My Mom made a cake every Friday, always from scratch and a layer cake. It was a tradition that my Dad would frost the cake just before supper. To this day a layer cake says “Friday” and “special” to me.
One way to make even a box cake taste good is to serve it on a special cake plate like this Mayfair pink depression glass one.
Mayfair Pink Depression Glass Cake Plate
What make this one super – aside from its good looks – is that the top is flat. That means your cakes won’t sag in the center. Also this is over 10 inches across, even on the shorter side, so a 9 inch cake with frosting will fit comfortably within the plate. Many depression glass cake plates are a little over 9 inches wide, which means frosting will get everywhere.
You can choose among several patterns to get a cake plate like this one. Hocking Glass made Cameo, Miss America and Princess, and Federal made Sharon and Jeannette made Sunflower with this style. All these have small tab feet that keep the plate raised off the table and flat tops. Mayfair and Princess are the only ones that have the nice handles to make it easy to hold the plate while you frost the cake.
Besides this shape, you can find cake plates where the center is flat and there is a raised rim that may be grooved to hold a cover. You may find Queen Mary from Hocking in this shape, even complete with a metal cake cover.
Of course Mayfair is one of the premier depression glass patterns, with many collectors and pieces to choose. The cake plate is surely one of the most enjoyable pieces!