Fostoria Glass Buttercup Etched Crystal Torte Cake Plate

Buttercups, crystal and cake, what an entrancing combination.  Every time I see this large etched plate with the sweet rolled up rim I visualize it holding a special cake for a birthday party or wedding shower.  This pattern with the all over wide open flowers, leaves and scrolls is called Buttercup and it comes to us from Fostoria Glass.

Buttercup is one of those patterns that brides got for wedding gifts in the early 1950s and now are passing on to their families.  It’s a sleeper pattern with ever more people collecting it and looking for pieces to augment what they got from their mom or grandmother.  I buy Buttercup when I can and this particular piece came from an estate sale where the mother was in ill health and moving to assisted living.

This plate is called a torte plate in the Fostoria catalogs so consider it a large cake plate.  It’s 14 inches wide so you can put almost any size or shape cake on it, or use it for your special breakfast muffins or beautifully decorated cupcakes or even sandwiches.  Using special serving pieces is a good way to make your table even more special.

If you want a special cake plate for that special day, consider a vintage etched piece like this.  It will make your day even more memorable.

Cambridge Glass Windows Border Etched Etch 704 Amber Cheese and Cracker Set

Years ago glass makers produced two part ensembles to use for cheese and crackers.  The bottom plate was big enough to hold many crackers and one put a cheese ball or spread in the raised center comport piece.  Thus, a cheese and cracker set.

The one we show here is from Cambridge Glass, their etch 704 pattern in amber.  The photo shows it bright and it is nowhere near garish.  It is  a deep warm rich color.  The plate has the etched design and the comport is plain, quite a nice combination.

Etch 704 has fancy scrolls in mirror images of each other all around the rim.  Gene Florence nicknamed this Windows Border because the edge treatment that you can just see looks like little windows.  Personally I’d have called it Double Scroll or something related to the larger scroll / swag part of the pattern instead of the small rim edge design.  (It took me a while to figure out why he called it that, but that’s a different story.)

The idea of cheese and cracker sets is one it’s time to resurrect.  We all eat cheese and crackers; we all would like to have the food service look halfway decent, especially when we’re having a party.  Personally I don’t care for the plastic deli trays and I don’t like my crackers sliding into the cheese like they do if you put everything on a serving platter.  The separate little dish for the cheese is a brilliant way to keep the food looking good – and the cheese from getting all over the crackers before you are ready to eat it.

Fostoria Glass Buttercup Etched Crystal Torte Plate

The next time you have a party and are searching for a plate you can use for all the cookies or little crackers with cheese, you’ll be glad you have this large etched crystal torte plate.

Yes, this is a bit fancier than the plastic nosh trays from the Walmart deli.  It’s something your friends will notice and remember.

This particular plate is from Fostoria Glass and the etched design is called Buttercup.  The pattern has lavish flowers and scrolls all over, even in the center.  This is a super nice piece!

We have quite a few large platters, chop plates, torte plates, cake plates and serving trays in our stores.  Go ahead and check us out.  Be prepared for the next time you have a crowd over!

Indiana Glass Rose Wreath Frosted Cake Plate

Today let’s do something different and look at this interesting older cake plate and see why it is such a neat piece to use today.

This cake plate is frosted clear glass and quite heavy, about 4 pounds.  It has three small tab feet on the base and is about 3/4 inches tall and 11 1/2  inches wide.  So why is that so neat?  

First the plate is flat.  If you have ever used a big serving plate or dinner plate for your cakes you know that they dip a little in the center.  That makes your cakes a bit saggy.

The small tab feet raise this off the table just enough that you can hold it with one hand while you cut the cake with the other.  It won’t go scooching off the table with you lunging after holding your cake server!

It’s heavy enough that it has some substance.  The design is pretty with its wreath of pressed roses.

The nicest thing is that this is not a common pattern and that means that you will have something different than everybody else!  This is often the case with vintage glass:  It usually is shaped to fit the function and it is going to be different enough that you have something a bit unique.  In today’s mass-produced, one-size-fits-all world that is a good thing!