White Wedding Cake. Something Old, Something New.

Grandma’s baking is probably a prominent memory for most adults. Over the years I’ve had conversations with many who fondly reminisce about a particular cookie, pie, cake, or other goodie that was a staple during summer visits or holiday gatherings at their grandmother’s house.

My Grandma had five children to raise and wanted to have a way to contribute to the family, so she baked because baking came so naturally to her. The white wedding cake was the cake she made for all the grand-kids’ birthdays and every holiday. She made a birthday cake for baby Jesus, a lamb cake for Easter, and for countless birthdays, weddings, and other events in Salina, Kansas.

One summer, I went to spend a month with my grandparents and she had made a wedding cake for someone. That little girl in me wanted to eat the frosting so badly because it was so delicious, but Grandma only made exactly what she needed so there wasn’t any extra to be had. After Grandma finished the cake, I thought I could take a little off the border thinking she’d never notice. Well, she did! When she asked me about it I denied any knowledge, of course. Grandma always knows the truth, so I got in trouble for that. One of the many things I learned as I became a baker and cake decorator is that I notice every detail and can detect if something isn’t perfect or right. Grandma paid the same attention to detail and it showed.

For me, I’d have to say my Grandma’s white wedding cake impacted my childhood and now, my business, more than anything else.

A bakery most likely hangs their hats on their wedding cakes. This is the staple that can help a baker gain fans and establish lifelong relationships. As a child, my Grandma’s white wedding cake was that thing – that thing that everyone looked forward to because she made it in a very special way. She didn’t take shortcuts with this cake. She selected fine ingredients and unexpected flavor that became the core of her little home-based business.

Grandma’s cakes were always done with amazing almond flavor and my grandparents would travel to Texas and Mexico and Grandma always bought a stash of real Mexican vanilla for her cakes, which made the taste phenomenal. Grandma gave me her frosting recipe but not her cake recipe. Many years after she passed, I found out my cousin had the cake recipe so we exchanged recipes so we could both make Grandma’s white wedding cake in its complete form. Every wedding cake I make is my Grandma’s old fashioned white wedding cake with almond and Mexican vanilla. We’ve perfected it by making it with lots of love and the same fine ingredients Grandma used. 

The Omaha Bakery makes this same amazing cake for brides and grooms near and far who understand that a tradition of great taste is just as important as keeping up with the latest trends in wedding cakes. For a bride, the bakery is typically the second stop after the dress shop proving the cake is one of the most important aspects of a great wedding experience. I have a very deep-rooted pride in my white wedding cake not only because it’s my grandmother’s recipe, but also because it is representative of the high standards I adhere to with every treat I create.