Chapel Hill’s Tonya’s Cookies Cream Cheese Pound Cake Selected for Oprah’s Favorite Things 2024

CHAPEL HILL, NC — Chapel Hill baker Tonya Council is celebrating a delicious achievement: Her Cream Cheese Pound Cake has been named one of Oprah’s Favorite Things for 2024, a highly anticipated holiday gift list. The cake, known for its rich, buttery flavor with a hint of lemon, is a fresh take on a beloved recipe from Council’s late grandmother, Mildred “Mama Dipp” Council, a culinary icon and founder of Mama Dipp’s Restaurant in Chapel Hill.

This is the second time Council’s creations have made the list, with her Pecan Crisp Cookies featured in 2021. Council’s signature Cream Cheese Pound Cake, which combines her grandmother’s Southern baking tradition with a modern twist, can be purchased at Tonya’s Cookies & Bake Shop, Sweet Tea & Cornbread in Raleigh’s Crabtree Valley Mall, and on Amazon.

“Being included in Oprah’s Favorite Things for a second time is an incredible honor,” Council said. “This pound cake holds a special place in my heart as it carries forward the flavors and memories of my grandmother’s kitchen.”

In addition to the featured pound cake, Council offers a Mini Pound Cake and Pecan Crisp Cookie Duo in-store and online. Oprah’s Favorite Things serves as an annual holiday shopping guide, spotlighting unique, innovative gifts and small businesses. Shoppers can enter to win the full selection of Oprah’s picks by participating in the 12-Day Give-O-Way Sweepstakes from November 12 through November 23 on Oprah Daily.