as vanilla, red velvet and double chocolate. But the offerings also include a few cookie-inspired cakes, including a snickerdoodle and an Oreo variety, plus a white chocolate raspberry and a strawberries and cream version.

As you might guess, the party business is a big part of the company’s strategy. In addition to offering its decorating services, the company also does a lot of wrapping and packaging of its cakes, offering things like a tower of bundlets, or creating special wrappings for companies that want to use the cakes as part of a corporate giveaway or other such program. The store also sells a few party supplies, including balloons, candles, themed plates and the like.

The company got its start back in 1997 when a pair of Las Vegas women started having success with bundt cakes that they were making in their home kitchens. The company now has 430 bakery locations in 40 states and Canada, according to the company’s website.

The company hasn’t announced a timeline for opening in Lawrence, but construction work is well underway. The sign for the business has been installed, and crews on Monday were building interior walls at the shop.