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    Home » Everything Amish » Plain Culture

    Bill Knapp's Cakes

    Published: Mar 12, 2018 · Updated: Mar 12, 2018 by Kevin Williams | 4 Comments

    By Kevin Williams

    SIGH, I have talked about Bill Knapps before - many times.  And for those of you who live outside of the midwestern USA, forgive me for talking about something so provincial.   For those who don't remember, or don't live in my area, Bill Knapp's was a chain of restaurants in the Midwest that catered largely to senior citizens.  So when my grandparents took us out to eat to Bill Knapps,  my brother and I were in good company, almost everyone there consisted of white-haired grandparents taking their children and grandchildren out to eat.

    You can read all about it here courtesy of Wikipedia

    My paternal grandparents will always be synonymous with Bill Knapps.  Each restaurant was laid out the same, the decor a very retro green and white.  This was their kids menu.

    This was their kids menu....I think I always ordered the Giraffe...

    There was always a rack of comic books in the front of the restaurant and my brother would make a beeline for those.  They were strategically placed so that restless kids would have something to do if you had to wait a bit for a table.  How quaint, comic books.  Today almost every kid just whips out an electronic device to while away the time.

    But Bill Knapp's isn't totally dead.  You see, another amazing memory of those days was the chocolate birthday cake...perfectly round, the icing immaculately applied and thick.  The recipe and name were bought by a Michigan bakery after Bill Knapp's went out of business in 2002.  I've actually been to the bakery in Michigan where those cakes are made.  I was there on other business, but I was taken to see the assembly line where the cakes are made and put into those familiar white boxes.

    The line of products like the Bill Knapp's cakes won't be around forever. Their youngest customers would be around my age, so the cakes could stick around another decade or two but with each passing year those that remember them will be fewer and fewer...

    Ah,memories....

    I don't remember a white Bill Knapps cake in the restaurant, I think this is a brand extension.

    Ah, such nostalgia...

     

    « The Amish Cook: Life's A Piece of Cake
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    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. Linda

      March 25, 2018 at 1:23 pm

      Does this bakery ship the Bill Kapps cakes?

      Reply
      • Kevin

        March 25, 2018 at 2:04 pm

        Linda, looks like you can order them online here.

        Reply
    2. Jo

      January 11, 2019 at 10:28 am

      The Bill Knapps I went to as a child had white cakes. They were specially for anniversaries. I don't remember my grandparents ever celebrating an anniversary without a white BK cake.

      Reply
      • Kevin

        January 11, 2019 at 11:38 pm

        Mmmm, yes, the white cakes at BK were great also...they do have a white cake available in stores under the BK label! Very good cake!

        Reply

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    Kevin Williams - The Amish Editor Amish Cook Column

    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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