Pound cakes are typically associated with fruity flavors, chocolate or cheese combinations, but a sweet potato pound cake transforms a traditional dessert into a novelty. Victoria Franklin's signature flavor, introduced this year with the establishment of her D.C.-based business Vicky’s Signature Sweet Potato Pound Cake, is her recipe to success. A simple home experiment resulted in the mother of two setting up shop.
“I have always had a love affair with baking, starting back in high school,” Franklin says. Given her love for sweet potatoes, she had an idea for a pound cake that she decided to try one Sunday while baking at home. “My husband is my guinea pig because he is not a huge dessert person, but he had one bite of the cake and said everyone needs to know about it.”
His reaction, “That’s some good damn cake!” resulted in the website of the same name and so began Franklin’s entrepreneurial venture with the support and encouragement of her family and friends. A full-time mom with a job in the nonprofit sector and a life that revolves around her family, Franklin felt now is the right time to put 100 percent into herself and her interests.
“I always tell my family to give their 100 percent to everything they do, and I feel like I did a pretty good job with them, so I felt it was my time to do what I like to do.” Franklin established the business in March this year, and her top priority now is to network and get the cake out to everyone she can. “I want to branch out; my focus is everywhere. I want the cake in physical locations, different states.”
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While she currently makes orders out of her home, Franklin is definitely looking for another space as she expands. Her young company is also offering mini sweet potato pound cakes and her sweet potato drops with Vicky’s signature butter salt – something she featured at the launch party for her business and for which she received phenomenal reviews, will also be available.
The sweet potato pound cake as well as the butter, mini cakes and drops are sold solely through her website. If you order the cake online, the turnaround time is 72 hours if you are local and a little longer if it is shipped. Franklin delivers on weekends and ships overnight to maintain the moistness and freshness of the cake.
“I want the cake to taste like it was just made when it was delivered,” she shares. You are in for a treat if you do live in the D.C. area as she has the cakes hand-delivered for a special touch. “I want everyone to taste the wonderful freshness, I want them to feel like they just made this cake in their house,” she says. “My recipe is really special and I believe it is because of the proprietary spices that I use that make my cake unique.”
Her family has been a huge support through it all. “If my husband hadn’t come back and said how good the cake was, I wouldn’t have believed it. He definitely is my number one supporter,” says Franklin. “My plan is for this cake to be a global brand, I want people to love this cake like I love it.”
For 2019, her focus is on getting the cake into major chain brand stores. She adds, “I could not put something out that was not made with love, that I didn’t feel was worthy of sharing with others.” And so it is, Franklin is spreading the love one pound cake at a time, and soon to be found at a location near you.
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To learn more about Vicky’s Signature Sweet Potato Pound Cakes and place an order by visiting, www.gooddamncake.com and follow her journey on Instagram.
