One activity many have tried their hand at amid quarantine has been baking.

Some more than others, like Samantha Reed and her partner Chris Swartz, who always shared their love of the art and experimenting with different ingredients in the kitchen.

“We’ve been thinking about it, then we would put it away,” Reed told AL DÍA News in a recent interview. “But when COVID-19 pandemic hit and our normal day jobs were put out of business, we ended up reevaluating our dream of having our own bakery.”

The early process of starting a small business in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic was tricky, some recipes were a disaster, some were a mouth-watering success.

“We’ve spent a good part of the pandemic baking way too much and trying to perfect flavor combinations, we spend maybe five to six months on that,” she said.

Reed, who is originally from upstate New York, was a little bit worried about opening up their own bakery in an unfamiliar city.

“We don’t know many people who live in Philly, so it was definitely difficult,” she said.

Although the pair does not have any traditional baking training, the pair have always had a similar interest in baking for every major holiday.

“Ever since we’ve been dating, we both had a love of baking, we always loved baking around the holidays and said to each other, ‘Hey, we are really good at this,’” she said.

As her passion for opening a small business grew, Reed started researching recipes to get her customer’s attention. She also started watching YouTube videos on cake decorating and practiced whenever she had the chance.

“We want our customers to know that yeah, our treats do look good, but the flavor combinations are very good,” she said.

Their indulgent treats are bursting with different flavor combinations and can’t be found at your usual supermarket bakery.

“We have a brownie called the Dudley brownie, which is a layer of cookie dough on the bottom, Oreos, and a layer of brownie on top,” said Reed.

They also have a chocolate peanut butter pretzel cupcake, which is created for all chocolate lovers.

Reed starts by making a fluffy chocolate cupcake, then fills it with a generous serving of peanut butter pretzel filling. She then adds her peanut butter buttercream icing on top and sprinkles bits of pretzel to finish it off.

Another fan favorite is their homemade carrot cake cupcakes created iced with rich and velvety cream cheese frosting, topped with toasted walnuts.

“We have a standard menu on our website, and we ask for people to give us two business days in advance,” said Reed.

Her small business also offers delivery on Wednesdays and Sundays.

From cupcakes to cookie bars and specialty cakes, Dudley’s Delights stepping up in the baking game.

To support Reed’s creative business, check out its unique menu!

Just order online and pick it up once your treats are ready.