Desserts from the 1960s?

[rickster]

Jaymes, your American version was much fancier than the 'Canadian' version.  The purchased base was a soft vanilla cake which was only a couple of inches high and had a slightly higher rim.  The fruit went straight onto the cake with a clear glaze over it.   But then we Canadians are always known for being modest and polite and not in the least exciting.  :raz:

FYI, I clearly remember seeing the sponge base and glaze sold in stores in the Northeastern US in the early 70's. My recollection is that it was imported, maybe an Oetker product

[kayb]

OMG. When my husband was alive I searched and searched for that recipe could never find it. I made for him in the 60s and then like so many recipes it got dropped. Then it got lost I guess. I seem to recall it was once upon a time on the package of cream cheese.

 

This one? A staple of every church pot-luck I ever attended in my life (and I attended a LOT of 'em!). Always the first dessert to go, though it was a close race with the pecan pie.

[Anna N]

This one? A staple of every church pot-luck I ever attended in my life (and I attended a LOT of 'em!). Always the first dessert to go, though it was a close race with the pecan pie.

Looks very familiar. Can't say that I was ever a fan but he loved it.

[Lindacakes]

Glorified Rice.  White rice, canned pineapple, canned mandarin oranges, miniature marshmallows, whipped cream.  Actually, Cool Whip.

Edited July 27, 2015 by Lindacakes (log)

[kayb]

What about the ubiquitous "green stuff" and "pink stuff"? Jell-O based salads with cool whip and/or cottage cheese and/or sour cream and assorted fruit and nuts stirred in? Another standard church pot-luck item. One reason church pot-lucks still make me feel about 8. Which I assuredly am not.

[SylviaLovegren]

Glorified Rice.  White rice, canned pineapple, canned mandarin oranges, miniature marshmallows, whipped cream.  Actually, Cool Whip.

 

We always made it without the rice and with sour cream rather than cool whip -- that made it a salad, though, instead of a dessert...

[Kerry Beal]

Glorified Rice.  White rice, canned pineapple, canned mandarin oranges, miniature marshmallows, whipped cream.  Actually, Cool Whip.

But wasn't that a 'salad' rather than a dessert?

[SylviaLovegren]

But wasn't that a 'salad' rather than a dessert?

 

I think to qualify as a "salad" it had to have either sour cream or mayo in it.  Jello with fruit in it was that way -- it was a salad if served on a lettuce leaf with a dollop of mayo (with paprika!) on top.  If you put whipped cream on the Jello with fruit, it was dessert. 

[Smithy]

My mother used to make a cake along the lines of the Dump Cake referenced above, but it wasn't quite the same. The base was boxed yellow cake mix, put in dry, with margarine I think as a binding layer (dotted? melted and poured?) and cherry pie filling poured over that. The baked result had a firm crust and a glossy, well-set cherry top. She probably served it with ice cream instead of garnishing with whipped cream or Cool-Whip. There was never pineapple, and the crust was on the bottom. Does anyone remember that one? I've been through her recipe boxes and found the chocolate-wafer icebox cake (if anyone's interested, I'll post it) but not the cherry recipe. I don't know how likely I would be to make it, but I remember it as being tasty, and of the appropriate time period.

[heidih]

Have a party this week for 150 people and the theme is the 1960's, I need 10 to 15 desserts from the 60's... Have a couple of ideas but would appreciate any input / ideas ? Thanks !

 

So what did you make and how was it received?

[andiesenji]

My mother used to make a cake along the lines of the Dump Cake referenced above, but it wasn't quite the same. The base was boxed yellow cake mix, put in dry, with margarine I think as a binding layer (dotted? melted and poured?) and cherry pie filling poured over that. The baked result had a firm crust and a glossy, well-set cherry top. She probably served it with ice cream instead of garnishing with whipped cream or Cool-Whip. There was never pineapple, and the crust was on the bottom. Does anyone remember that one? I've been through her recipe boxes and found the chocolate-wafer icebox cake (if anyone's interested, I'll post it) but not the cherry recipe. I don't know how likely I would be to make it, but I remember it as being tasty, and of the appropriate time period.

There are several dump cakes that include cherry pie filling and dry cake mix. some use crushed pineapple, some don't.  There is a vast collection of dump cake recipes on line.  Allrecipes

And there are the various "types"  with  different fruits, with pumpkin, with a can of soda, - one a "German chocolate/root beer dump cake"  etc.

 

There are several cookbooks that feature dump cakes.  On Amazon.

[Jaymes]

My mother used to make a cake along the lines of the Dump Cake referenced above, but it wasn't quite the same. The base was boxed yellow cake mix, put in dry, with margarine I think as a binding layer (dotted? melted and poured?) and cherry pie filling poured over that. The baked result had a firm crust and a glossy, well-set cherry top. She probably served it with ice cream instead of garnishing with whipped cream or Cool-Whip. There was never pineapple, and the crust was on the bottom. Does anyone remember that one?

We called it "Panic" and made it a lot for family gatherings, primarily because it was so easy that my kids could make it. We did serve it with ice cream (never Cool Whip - I hate that stuff). As my children reached their teen years, they liked experimenting with flavor combinations. I remember spice cake with apple pie filling being a particular favorite.

All three of my kids are grown now with families of their own and they still make it.

http://www.cooks.com/recipe/3q1qe9sy/panic-cake.html

(Not sure why this recipe seems to be doubled.)

Edited July 29, 2015 by Jaymes (log)

[pjm333]

Thanks for everyone's help, I made a Charlotte Russ, Royal. pineapple upside down, floating islands, several puddings, black forest cake. Thanks again !

[Jaymes]

Thanks for everyone's help, I made a Charlotte Russ, Royal. pineapple upside down, floating islands, several puddings, black forest cake. Thanks again !

 

Thanks for getting back with us.  That actually sounds pretty delightful, far more than many of the kitschier suggestions - like my Panic Cake.

 

Which, after thinking about the recipe to which I linked above, I now realize wasn't the best choice as an example.

 

I do realize that it's unlikely anybody here would try to make it based on that link but can't help wanting to clarify and correct.

 

Couldn't find my original recipe, and decided that, since it was so easy and ubiquitous during those decades, such a thing as a "recipe" probably never existed.  So I called my son, who asked his eight-year-old daughter, who still makes it all the time, exactly what she does.

 

For starters, that recipe to which I linked calls for more sugar.  You're using canned fruit pie filling, which has sugar.  And a cake mix, which has sugar.  You definitely don't need to add any more sugar. 

 

Like I said, I realize it's unlikely anyone will try this but, just in case:

 

Panic Cake

1 can fruit pie filling

1 box cake mix

1 stick butter or margarine

Lightly grease an 8x8 baking pan (we always used Pyrex).  Pour in the fruit pie filling.  Sprinkle the cake mix over, evenly.  Dot with butter.  Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes.

 

You can add pecans but since our family makes this at events with lots of kids, we leave out the nuts.  White cake mix with cherry pie filling is the classic, but it's also good with white cake and blueberry pie filling.  And spice cake with apples. 

 

Very retro.  Haven't had anyone outside of our family serve it to me in several decades, but within our family, it shows up fairly routinely.  It's kind of like a quickie fruit cobbler.

 

And now, back to this century...