Meet Aerica Sauls of Cake By The Pound in Grant Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aerica Sauls.

Aerica, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Cake By The Pound actually started out of stress surprisingly. One day, I was sitting at home and just had a ton of things on my mind, but had no idea how to get motivated and not let these little nagging problems get the best of me. I knew one thing though, I was hungry. Stress is the only time that I like sweets. I didn’t want any of the typical store-bought cookies or cakes. So, after watching Tasty videos for about two hours and still unsure of what I had a taste for, I decided to come up with some ideas on my own and get in the kitchen. As soon as I started to bake, nothing else mattered. I was so caught up in creating different flavors and just basically doing something different. I was excited. When I finished, I had about five cakes total that I had made overnight. I was extremely proud of myself, but came to the realization that someone has to eat these cakes! I took them to work, not expecting anything from it, just wanting to get all of those cakes out of my house. My coworkers and family were shocked. No one knew I could bake and bake well at that (they are very tough critics)! They encouraged me to keep going with it, start a business, and make my stress relief into something profitable! So right there in my little kitchen, listening to Drake and trying to unwind, is how Cake By The Pound got started!

Has it been a smooth road?
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL!!! With my current career, I’ve found it to be difficult to promote myself and get out there the way I would like. But being that my career can be stressful, it also helps me creatively – coming up with new ideas to get my mind off of it. I have a ton of support from family and friends, but no one can get in the kitchen and actually bake the cakes for me. I have to find time and make time to do that myself. Sometimes that can be hard, it can mean long days and even longer nights to get everything done on time and to my satisfaction. Sometimes, it can be overwhelming, but it’s something that I’m passionate about. I love to see people enjoy something that I created. Also, starting a business from the ground requires your own money. I learned that really quickly. From mixers, to cake stands, to cooling racks, sometimes I felt that I was spending more money than I was bringing in. I had to remind myself that it is a process and an investment in myself and that if I really want my business to grow, then I have to be willing to sacrifice and put in the work!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Cake By The Pound – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Cake By The Pound is an experience. It’s all about the pound cakes. Hence the name! While I do make your classic pound cakes such as Sour Cream, Cream Cheese, and 7Up, I specialize in flavored pound cakes. Some of my flavored pound cakes are Banana Cream (think Banana Pudding in the form of a pound cake), Sweet Potato with a Rum glaze, and Red Velvet Pound Cake. Those are the crowd favorites. Aside from pound cakes, I also offer flavored cheesecakes such as Turtle Cheesecake and Peach Cheesecake as well as Strawberry Shortcake Crunchcake Cheesecake (think of a cake form of the Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream bars from your childhood), Chocolate Eclair Crunchcake Cheesecake, and Brookies in several flavors (Brownie meets Cookie)!

All cakes are offered in a 5″ mini Bundt form or a 9″ Bundt form. The cheesecakes can be made as a 9″ cheesecake or bite-size portions (24-count).

What sets me apart from others? Every cake is definitely made with love and joy because it literally gets me through some tough times to be able to bake and see the joy that others have when eating one of my cakes. Every cake is made from scratch, top to bottom. That can be very tedious, but it’s therapeutic. And if there is something that I don’t advertise or offer, that you think you might like, I’m always up for the challenge of creating it. There isn’t much that I’m not willing to try and master!

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love that Atlanta is extremely diverse. There aren’t too many cities where you will find so many different cultures and events that celebrate all of those cultures. Atlanta is truly a melting pot. There is always something to get into whether you are an introvert looking for a nice little hideout or an extreme extrovert that wants to do any and everything. Traffic would be what I least like about our city, but I think that is what comes with any major city. Can’t avoid it unless you take the train!

Pricing:

• Pound Cakes: 5″ Mini – $12/$15, 9″ Bundt – $25/$35
• Cheesecakes: 9″ Cake – $40/$45, 24 bite size – $45/$50
• Specialties: 5″ Mini – $25, 9″ Cake – $50
• Brookies: 12 for $15

Contact Info:

• Phone: 404-808-0173
• Email: aericascakebythepound@gmail.com
• Instagram: Cake.By.The.Pound.LLC
• Facebook: CakeByThePoundLLC

Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.