Family-owned Crustees bakery in View Park-Windsor Hills stands out with sweet and savory pies, including key lime, lemon meringue, peach cobbler and a curry chicken pot pie.
(Rebecca Peloquin / For The Times)
10 Black-owned dessert spots in L.A. for a little something sweet
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“I just need a little something sweet.”
It was a predictable post-dinner refrain growing up, stated matter-of-factly by my mother, Southern grandmother or aunts, as though they were prescribing themselves dessert. The assertion was made regardless of the meal we’d just eaten, whether it was a simple weeknight dinner or a generous spread at a holiday gathering. The necessity of dessert — nothing too heavy, just a taste of something sweet — never waned.
Now I find myself doing the same thing, searching for the ideal treat that will perfectly round out my meal. In those moments, I gravitate to the classic Southern desserts I was raised on: cinnamon-swirled Sock-It-To-Me cake, crumbly 7-Up poundcake with a delicate lemon-lime glaze, peach cobbler and sweet potato pie with flaky, buttery crusts that prove just as delicious as the filling.
Thankfully, Los Angeles has plenty of Black-owned dessert shops ready to curb my craving. On South Central Avenue, a landmark bakery now in its third generation of family ownership represents the largest manufacturer of sweet potato pie on the West Coast. In View Park-Windsor Hills, another family-run spot specializing in sweet and savory pies proudly serves the neighborhood they’ve called home for years.
The Black-led sweets scene is also expanding with fresh bakeries that bring new influences, including a French-inspired cookie shop in West Adams and a hip-hop-themed sticky bun pop-up at Smorgasburg L.A.
Here are 10 Black-owned spots to visit next time you need something sweet to complete your meal:
Showing Places
(Robert Haleblian)
All About the Cinnamon
Downtown L.A. Bakery $
This family-owned dessert pop-up launched during the pandemic when a cinnamon roll craving hit and all of the go-to spots were closed. Co-owner and head baker Lindsay Sears-McDonald set about perfecting a recipe, and after testing it out on family and friends, decided to launch a cinnamon roll-focused pop-up alongside her husband, Lawrence, and son Dom. The menu draws inspiration from old-school hip-hop acts, including the classic Big Poppa, loaded with cinnamon and cream cheese, and the Missy Elliott that’s topped with strawberry shortcake crumbles and fresh strawberries. All About the Cinnamon joined Smorgasburg L.A.’s Sunday lineup in 2023 and is still going strong, with plans to open a bakery in Sherman Oaks this spring. The bricks-and-mortar will feature an expanded menu that spans savory items including a pizza bun named after Alicia Keys and a soft Philadelphia-style pretzel bun dubbed the Will Smith. The buns can also be purchased online or via Instagram DM.
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(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
Cali Love Pie
Harvard Heights Bakery $$
This is the dessert shop for cheesecake lovers. Owner Amili Williams blends his grandmother’s recipe with a variety of flavors and in a host of desserts, including pecan pie cheesecake, banana pudding cheesecake and a peach cobbler cheesecake, all available by the slice or as whole pies. If you can’t decide, try the Cali Love sampler that offers one slice of strawberry, chocolate chip, peach cobbler and sweet potato cheesecake. Like many food businesses, Cali Love Pie has struggled to stay afloat and has an ongoing GoFundMe campaign to raise money for necessary repairs and new equipment.
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(Rebecca Peloquin / For The Times)
Crustees
View Park-Windsor Hills Bakery $
R&B hits blare from a standing speaker that props open the door to Crustees, a quick-service restaurant and bakery on Slauson Avenue in View Park-Windsor Hills. After first gaining popularity at local farmers markets for its peach cobbler with a flaky, two-layer pie crust, head baker Sharon Washington, alongside her husband, Carl, and son Steven, opened their bricks-and-mortar six years ago in the neighborhood they’ve called home for years. The menu has since expanded with pecan, key lime, lemon meringue, banana pudding (“We have the best banana pudding,” says Steven.) and savory pies that put creative twists on classic options, including a chicken pot pie with a Thai-inspired curry sauce and a shepherd’s pie topped with cheesy truffle mashed potatoes, plus jalapeño-cheddar cornbread, turkey chili and a gumbo pie that’s only available on weekends. The 5-inch pies are perfect when you want to satisfy a sweet tooth in one sitting. The titular peach is bright with nutmeg and cinnamon, with a thick crust made with vegetable shortening, but the key lime that features a buttery graham cracker crust, perfectly tart key lime curd and is topped with tiny swirls of whipped cream and zested with lime, ended up being my favorite.
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(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
Fleurs et Sel
West Adams Bakery $
The menu at Lara Adekoya’s West Adams cookie-centric bakery changes with the seasons and as new inspiration strikes the baker-owner who started baking during the pandemic and opened a bricks-and-mortar last year. As our version of winter gradually gives way to spring, new additions include a peanut butter and Nutella option and Neapolitan and Meyer lemon shortbread cookies. Adekoya’s craggy, palm-size cookies also come in classic snickerdoodle, oatmeal raisin with walnut and oozy chocolate chip flavors, plus house creations that blend French and floral influence, including lavender vanilla chai and a cookie with raspberry, pistachio and white chocolate. The shop is close to a number of neighborhood spots, including Alta Adams, Bee Taqueria and Mian, in case you need a sweet treat after a meal. On March 23, Adekoya will host a citywide scavenger hunt to celebrate the bakery’s one-year anniversary.
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(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
Gourmet Cobbler Factory
Pasadena Southern Desserts $
Opened since 2002, the Gourmet Cobbler Factory has supplied more than one of my family’s holiday dinners with a catering-size tray of peach cobbler, particularly when my aunt would host at her former Altadena home not far from the Pasadena bakery. The buttery, honey-baked double crust gives way to soft peaches warm with cinnamon, though apple, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, lemon meringue and mixed-berry cobblers are also on the menu, along with sweet potato and pecan pie. A full barbecue menu is available if you decide to dine-in, but ending your meal with a slice of cobbler served a la mode is a must.
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(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
Ms Ruby's Bakery
Inglewood Bakery American $
Before you enter Ms Ruby’s Bakery in downtown Inglewood, you’ll see a sticker in the front window boasting red velvet cake as the specialty item, with a thick slice of the dessert painted underneath. You can walk in and order it by the slice or call in advance for a whole cake, in addition to popular Southern desserts like Sock-It-to-Me cake, pecan and sweet potato pies and lemon poundcake. If you’re in the mood for something savory, burgers and tacos are made to order and meals are served with natural-cut fries generously doused in a seasoning blend. Ms Ruby likely will be busy behind the counter when you visit but makes a point of greeting every customer.
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(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
My 2 Cents
Mid-Wilshire Soul Food Californian $$
At My 2 Cents, chef-owner and homegrown Angeleno Alisa Reynolds combines Southern staples with local, seasonal produce and regional trends. For example, most of the menu is gluten-free, with plenty of plant-based options. For dessert, I direct your attention to the strawberry cake made by Reynolds’ sister Teresa Fountain, perfectly moist and light with hand-whipped icing and fresh strawberries that come through in every bite of the blush-pink cake with no added food dye. Also baked by Fountain, the brown-sugar caramel cake and peach cobbler prove just as impressive. Cakes can often be made gluten-free or vegan with advance notice.
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(Danielle Dorsey/Los Angeles Times)
Southern Girl Desserts
Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw Bakery $
The dessert shop from “Cupcake Wars” winners Catarah Coleman and Shoneji Robison anchors the entrance of the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, with a few tables for enjoying treats on the spot. Cupcakes are the primary allure here, in flavors such as vanilla buttercream, red velvet and sweet potato that you can mix and match in packs ranging from two to 12. Cakes and pies are available by the slice or whole with advance notice, including lemon poundcake, coffee cake, German chocolate pie and sweet potato pie. My go-to order is the butter cookie that’s reminiscent of a tea cake and described as “a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips,” with a golden-brown edge and a soft, raised middle. It’s simple, satisfying and surprisingly addictive — I always buy more than I can finish in one sitting but immediately freeze a few so I won’t be tempted to ignore my full stomach and keep eating.
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(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times )
Sweet Red Peach
Inglewood Bakery $
Teacher-turned-baker Karolyn Plummer started pursuing her passion for baking in 2000 and landed in an Inglewood strip mall across from SoFi Stadium in 2019, with additional locations in Torrance and Menifee, as well as two franchise locations in Atlanta. The menu includes staple desserts within the Black community, including 7-Up poundcake, red velvet cake and a range of cakes and cookies bursting with pecans. When I’m feeling nostalgic, the light and not-too-sweet pound cake is my go-to, but the coffee cake with a thick crumbly crust pairs perfectly with a strong cup of coffee If I arrive on the earlier side. The peach cobbler nachos — a new item featuring a pile of crispy, buttery pie crusts coated in cinnamon and loaded with caramelized peaches and whipped cream — are also a must order.
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(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
27th Street Bakery
Central-Alameda Bakery $
This South L.A. bakery specializing in Southern desserts is a neighborhood institution that’s now in its third generation of family ownership. Led by Al and Jeanette Pickens, the bakery has grown to become the largest supplier of sweet potato pies on the West Coast and it’s easy to see why. The crust is perfectly flaky and the sweet potato filling is whipped to a light consistency. I had every intention of only taking a bite or two when I unwrapped my personal-size pie and before I knew it, I was scraping crumbs of buttery crust from the aluminum tin in attempts to extend my sweet treat. A variety of pies, cobblers, cheesecakes and cakes are available to order whole or by the slice, and old-fashioned tea cakes occasionally make an appearance.
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