“I Just Figured It Out as I Went”: Suzanne Woods’ Sweet Tribute to the Reopening of Howard Finster’s Folk Art Church

After sitting silent for 25 years, Howard Finster’s legendary five-story World’s Folk Art Church has reopened its doors in Summerville—and to mark the occasion, Suzanne Woods did something just as iconic as the church itself. She made a cake. But not just any cake—a full-on edible replica of the church, just as jaw-dropping as the real thing.

“I kind of just figured it out as I went,” Suzanne said with a laugh. “But I loved every second of it.”

When local Finster enthusiast Eddy Willingham reached out to Suzanne with an old photo of a past church cake, she knew she wanted to take it even further. “He sent me a picture of a cake made years ago as inspiration,” she said, “but I wanted to be as realistic as I could.”

So she went to work—layer after layer of white almond cake, filled and frosted with old-fashioned icing that was passed down to her by Mrs. Edith Wilson. Then came the art.

The silver steeple? Rice treats and white chocolate wrapped in edible silver-painted sugar sheets. The stained-glass windows? Sugar paste with hand-painted detail. Even the roofing was made from painted wafer paper, attached with melted chocolate to give it texture and dimension. Only the lights and columns were non-edible.

She studied photos of the church, trying to capture every quirky, inspired detail of Finster’s original vision. She even printed Howard Finster’s image with her edible printer and backed it with white chocolate. Eight hours later, she had what could only be described as a masterpiece.

Suzanne says the whole experience reminded her why she loves to bake. “This was definitely one of a kind,” she said. “And to be a part of something that honors Finster’s work and the reopening of that church—what an honor.”

Howard Finster once said, “I took the pieces you threw away and put them together by night and day.” Sounds like Suzanne Woods just did the same thing—with cake.