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All my life my mother got me a Culpepper's cake for my birthday. I haven't had a birthday cake since they went out of business. It's just not the same.

Do any of you know the secret to making cake icing that has that little 'crunch' to it? That was the best thing about those cakes. That, and the texture of the cake itself. It really stood up to that icing.

I miss those cakes so much! My birthday is near Christmas and my Mother would have poinsettias put on my cakes.

When I was little and we'd have business downtown, I remember standing in front of Culpepper's and looking in the big windows at the displays. I would stand there in my new shoes (What was that shoe store called? Mr. Hawkins was the nice man who helped you try on the shoes and then your mom would say, "She'll just wear them" and they'd put your old shoes in the box for you) and look at the wedding cakes and smell that frosting.

Sigh. I won't even mention how good Culpepper's donuts were.....
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I remember the store but I can't be sure of the name. I know they sold Buster Brown and that might have been the name. Kim Culpepper was in my class in either second or third grade so she would be around 46 now. If she were still around town I bet the recipe could be had but I couldn't even guess where to begin looking.
homesickgirl I am with you on being a Culpeppers customer. I miss their business SOOOOOO much!
OMG! That shoe store! I had not thought of that place in years! I am now having a brain lapse and cannot remember the name of it either!
I had to wear special shoes for about 6 years and they measured and ordered them,i always hatted them! But i remember one special Saturday we went to pick them up,I would not even open the box,because i already knew they would be the ugly old things just like the ones i had on. My mom and the gentleman kept on at me to at least try them on and make sure the fit was correct. To my supprize they were beautiful (well at least to me at that time),,my first "big girl" shoes without evidence of looking so orthopedic!
Call Sugar Bakers in St. Florian and see if they might make them or even ask them if they know who does if they don't.

Keep in mind there have been a a lot of changes since them good old days.

Mother mother used to make the BEST pound cake in town.

When Duncan Hines changed the recipe of their cake mix her cakes had not been good ever since and she raised cane and quit making them.

So good luck.

You might want to check this out. Link
That's it! Kay's. I wish I didn't have these memory lapses. It is frustrating.

Smurph, I am right with you on the childhood shoe buying memories. My feet were really wide, and wide shoes were 'special order'. I always had to have sandals with buckles across the toes, so that they could be 'let out' to fit my foot. And all my school shoes had to be lace ups, ordered special in wide widths. Mr. Hawkins was quiet and friendly and I looked forward to seeing him.

My heart's desire was a pair of loafers. My mother, knowing that I only wore shoes when someone made me, would say, "I'm not getting you loafers because you will slip them off every chance you get. And you'll slip them off your heels and walk on the backs of them and ruin them." I begged and begged and finally got some loafers. Mother said, "She'll wear them." I started out the door of Kay's Shoe store (after stopping at the gum ball machines and getting a gumball for a penny) and before I was out the door, I had slipped one of those loafers off my heel. Mother turned me around, returned the shoes, and bought the lace ups.

So many lessons in that experience...For kids...don't slip the shoes off your heels until you've scuffed the toes too much to return them! And for parents...don't make threats that you aren't willing to carry out. I can attest to the effectiveness of a carried out threat. It made a huge impression on me. After that when she'd threaten me with something, I'd think, "And I know she'll do it, too!"

As for Culpepper's icing...I will have to try a Sugarbaker's cake.

I remember reading an article in the Times Daily about Culpepper's once. It said that they didn't have recipes..they had 'formulas'. The difference is the amounts of ingredients used. Instead of cups, it was pounds. If we had the recipe, we'd have to cut it way down for home use.

If I could get my hands on some Culpepper's icing right now, I'd just eat it with a spoon!

My kids really loved the big chocolate chip cookes, too. They were unlike any chocolate chip cookies I've ever eaten. I think they had a lot of dark brown sugar in them.

Now I'm hungry, and I wish I had some loafers! But come to think of it, I'm sitting here with my heels hanging off the edges of my Crocs. My mother really is a genius.
Last edited by HomesickGirl
I loved Culpepper's. My mother went every Saturday, and I would always have a gingerbread man waiting for me when I woke up. I could always count on rounding the corner to the kitchen, and seeing that small, white sack! Even after I was grown and out of the house, sometimes she would still drop by to give me a gingerbread man.

I think that Sugarbakers has delicious cake, but no one can touch those early a.m. Culpepper's donuts.
quote:
Originally posted by gm942:
I remember the store but I can't be sure of the name. I know they sold Buster Brown and that might have been the name. Kim Culpepper was in my class in either second or third grade so she would be around 46 now. If she were still around town I bet the recipe could be had but I couldn't even guess where to begin looking.


I think that would be Mickey's younger sister. He ran the bakery after his parents died, and his daughter worked there some also. I'm sure he would have the recipes. I have hopes that one of them will do something at some point, perhaps a small store located within a store.
[Mother mother used to make the BEST pound cake in town.

When Duncan Hines changed the recipe of their cake mix her cakes had not been good ever since and she raised cane and quit making them.



Hey Hounddog,
I do a wonderful pound cake with duncan-Hines Mix... & here it is.

1 box classic white
2/3 cup wesson oil
2/3 cup buttermilk (the classic brand from Purity it's in the yellow box/ not the non-fat or low fat kind) You may need to add a little more for the consistancy to be correct.
6 eggs
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
2 tsp of good vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar

Beat together cream cheese, wesson oil and sugar until fluffy, add vanilla. Then add cake mix and eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Pour into a prepared tube pan. I butter mine and sprinkle with sugar & cinnamon mixture. Bake @ 350 for about 50 or 60 minutes till test done with a toothpick. Remove and cool in pan. & put on cake plate.

Glaze with..... Melt 4 Tablespoon Real Butter, dash of salt, a few Tablespoons heavy whipping cream and XXX Sugar & tsp vanilla. Whisk until smooth, and drizzle over top of cooled cake.
quote:
Originally posted by butterflier:
The Culpepper's are now working at the Victorian Tea Room if youw still crave their cakes. Give the place a try.


I will be checking this out. Thanks so much for the info. It is not right that they wouldn't be making cakes somewhere. They are GIFTED!

Someone mentioned the chocolate doughnuts. That icing was so wonderful. And I have good memories of the white bags and boxes, too.

Sigh.
I am a major snob when it comes to cake, but I have to say that the cake from the Victorian Tea Room is THE BOMB!!!! Sometimes I will drive home from Nashville to wedding and baby showers just for the chance to eat some of their petit fours! I didn't know that was the Culpepper's people.

I agree that that weird Cool Whip icing that Wal Mart uses is a crime against humanity.
Hi to all,

Didn't Culpepper Bakery used to be on Court Street near Tombigbee Street? I am sure that was the same Culpepper Bakery. I was in high school -- and it was on the opposite side of Court from Rogers Department Store.

There was a Culpepper daughter, Beverly, who was a looker -- and I would go in both for doughnuts and because Beverly was there. Enjoyed the doughnuts and loved talking with Beverly. To this day, I do not know why I never asked her for a date -- but, that is youth. Maybe I was afraid she would say no. But, I did get a few free doughnuts.

Anyway, that is my memory of Culpeppers from the mid-1950s. When did they move away from downtown Florence?

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Gray:
Hi to all,

Didn't Culpepper Bakery used to be on Court Street near Tombigbee Street? I am sure that was the same Culpepper Bakery. I was in high school -- and it was on the opposite side of Court from Rogers Department Store.

There was a Culpepper daughter, Beverly, who was a looker -- and I would go in both for doughnuts and because Beverly was there. Enjoyed the doughnuts and loved talking with Beverly. To this day, I do not know why I never asked her for a date -- but, that is youth. Maybe I was afraid she would say no. But, I did get a few free doughnuts.

Anyway, that is my memory of Culpeppers from the mid-1950s. When did they move away from downtown Florence?

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill


Bill, some of my earliest memories are of Culpepper's. Their boxes stated they were founded in 1952. I remember a wedding portrait of Beverly that hung in the old store for years. Mrs. Culpepper and her assistant were good friends of my mother.

Their first store was in the middle of the block, about where the Gourmet Shoppe is now. They moved to the corner sometime later. After they opened a store close to McDonald's on Florence Boulevard, they kept both open for a while, then closed the downtown one.

When it became obvious that they would have to move due to the new highway, Mickey (Beverly's brother) moved the store to a location near Tri-Cities Memorial Gardens. He stated when he closed the store that it had never been as good a location as the former one.

It was harder to get in and out of, and I'm sure there were many who moved here who had no idea how great the bakery was--they would just go for the convenience of Wal-Mart or Food World. I'm so glad that someone is carrying on the tradition.
For my part Culpepper's did have a good cake but I lost interest in supporting them when they charged double for a cake order only after realizing that I was ordering the two cakes for a wedding. We ordered the cakes as round cakes (size given) and all and when we went to pick them up ask for a little swirl be placed around the outside of the cakes. When ask why and we told them it was for a wedding then they raised the price double cause it was just for a wedding, same cake, already made. There wasn't a way to change places on the day of the wedding so we were robbed by them you might say. We did refuse one of the two cakes and went to Sam's Club and purchased a replacement. Truth here --- people 100% preferred the taste of the Sam's cake over the Culpepper's cake. Have you ever tried one of the Sam's Club bakery cakes? I honestly think they taste better than anything Culpepper's produced but then I may be a bit biased having had my pockets picked by them.
quote:
Originally posted by FirenzeVeritas:
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Gray:
Hi to all,

Didn't Culpepper Bakery used to be on Court Street near Tombigbee Street? I am sure that was the same Culpepper Bakery. I was in high school -- and it was on the opposite side of Court from Rogers Department Store.

There was a Culpepper daughter, Beverly, who was a looker -- and I would go in both for doughnuts and because Beverly was there. Enjoyed the doughnuts and loved talking with Beverly. To this day, I do not know why I never asked her for a date -- but, that is youth. Maybe I was afraid she would say no. But, I did get a few free doughnuts.

Anyway, that is my memory of Culpeppers from the mid-1950s. When did they move away from downtown Florence?

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill


Bill, some of my earliest memories are of Culpepper's. Their boxes stated they were founded in 1952. I remember a wedding portrait of Beverly that hung in the old store for years. Mrs. Culpepper and her assistant were good friends of my mother.

Their first store was in the middle of the block, about where the Gourmet Shoppe is now. They moved to the corner sometime later. After they opened a store close to McDonald's on Florence Boulevard, they kept both open for a while, then closed the downtown one.

When it became obvious that they would have to move due to the new highway, Mickey (Beverly's brother) moved the store to a location near Tri-Cities Memorial Gardens. He stated when he closed the store that it had never been as good a location as the former one.

It was harder to get in and out of, and I'm sure there were many who moved here who had no idea how great the bakery was--they would just go for the convenience of Wal-Mart or Food World. I'm so glad that someone is carrying on the tradition.

Hi Firenze,

Yes, the year was 1954 and the store was in the middle of the block, on the east side of Court Street. Funny, when I think back on friends I had in high school, I still picture them as they were then. So, I still picture Beverly as the cute girl she was then -- and not the grandmother she most likely is now.

One of the most exciting things about the internet and e-mail is that I have been able to establish an e-mail link with many old high school friends. And, believe it or not, I still enjoy looking at my SHS yearbook from 1955.

This discussion on Culpeppers brings back a lot of good memories also -- and not just of doughnuts.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill
I don't remember a Culpepper's location before the corner of Court and Tombigbee.

You know how you have people who mean so much to you as a child and you never forget them? One such person worked at The Gourmet Shop, and so the trip to town would involve Kay's Shoe store and Culpepper's and dropping by the Gourmet Shop to visit her. She was very good at making lovely fruit baskets and I enjoyed watching her. When I was little, I thought that all those goodies and candies belonged to her. My favorite treat from there was little chocolate umbrellas. This lady and her family were like relatives. She was like an aunt to me and her mom was like an extra Grandma.

Good memories!! It was also fun to go to Penneys and Rogers. And Sears! They had a candy counter. Mmmmm....Bridge Mix....

Have I mentioned to all you sweet people that I am perpetually on a DIET? Eating has always been my hobby and all my memories seem to involve food.

Zippyjohn..do let me know how to get a cake from the Culpeppers. I no longer bother with a birthday cake because of the diet, but I would certainly eat a Culpepper's cake. I also have said that I will only a hot doughnut from Krispy Kreme. The cold ones aren't worth the calories to me.

I'm also thinking of trying a Sam's cake for my kids next time. I forget about their bakery because I don't have a Sam's card, but I do hear good things about them.
quote:
Originally posted by PEJ:
[Mother mother used to make the BEST pound cake in town.

When Duncan Hines changed the recipe of their cake mix her cakes had not been good ever since and she raised cane and quit making them.


Hey Hounddog,
I do a wonderful pound cake with duncan-Hines Mix... & here it is.

1 box classic white
2/3 cup wesson oil
2/3 cup buttermilk (the classic brand from Purity it's in the yellow box/ not the non-fat or low fat kind) You may need to add a little more for the consistancy to be correct.
6 eggs
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
2 tsp of good vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar

Beat together cream cheese, wesson oil and sugar until fluffy, add vanilla. Then add cake mix and eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Pour into a prepared tube pan. I butter mine and sprinkle with sugar & cinnamon mixture. Bake @ 350 for about 50 or 60 minutes till test done with a toothpick. Remove and cool in pan. & put on cake plate.

Glaze with..... Melt 4 Tablespoon Real Butter, dash of salt, a few Tablespoons heavy whipping cream and XXX Sugar & tsp vanilla. Whisk until smooth, and drizzle over top of cooled cake.




HAVE ANY OF YOU HEARD OF THE CAKE MIX DOCTOR?

Link

She also has cookbooks.
Yes, as Bill pointed out they started in the middle of the block, about halfway between Tombigbee and Tuscaloosa, then moved to the corner of Tuscaloosa and Court. (This had been a bookstore at one time.)

Does anyone remember when this was called Hangman's Corner at Halloween and a noose would be placed in a tree? I think it became un-PC and DFU stopped it in the 80s.
quote:
Originally posted by Monet:
I miss Culpepper's donuts...they were so much better than Krispy Kreme's. I used to stop several times a week on the way to work for a donut....mmmm loved those donuts with that first pot of coffee I made every morning....Big Grin


Culpepper's donuts were even good after a day. You could go in the afternoon and get two dozen for the price of one, and they were still good. They TASTED good. It seems that the Krispy Kremes turn into something else as they age, even just a few hours.

I sometimes think the quality of donuts has to do with the quality of fat used. I sometimes think WAlmart uses the same yellow stuff that cooks out of their ground beef to fry their doughnuts in! Their cake icing and donuts both make my mother sick..they make her gall bladder do tricks. My sister in law says the same thing. I would like to know what Culpepper's used in their stuff. Probably high quality shortening in the icing. Not sure of what kind of oil for frying the doughnuts. I was not aware of tasting either, thought, which is good.

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