The Most Popular Cake from Every Decade
Updated: Jan. 29, 2024
What was the most popular cake of the 20s, the 50s or the 80s? We found them all: the one cake that defined each decade!
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Classic Chocolate Cake
If you need to learn how to make chocolate cake from scratch, this easy homemade chocolate cake recipe is a perfect place to start. It appeared on a can of Hershey's cocoa way back in 1943. I tried it, my boys liked it, and I've been making it ever since. —Betty Follas, Morgan Hill, California
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Layered Orange Sponge Cake
This recipe's been handed down in my family for 40 years, from a relative who was a French baker. It's light, delicate and delicious, just like a great cake should be. —Joyce Speerbrecher, Grafton, Wisconsin
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Skillet Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
For a change of pace, you can substitute fresh or frozen peach slices for the pineapple in this old-fashioned recipe. —Bernardine Melton, Paola, Kansas
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1930s: Icebox Cake
The availability of pre-made ingredients like graham crackers and cookies, plus electric refrigerators appearing in homes, made icebox cakes very popular. One of the most basic and delicious types: chocolate wafer cookies layered with sweetened whipped cream.Here are more icebox desserts we love.
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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Mom always made this special chocolate mayonnaise cake for my birthday dessert. It is very moist and has a nice light chocolate taste. Plus, the flavorful frosting is the perfect topping. —Deborah Amrine, Fort Myers, Florida
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Spumoni Baked Alaska
For a dazzling yet refreshing end to a rich holiday meal, try this freezer finale. It's bound to garner oohs and aahs. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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German Black Forest Cake
As far as I know, this cake recipe can be traced back to my German great-grandma. When I got married, my mother gave me a copy and I hope to someday pass it down to my children. —Stephanie Travis, Fallon, NevadaAlso, check what is baked Alaska. We fill you in on the history of this dessert plus tips for making it at home.
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1970s: Carrot Cake
Though created in the early twentieth century this cake reached the peak of popularity in the 1970s. Home cooks caught up in the health craze of the decade loved this cake loaded with carrots and fruit like raisins, pineapple or applesauce.
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1980s: Ice Cream Cake
Thanks to a bombardment of TV ads from companies like Baskin Robbins, Friendly’s and Carvel (remember Fudgie the Whale and Cookie Puss?), ice cream cakes were all the rage in the 80s.
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Chocolate Ganache Peanut Butter Cupcakes
I've been baking cakes for years and enjoy trying new combinations of flavors and textures. For this peanut butter cupcake recipe, I blended peanut butter and chocolate. As soon as I took the first bite, I knew I had created something divine! —Ronda Schabes, Vicksburg, Michigan
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Unicorn Cake
This magical unicorn cake tastes as good as it looks. Baking in smaller pans creates impressive height, and a few simple decorating tricks turn it into a showstopping dessert. —Lauren Knoelke, Des Moines, IowaOriginally Published: August 22, 2019
