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    Home » The Plain Columns » The Amish Editor

    An Amish Wedding Cake Revisited/Updated

    Published: Jan 30, 2012 · Updated: Mar 22, 2014 by Kevin Williams | 38 Comments

    These aren't the sharpest photos on the planet because I had to take a picture of a picture, but this definitely gives you a rare view at an Amish wedding cake.  This cake was made by Miriam Miller, an Amish school-teacher in Fredonia, Pennsylvania. Fredonia was one of the many Amish settlements we visited in writing Amish Cooks Across America  and Miriam and her mother were so hospitable, warm, and friendly.  They were just a delight.

    I write more about Miriam in our book, but she's an accomplished painter, school-teacher, gardener, baker, and one of her other sought-after skills: wedding cakes.  She gave me this photo to possibly publish in ACAA but it couldn't be reproduced properly, but I still wanted to share it.  Lots of labor goes into such a cake.  The photos below show the main wedding cake , but there would also be "side cakes" served around the main cake so all guests and helpers could have a piece.

    Note the intricate frosting designs?  I couldn't make a cake like this, but I could sure eat one:)  Below are two more photos, one shows a different angle on the above cake which shows the square base of the cake better.  The last photo shows a plainer Amish wedding cake, probably more traditional, but with a sweet heart-shaped touch.By the way, I have only seen a few Amish wedding cakes through the years.

    Ones I have seen pretty much mirror this one, although without the flowers. Wedding season is in full swing right now in some southern Amish settlements like Ethridge, TN and Pontotoc, Mississippi since the weather is cooler and the harvests are complete. In more traditional Amish areas the main Amish wedding season is still several months away, but young couples already have their cake orders into Miriam by now, I am sure. Update: Miriam married and moved to the Amish settlement in Delaware. I'm sure she took her talents with her.  Would love to catch up with her again one day!cakeycakeycakeycakey2cakeycakey3

     

     

    « Mexican Mennonites and Some Puzzling Pictures? (Bra? Unkapped?)
    Amish Cook, Week of January 30, 2012 »

    About Kevin Williams

    Hi, my name is Kevin Williams and I am owner of Oasis Newsfeatures and editor of The Amish Cook newspaper column.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Donita

      January 30, 2012 at 10:35 am

      Absolutely beautfiul...my daughter would love it

      Reply
      • Kevin

        January 30, 2012 at 11:41 am

        Welcome, Donita, Gladys, and Loretta::) Yes, Gladys, they do look pretty "typical", but I think it's sort of in keeping with low-key Amish traditions...while very large in terms of logistics, at their core Amish weddings are usually sweet, simple cemeronies...

        Reply
    2. Gladys Springer

      January 30, 2012 at 10:46 am

      Look a lot like of cake I have seen on any wedding planning site.

      Reply
    3. Loretta

      January 30, 2012 at 11:10 am

      Oooh and aww...
      They are so beautiful. I don't know what else could be said about them. I wish I had a piece right now with my coffee.

      Reply
    4. Amy

      January 30, 2012 at 12:13 pm

      Miriam Miller? That name sounds familiar. I have a Amish cookbook written by 17 year old Miriam Miller. I wonder if it's the same person.

      Reply
      • Kevin

        January 30, 2012 at 12:19 pm

        Amy, I doubt it is the same, Miriam never mentioned a cookbook to me ...where is she from? I'd like to hear more about the cookbook, that sounds neat, a cookbook from the perspective of someone that young and Amish. Miriam and Miller are fairly common names among the Amish...thanks for stopping by!

        Reply
        • Karen

          January 30, 2012 at 1:36 pm

          Kevin, I looked up that book for you: The Wooden Spoon Cookbook, by Miriam Miller (and yes, she was just 17 at the time she wrote it!). You can find this on Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble's web site. I just bought one for $4.95 plus $3.99 shipping on Amazon.com.

        • Kevin

          January 30, 2012 at 1:52 pm

          karen, thanks for the info...let us know how you like the book, sounds interesting!

        • Wendy

          January 30, 2012 at 2:08 pm

          I have that one!

        • Amy

          January 30, 2012 at 3:58 pm

          Thanks for answering me, Kevin. Yeah, I had my doubts it was the same Miriam. Btw, there is a follow up to "The Wooden Spoon". It's called "The Wooden Spoon: Wedding Sampler Cookbook". It's the recipes served at her 500 guest wedding including recipes from her husband's family.

    5. Linda Bolt

      January 30, 2012 at 12:20 pm

      I didn't know that Amish weddings would ever have cakes with stacked layers at all, so this is interesting. Now, when is the traditional Amish wedding season? I thought it was in November, or does this vary by area?

      Reply
      • Kevin

        January 30, 2012 at 12:26 pm

        Linda, welcome...and, yes, it varies by area...southern Amish areas (Tennessee, Mississippi) it tends to be November - March when the harvest is done and the weather is cooler. In Amish areas of the Midwest that are heavily agrarian you also tend to see fall weddings. In Amish areas where farming isn't the huge factor that it once was, June and July tend to be the busy months. October has gained ground in recent years in all areas just because the weather is often reliably nice.

        Reply
    6. Martha Suter

      January 30, 2012 at 2:02 pm

      What makes these cakes distinctive that they are called "Amish wedding cakes"?

      Reply
      • Kevin

        January 30, 2012 at 2:09 pm

        Martha, welcome! Okay, the cakes themselves are really like any other wedding cake in terms of their formulation....you'd have to see the cake in context with the whole setting to see what really makes them "Amish" and I don't have a photo of that...The wedding cake is usually on a table in the corner with low-key but festive decor commemorating the big day...I think the cake is plainer in look than maybe something you'd see at our weddings (i.e, no small bride/groom figures on the cake or pillars holding up the layers), so these are "Amish wedding cakes" in so much that they fit into the overall wedding scene and decor.

        Reply
    7. ann

      January 30, 2012 at 2:52 pm

      Very beautiful! The heart one is cute too!

      Reply
      • Kevin

        January 30, 2012 at 3:00 pm

        I agree! And, welcome to amishcookonline, Ann!

        Reply
    8. Martha Suter

      January 30, 2012 at 3:43 pm

      Thanks for the info, Kevin. The cakes are beautiful. I think I like them without the bride & groom on top; they don't seem so *cluttered*.

      Reply
    9. June Hunte

      January 30, 2012 at 6:21 pm

      Kevin, When I was to have my wedding, I wanted blue swans on my cake, but my mother wouldn't allow it. She said, "everyone would think I was loose." (1959) times change!
      Thanks so much for the inside look,
      June

      Reply
      • Kevin

        January 30, 2012 at 6:22 pm

        LOL...Funny, June...how times have changed! Good to see you online here!

        Reply
    10. Dorothy Shaulis

      January 30, 2012 at 7:40 pm

      The cakes are very beautiful! Thanks for sharing the pictures Kevin. Somehow I thought they would be more plain. The fresh flowers look very nice.

      Reply
      • Kevin

        January 30, 2012 at 7:52 pm

        Dorothy, welcome, good to see you here! And I would point out that I'd say the Fredonia settlement on a scale of 1 - 10, 1 being most conservative, 10 being least....probably come in at around a 6...so you might well see plainer cakes in plainer settlements

        Reply
    11. Christine

      January 30, 2012 at 8:20 pm

      I was also surprised at how fancy the top cake was for an Amish wedding. Oh to be so talented.

      Reply
    12. Karen Gervais

      January 31, 2012 at 9:28 am

      The cakes are beautiful. Didn't even know the Amish would have a wedding cake and if they did, it was very plain. Where would I be able to get the book "Amish Cooks Across America" when it comes out?? Woul love to get a copy.

      Reply
      • Kevin

        January 31, 2012 at 9:45 am

        Karen, it was scheduled for release this autumn,but I am thinking it'll be Spring 2013 now....I'll post plenty of info when it comes out and is available

        Reply
        • Karen Gervais

          January 31, 2012 at 10:59 am

          Thanks. I'm looking forward to another Amish cookbook especially one from different Amish cooks.

    13. Tiffanie

      January 31, 2012 at 7:33 pm

      Thanks for sharing that with us...we're always curious about these sort of things.

      Reply
    14. Judy

      January 31, 2012 at 10:47 pm

      The cakes are amazing . Kevin, did she happen to mention if they use a special cake recipe?

      Reply
      • Kevin

        January 31, 2012 at 11:01 pm

        Welcome, Judy....I'd have to dig up my notes for the specifics, but I can tell you she makes the cakes from mixes, so it's not like they were completely scratch-made. But she clearly puts a lot of labor into each one.

        Reply
    15. Lynette Sowell

      February 02, 2012 at 3:45 pm

      Very pretty, and they don't look much different than some not-Amish wedding cakes. I bet they're delicious...

      Reply
      • Kevin

        February 02, 2012 at 3:46 pm

        welcome to amishcookonline, Lynette...and, yes, they do look tasty!

        Reply
    16. wes

      February 02, 2012 at 4:23 pm

      They look great. That is good that you shared these pictures with us, because I am just getting into this part of an Amish lifestyle in a novel that I am writing. Thanks for doing this.

      Reply
      • Kevin

        February 02, 2012 at 4:58 pm

        Wes, welcome and good luck with the novel!

        Reply
    17. Rose Theis

      February 02, 2012 at 4:46 pm

      KEVIN I THINK THE CAKES ARE JUST BEAUTIFUL BUT THEN, I LOVE ALMOST EVERYTHING ABOUT THE AMISH. THANKS FOR SHARING

      Reply
    18. Mona G.

      February 02, 2012 at 7:39 pm

      I agree with everyone on here who commented, the cakes are just beautiful.....looking forward to your cookbook too....
      Is your other book out yet ?

      Reply
    19. Leona Sturtz

      February 03, 2012 at 12:52 pm

      The cakes are very pretty. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Kevin

        February 03, 2012 at 7:27 pm

        Welcome to amishcookonline, Leona!

        Reply
    20. Diane Adelstone

      February 04, 2012 at 4:55 am

      I am so delighted with your blog. We don't have Amish here or religions like it in Las Vegas, NV. These cakes are beautiful and I would love to have a slice or two. I am sure they are much more delicious than store bought cakes. They put a lot of love into everything they do. They have a "Higher Power" to live for. That's why the Amish do such a good job. They let their light shine!

      Reply
      • Kevin

        February 04, 2012 at 7:20 am

        Diane, thank you for the comment and welcome...so fun to have an Amish Cook reader in Vegas!

        Reply

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    Hi There, I'm Kevin!

    Welcome to Amish365, where I share my knowledge of Amish cooking and culture! I’ve spent almost three decades exploring Amish settlements and kitchens from Maine to Montana and almost everywhere in between. I’ll occasionally throw in stories of my travels, journalism adventures (I’m a Pulitzer prize-nominated journalist), fascination with grocery stores and Kmarts, and much more!

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