Patrice Davis has found a permanent home on Detroit’s northwest side for her mini, buttery vanilla pound cakes. 

After retiring from a career as a special education teacher for Detroit Public Schools, the founder of Grannies Pound Cakes wanted to supplement her income by becoming an entrepreneur. Her first swing at running her own business post-retirement in 2018 was to sell caskets. 

“(I) mailed out about 100 flyers all over and nobody called. I’m like ‘well, it won’t be the caskets.’ Pound cakes is what it is,” said Davis, who first began baking at 18.

Davis said she tweaked her pound cake recipe over time. Then, she began selling the cakes to friends and family before moving into the shared commercial kitchen space within the Brightmoor Artisans Collective. 

In 2021, Davis secured her first retail location for the cakes, Detroit Sip. Now the mini pound cakes are sold at five sites around Metro Detroit. The cakes come in three flavors: classic, lemon, and pecan. Whole pound cakes serve 12 people and are also available online by special order.

The bakery had its soft opening in November at the new brick-and-mortar at 14015 Eight Mile, and, on Dec. 15, Davis will celebrate her grand opening with the usual mini pound cakes as well as strawberry and peach cobbler cake bowls and several new flavors.

The traditional, handmade cakes draw people for nostalgic reasons, said Davis. 

“They’re moist and when you bite into them you can taste the buttery, vanilla taste, and it reminds a lot of people of the pound cake that they ate when they were growing up,” she said. 

The cakes are best served warmed up, something Davis said she looks forward to offering at her new shop.

In 2022, Davis received a technical assistance grant for marketing and branding through the city’s Motor City Match program. This year the baker signed a three-year lease for the brick-and-mortar which was already outfitted with a large kitchen and equipment. She was also a participant of ProsperUs, a program to provide small business support and entrepreneurship training to underserved communities.  

Beyond Detroit Sip, the cakes are also sold at Meijer Rivertown Market, Elmer’s Hamburgers, Meijer Woodward Corner, and Bink’s Grill. 

Detroit Sip owner Jevona Fudge Watson said the quality and nostalgia of Grannies Pound Cakes made her stock them in the cafe. 

“I’m not a sweet person, but I tasted [the pound cakes] and the rest is history,” Watson said. “It reminded me of my mom’s cakes- childhood- getting to have a warm piece of cake that my mom was making.” 

The coffee shop carries the butter classic and lemon with lemon glaze, and sells about a dozen a week. Watson said the commitment at Detroit Sip has always been to uplift other small Detroit businesses, and she is excited to see Davis keep growing. 

“[It’s] the greatest feeling to see her have something as a concept and now have her own storefront, nothing short of amazing,” Watson said. 

At the 1 p.m. grand opening on Dec. 15 Davis will debut her new caramel, sweet potato, maple, and pineapple-upside-down cake flavors. 

“Hot out the oven,” she said.