Didn't get invited to a wedding this summer? No worries. Here are a few Southern places to get your wedding cake fix.
Snowballs in New Orleans
No, it doesn’t snow in New Orleans but shaved ice here means something fine and delicious. And snowballs aren’t just ice and flavored sugar, although it’s fine if that’s all you want. Snowballs in New Orleans also come stuffed with decadent things like ice cream and condensed milk or topped with fruit, marshmallows or whipped cream. Our favorite is wedding cake, so every bite makes us think of cool ballrooms with great music instead of sweltering summer heat.
And snowballs aren't just found in New Orleans. That's an old photo of Viola Valentine mystery cover artist Josh Coen enjoying a snowball at Murphy's Snowballs in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Dutch Maid Bakery
The oldest bakery in Tennessee exists in the small town of Tracy City, founded in 1902 by Dutch Swiss immigrants Louise and John Baggenstoss and continued by Cindy Day. Dutch Maid Bakery still churns out delicious baked goods but some of the items begun by the Baggenstoss, such as fruitcakes, weren’t selling as well for Day. She started experimenting with moonshine cake, moist cakes in various flavors with a subtle touch of alcohol. We purchased the wedding cake flavor and brought it home to family, which devoured it in seconds. Talk about yum yum good!
Indulge
Back in Lafayette, Louisiana, they take a cake and make a shake. Indulge's “Cake Shake” comes in many flavors, including red velvet, chocolate, oreo brownie and strawberry shortcake but we prefer — you guessed it — the Wedding Cake Shake! The premise is fairly simple, it’s a milkshake with a piece of cake blended inside. And if you still want a slice of wedding cake, Indulge sells that too.
Blue Bell
Finally, there’s Blue Bell “Bride’s Cake,” a delicious combination of almond-flavored ice cream with cake pieces and Amaretto-flavored cream cheese icing. It’s like having your cake and ice cream too! It’s a rotational flavor and we’ve heard rumors it’s only available in Louisiana, so check their website or your local market to be sure.
Blue Bell is a true Southern creamery. Located in Brenham, Texas, the company began making ice cream in 1907 and started exporting its creamy goodness outside the state in the 1980s. Today, the ice cream is sold in 22 states and fortunately for me, that includes Louisiana.
This story was originally a post on the Weird, Wacky and Wild South blog, penned by my twin, Chere Dastugue Coen. You can read more stories on Weird South here.