6 "Magic" Vintage Baking Recipes You'll Turn To Again and Again
Each one has a secret ingredient.
Teri Lyn Fisher
Newer isn’t always better, especially when it comes to baking recipes. Don’t get us wrong, we love a giant, stuffed, photogenic treat just as much as the next person. But when a recipe stands the test of time, you know it’s a goodie. Here, we’ve rounded up a bunch of our favorite simple recipes from the 1930s. Although each one has just a few ingredients (hello, money saved), the sum is far greater than the parts. This is thanks in part to a surprise ingredient in each that works magical chemistry.
Teri Lyn Fisher
This red cake isn’t red velvet cake; in fact, it doesn’t get its color from red food dye at all. As the name suggests, the cake leans on a can of condensed tomato soup, which imparts richness and structure instead of eggs. Don’t worry, you don’t taste it — instead, you’ll pick up the blend of warm spices including cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
Renee Comet
This cake is made with just eight pantry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, salt, sugar, baking soda, vanilla, vegetable oil and white wine vinegar (yep, vinegar — but you don’t taste it). As you might observe, no butter or eggs are listed in the ingredients. This means the cake is super inexpensive to make, and you can whip it up at a moment’s notice without any trip to the grocery store. Through a miracle of science, the results are light, fluffy and moist.
Vanilla Wacky Cake (Pictured Above)
Here we've got another wacky cake — this time extra vanilla-flavored. The formula is so good that it’s worth iterating on and keeping in your back pocket. Think of it almost like a dry DIY cake mix.
This crustless quiche is made from eggs and — surprise — Bisquick. Back in the 1930s, what we now know as pancake mix was actually used to make biscuits, and the company published all sorts of creative recipes. Here, the Bisquick adds body and structure to this fluffy, rich brunch favorite.
Teri Lyn Fisher
Presenting the easiest ice cream recipe you’ll ever encounter. The hands-on time is a mere 10 minutes. Simply make some Jell-O (pick your favorite flavor), mix in milk and whipped cream and freeze the concoction. No churning necessary.
Renee Comet
It’s evident that many ingredients can stand in for butter if you don’t have it on hand, and one of those is mayonnaise. The rumors are true: mayo makes for an extra rich and tender chocolate cake crumb. You won’t regret whipping it up.
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