Courtesy Photo
Ok, so, if you are coming to Taste of Soul (TOS) which is on Oct. 20, then you are in for a treat—or should I say, treats because the desserts are in the house. Cakes By the Pound will allow everyone to have fun and eat their cake too.
“I started By The Pound, two years ago,” said owner and baker, Tracy Neely-Brantley. “One day, our gardener, who’s from Texas, said, ‘I would like to have a good pound cake.’
“So, the lemon/coconut was made—and the rest is history.
“He was the one who suggested we sell them.”
Neely-Brantley is originally from North Carolina and moved to California in 2002. She has an RDA/OA in dentistry, but she won’t be looking at your teeth at the festival. Instead, she will be feeding your sweet tooth and making many people, very happy.
“I’m using recipes that’s been handed down from my grandmother, to my mother, and now to me,” which means we’re getting the good stuff at TOS this year.
“Most bakeries sell the traditional plain pound cake,” said Neely-Brantley.
Ok, get ready for this— Neely-Brantley says what makes By The Pound different is… their desserts are made of pound cake! Yes, you read right: cookies, cake bites, cake tops and cakes.
“We also offer a variety of flavors, red velvet, coffee, chocolate, lemon/coconut, blueberry, strawberry and more,” said Neely-Brantley.
They use all organic ingredients, cage-free eggs—she makes everything natural and homemade. Oh, can’t forget this, instead of what she calls a “plain glaze,” By The Pound offers a homemade, whipped creamed frosting. Whipped… creamed… frosting, what?
She says her signature pound cake is lemon, using, of course, natural ingredients, the citrus from the lemon, combined with a cream cheese and lemon buttercream frosting.
“Everyone becomes a fan,” said Neely-Brantly.
I’m already a fan and I haven’t tasted anything—yet.
It’s always fun to have first-time vendors at TOS and Neely-Brantley is ready to show everybody how she does cakes.
“This is my first time attending the Taste of Soul— I always wanted to do it,” said Neely Brantley. “I’m looking forward to the atmosphere, seeing the community come together for a day, also meeting other vendors.”
Ok, I hope you don’t need anymore convincing to visit By The Pound’s booth at TOS this year. These cakes sound absolutely delicious and sound worth the no-baked-sweets-purge I’ve been on all summer long.
“I want people to follow me on Instagram at Bythepound and come by my tent and have a bite of the best pound cake you’ll ever have,” said Neely-Brantley.
“I’m featuring my pound cake bites this year—lemon, coffee chocolate and red velvet.”
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For more information on Taste of Soul, please visit tasteofsoul.org.
