Reality check: some of the best desserts ever made aren’t trending on TikTok; they’re tucked away in childhood memories and handwritten recipe cards. These 10 retro desserts are far too delicious and comforting to stay forgotten. Let’s bring them back!
10. Peach Cobbler
Peach Cobbler was like a summer in a baking dish. Imagine fresh peaches bubbling under a golden topping, giving off a familiar scent that fills the kitchen. The topping looked a little messy like cobblestones on the road, hence the name. When topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it’s the kind of dessert that made everyone gather around the table.
9. Tunnel of Fudge Cake
Now, this one’s a chocolate lover’s dream. The Tunnel of Fudge Cake became famous when it won second place at the Pillsbury Bake-Off contest in 1966. It’s basically a chocolate Bundt cake with a gooey, fudgy center. So you’re literally getting a surprise “tunnel of fudge.” The cake was so popular it caused a spike in the sales of Bundt pan across the US!
8. Coca-Cola Cake
Soda fans, this one’s for you! In 1970s, Southern America combined a crowd-favorite soda with chocolate cake batter. The result? An incredibly moist cake! The Coke enhanced the cake’s moist texture; it’s almost like a pudding but still fluffy. The cake also came with a frosting made with Coke, cocoa powder, butter, and powdered sugar.
7. Watergate Cake
Born during the Watergate scandal that rocked America, Watergate Cake was also full of secrets. The “secret” ingredients included pistachio pudding mix and nuts. Its soft green hue was a delight to look at and it quickly became a favorite in 1970s and 1980s, when pudding-mix desserts ruled.
6. Shoofly Pie
Shoofly pie is a Pennsylvania Dutch classic that’s made with molasses and a crumbly topping. Your grandparents might liken it to a giant soft cookie in pie form. It had a gooey filling with an old-fashioned sweetness that you don’t come across anymore. The funny name was based on the fact that the pie was so sweet, you had to shoo the flies away from it.
5. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Now, this is a dessert that’s perfect for home bakers of any level. The Pineapple Upside-Down Cake became famous in the 1920s, after Dole began selling canned pineapples. The cake is called “upside-down” because before baking, the fruit goes in first, followed by the cake batter. The cake is then inverted after baking, revealing the glossy, caramelized fruit topping aka the star of the show.
4. Banana Split
This nostalgic, fun, and shareable treat is the king of ice cream desserts before milkshakes and fancy sundaes came into the scene. Banana split has the perfect mix of creaminess, crunch, fruity flavors, and syrupy sweetness, made using uncomplicated ingredients. It’s a wonder why there are less diners and ice cream parlors serving this iconic treat today.
3. Rice Pudding
Between 1800s and 1950s, leftover rice was often turned into something magical called rice pudding. This humble dessert is comforting and creamy, lightly spiced with cinnamon. It wasn’t flashy or fancy but it felt like a warm hug in a bowl. It also became a global comfort food that made its way to Latin America, Middle East, and India.
2. Coconut Cream Pie
Coconut cream pie is part of the classic American pie lineup, along with banana cream and lemon meringue. What makes coconut cream pie a standout is the beachy twist it brings to the dessert table. It tastes like vacation but in a retro way, featuring a dreamy custard filling and a chewy bite of real coconut.
1. Strawberry Shortcake
While strawberry shortcake is still around, we want to pay tribute to the original one, made with actual biscuits (not sponge cake). The real biscuits give this all-American dessert that buttery, crumbly magic. The OG strawberry shortcake is like a more grown-up version, with buttery depth, a golden crust, and just the right balance of creaminess and fruitiness.