40 Vintage Baking Recipes (2024)

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40 Vintage Baking Recipes (1)Grace MannonUpdated: Feb. 15, 2024

    The methods and ingredients used for making baked goods like cakes, breads and cookies may have changed a lot over the years, but vintage recipes still make some of the best treats imaginable!

    1/39

    Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Pie

    Cinnamon apple pie baked in a cast iron skillet is a real stunner. This beauty, with its flaky, tender crust, also works in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. —Renee Schettler Rossi, New York, New York

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    2/39

    Butterscotch Apple Cake

    My family often requests this easy old-fashioned cake for get-togethers—especially in the fall. —Beth Struble, Bryan, Ohio.

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    3/39

    English Scones

    When I came to America from England in 1967, I made sure to bring along my favorite recipe for scones. Served warm with butter, they’re perfect for breakfast.

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    4/39

    Old-Fashioned Molasses Cake

    This old-time spice cake is lower in fat but big on flavor. Serve it warm for breakfast on a frosty morning or have a square with hot cider on a snowy afternoon. It’s a great cold-weather treat. —Deanne Bagley, Bath, New York

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    5/39

    Quick Buttermilk Cornbread

    The tattered recipe card for this buttermilk cornbread proves it’s been a family favorite for years. It’s my daughter’s top request. —Judy Sellgren, Grand Rapids, Michigan

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    6/39

    Traditional Scones

    Making scones is shockingly simple. I learned how when my wife and I hosted an English tea, and I wish I’d tried my hand at it earlier! —Chuck Hinz, Parma, Ohio

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    7/39

    Black Walnut Cake

    My mother’s family members all were excellent cooks and known for their great hospitality. A longtime family favorite, this old-fashioned black walnut cake was always expected at holiday dinners, special occasions and potlucks.

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    8/39

    Old-Fashioned Oat Bread

    When this old-fashioned oat bread is baking, it reminds me of childhood and the warm, inviting aromas that greeted me after school. The light sweet flavor, crispy crust and hearty texture of this bread made for a special treat when Mom baked it for us. —Gloria Murtha, West Mifflin, Pennsylvania

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    9/39

    Glazed Apple Pie Bars

    This is only one of many wonderful recipes that my mother handed down to me. With their flaky crust and scrumptious fruit filling, these delicious apple pie bars are the perfect way to serve apple pie to a crowd.—Janet English, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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    10/39

    Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting

    I always requested banana cake with fudge frosting for my birthday. Mom’s recipe is attached to my fridge—and my heart. It’s funny how many memories live on in a stained handwritten recipe card. On a more practical note: It’s important to make sure the whipped cream cheese is truly at room temperature before you use it. If not, it chills the softened butter and makes for lumpy frosting. —Jeanne Ambrose, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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    11/39

    This recipe was passed down through my family from Grandma Irene and is a favorite of my dad and cousin Dennis. It's a true cookie lover's cookie: crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and perfectly dunkable. —Lori Rowe, Tigerton, Wisconsin

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    12/39

    Maple Carrot Cupcakes

    I come from a line of family cooks and have liked to cook and bake since I was young. Mother and Grandmom were always in the kitchen cooking up something delicious. These carrot cupcakes were Grandmom's specialty, and we always have them at family gatherings. —Lisa Ann Panzino DiNunzio, Vineland, New Jersey

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    13/39

    Lemon Chess Pie

    This bright and creamy lemon chess pie cuts beautifully and has a smooth texture. It’s one of my favorites. —Hannah LaRue Rider, East Point, Kentucky

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    14/39

    Oatmeal Date Bars

    In no time at all, these oatmeal date bars will be ready for your family. They'll be surprised at how light and tasty these treats are. —Helen Cluts, Eden Prairie, Minnesota

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    15/39

    Taste of Home

    Gooey Old-Fashioned Steamed Molasses Bread

    While I was growing up, the smell of this bread often greeted me as I walked in the door from school. I thought that everyone baked bread in a slow cooker. My grandmother, my mother and I—and now my daughters—all bake this. It’s comfort food at its best! —Bonnie Geavaras-Bootz, Chandler, Arizona

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    16/39

    Ginger-Cream Bars

    I rediscovered this old-time recipe recently and found it's everyone's favorite. Even 4-year-olds have asked for these frosted bars as nursery treats. —Carol Nagelkirk, Holland, Michigan

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    17/39

    Soft Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

    Warm, buttery dinner rolls are absolutely irresistible. I save time and use a stand mixer to make my dough. —Jennifer Patterson, Shoshone, Idaho

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    18/39

    Taste of Home

    Cuppa Joe Caramel Cake

    I get compliments on this cake wherever I take it. It is very much an adult cake, with the hit of coffee and the warmth of the brown sugar and caramel.—Leigh Doutt, Pueblo West, Colorado

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    19/39

    Taste of Home

    Honey Cinnamon Bars

    My Aunt Ellie gave us the recipe for these sweet bar cookies with cinnamon and walnuts. Drizzle with icing, and serve with coffee or tea. —Diane Myers, Star, Idaho

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    20/39

    Amish Potato Bread

    A tasty mix of whole wheat and all-purpose flour and a small amount of mashed potatoes combine to give this golden bread its wonderful texture. The loaf is very moist and stays that way for days. —Sue Violette, Neillsville, Wisconsin

    21/39

    Taste of Home

    Kentucky Butter Cake

    I found this Kentucky butter cake recipe in an old cookbook I bought at a garage sale and couldn’t wait to try it. I knew it had been someone’s favorite because of the well-worn page. —Joan Gertz, Palmetto, Florida

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    22/39

    Mimosa Butter Cookies

    You can add many different flavors to butter cookies to make them your own. Try an alternate type of citrus zest, or add an alternate liquid to change things up. —Sara Lark, Raton, New Mexico

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    23/39

    Upside-Down Fruitcake

    I get tired of people bad-mouthing holiday fruitcakes. It's one of my favorite holiday flavors and I look forward to it every year. This year, I decided to combine it with everyone's favorite, upside-down cake. Try to say no to this fruitcake; I dare you!—James Schend, Dairy Freed

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    24/39

    Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

    The recipe for these four-ingredient homemade buttermilk biscuits has been handed down for many generations. —Fran Thompson, Tarboro, North Carolina

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    25/39

    Taste of Home

    Grandma Pruit’s Vinegar Pie

    This historic pie has been in our family for many generations and is always served at our get-togethers.—Suzette Pruit, Houston, Texas

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    26/39

    Taste of Home

    Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

    My mother insisted that my grandmother write down one recipe for her when Mom got married in 1942: the how to make peanut butter cookies from scratch recipe. That was a real effort because Grandma was a traditional pioneer-type cook who used a little of this or that until it felt right. This treasured recipe is the only one she ever wrote down! —Janet Hall, Clinton, Wisconsin

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    27/39

    Homemade Egg Bread

    People rave about this tender, delicate bread every time I serve it. The braided look is just beautiful and is actually quite easy to do. —June Mullins, Livonia, Missouri

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    28/39

    TMB Studio

    Frosted Fudge Brownies

    A neighbor brought over a pan of these rich fudge brownies along with the recipe when I came home from the hospital with our baby daughter. I asked her how to make brownie frosting like that, and I've made them ever since for family occasions, potlucks and parties at work. —Sue Soderlund, Elgin, Illinois

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    29/39

    Taste of Home

    Traditional Hot Cross Buns

    On Easter morning, our family always looked forward to a breakfast of dyed hard-boiled eggs and Mom's hot cross buns. I still serve these for special brunches or buffets. —Barbara Jean Lull, Fullerton, California

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    30/39

    Classic Irish Soda Bread

    This traditional Irish soda bread can be made with an assortment of mix-ins such as dried fruit and nuts, but I like it with a handful of raisins. —Gloria Warczak, Cedarburg, Wisconsin

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    31/39

    Toffee Angel Food Cake

    Chopped toffee bits and whipped cream make the sweet flavor and light, moist texture of angel food even more indulgent. For best results, refrigerate the cake for at least an hour before serving. —Collette Gaugler, Fogelsville, Pennsylvania

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    32/39

    Molasses Cookies with a Kick

    Here’s my go-to combination of ingredients for the best spice cookies. They’re a natural for fall, but I make them all year long. My mom says they’re her favorite! —Tamara Rau, Medina, North Dakota

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    33/39

    Lady Baltimore Cake

    I first made this cake for my fathers' birthday and now it is the only cake that he requests. This cake has complex flavors and is very unique. —Cleo Gonske, Redding, California

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    34/39

    Taste of Home

    Milk Cake

    This is a simple recipe—and especially easy in a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. The result is a deliciously light, airy cake. —Suzanne Coelman, Rabun Gap, Georgia

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    35/39

    Taste of Home

    Crisp Sugar Cookies

    My grandmother always had sugar cookies in her pantry, and we grandchildren would empty that big jar quickly because they were the best! I now regularly bake these wonderful cookies to share with friends. —Evelyn Poteet, Hancock, Maryland

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    36/39

    Hummingbird Cupcakes

    Turn the traditional hummingbird cake—flavored with pineapple, bananas and walnuts—into a bite-sized treat with these moist cupcakes. —Jessie Oleson, Santa Fe, New Mexico

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    37/39

    Taste of Home

    Cherry Bars

    Whip up a pan of these festive bars in just 20 minutes with staple ingredients and cherry pie filling. Between the easy preparation and the pretty colors, they're destined to become a holiday classic. —Jane Kamp, Grand Rapids, Michigan

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    38/39

    Southern Lane Cake

    I just love this southern-style dessert, and so do dinner guests. With pecans, cherries and raisins in the filling and topping, this version reminds me of a fruitcake—only so much better! —Mabel Parvi, Ridgefield, Washington

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    39/39

    Kate Smith Coffee Cake

    When I lived in an orphanage more than 50 years ago, I helped out in the kitchen, often making this wonderful coffee cake and dutifully following the recipe the cooks used. Years later, seeing Kate Smith on television, I realized that I had been making one of the singer's own favorite recipes from her cookbook! —Ruth Nast, Waterford, Connecticut

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    Originally Published: January 02, 2019

    40 Vintage Baking Recipes (40)

    Grace Mannon

    Grace learned a ton about the nitty-gritty of food and nutrition while earning her master’s degree in food science. She worked for a well-known baby food company and a company responsible for many favorite snack foods before transitioning to being a stay-at-home mom. She loves writing about complicated food science concepts in an understandable way and as a Taste of Home contributor, Grace covers a little bit of everything, from vintage recipes to must-have holiday foods and treats.

    40 Vintage Baking Recipes (2024)

    FAQs

    What are the oldest baked goods? ›

    The earliest known pastries were made by the ancient Egyptians. They baked cakes made from wheat and honey, often flavored with fruits and nuts. These cakes were baked on hot stones and were likely the first known example of baking.

    How did they bake in the olden days? ›

    The first bread was baked nearly 30,000 years ago by mixing flour and water into a flat, round shape. The early bakers would cook the dough on a large stone over a fire.

    What was the first ever baking? ›

    Baking in ancient times

    The earliest known form of baking occurred when humans took wild grass grains, soaked them in water, and mashed the mixture into a kind of broth-like paste. The paste was cooked by pouring it onto a flat, hot rock, resulting in a bread-like substance.

    Is bread baked good? ›

    Baked goods are foods made from dough or batter and cooked by baking, a method of cooking food that uses prolonged dry heat, normally in an oven, but also in hot ashes, or on hot stones. The most common baked item is bread but many other types of foods are baked as well.

    What is the oldest recipe still in use? ›

    Nettle Pudding

    Originating in 6000 BCE, England; it is the oldest dish of the world that's rich in nutrients. Nettle pudding is made with stinging nettles (wild leafy plant), breadcrumbs, suet, onions, and other herbs and spices. This dish is steam cooked until it attains a mousse-like consistency.

    What did they bake in the 1920s? ›

    Skillet cakes – featuring fruit and sugar in the bottom of a cast iron skillet, topped with cake batter and cooked atop the stove – were common.

    What was the old woman baking? ›

    The old lady was baking the cake for Saint Peter but the Saint Peter was not satisfied by the cake of her greedy behaviour and desire and changed her into a woodpecker.

    What was the first cake ever made? ›

    The earliest cakes were very different from the cakes we know today. They were more like bread and were sometimes even savory. The first mention of cake dates back to the 4th century BC when a Greek writer mentioned a cake made with honey and wheat flour.

    What did medieval bakers bake? ›

    Maslin was the bread that most people ate which was (most popularly) mixed with both wheat and rye flours. Rye flour could be used as a standalone as well which produced a darker loaf. These types of breads were most popular among the lower class.

    What did bakers use before baking soda? ›

    Victorians and American colonists did use a much inferior (in taste and effect) alternative to baking soda known as pearl ash. Prior to learning the process of making it from Native Americans, however, yeast was the only leavening agent known in Europe!

    What did pioneers use for baking powder? ›

    Harvard professor Eben Horsford developed the first baking powder, using monocalcium phosphate, a compound he patented in 1856, made from powdered mutton and beef bones. He combined it with baking soda, producing the first leavener available in stores.

    Who baked the first pie? ›

    The Ancient Egyptians created the first example of what we know as pies today. Later on, closer to the 5th Century BC, the Ancient Greeks were believed to invent pie pastry as it is mentioned in the plays of the writer Aristophanes and it was possible to work as a pastry chef in this era, a separate trade to a baker.

    Is it cheaper to bake bread or buy it? ›

    In a nutshell, if you're buying basic, cheap sandwich bread, it's probably cheaper than you can make it at home. But if you compare two loaves similar to what you could make at home — one made with high-quality ingredients as opposed to one made with lesser quality ingredients — home baking becomes much cheaper.

    Why is it called banana bread and not cake? ›

    The reason it's called banana bread is simply because it's traditionally baked in a loaf tin.

    Should you eat bread out of the oven? ›

    First and foremost, it's always best to let fresh bread rest until it's cool and fully set before slicing. I know, fresh-from-the-oven is hard to resist, but your bread will not only taste better it will keep longer if you wait to cut it for at least an hour—I prefer two or more.

    What is the oldest baked good? ›

    Charred crumbs of a flatbread made by Natufian hunter-gatherers from wild wheat, wild barley and plant roots between 14,600 and 11,600 years ago have been found at the archaeological site of Shubayqa 1 in the Black Desert in Jordan, predating the earliest known making of bread from cultivated wheat by thousands of ...

    What is one of the oldest desserts? ›

    Ashure (Noah's Pudding) is thought to be the oldest dessert in the world, first made by Noah after his fabled landfall at Mt Ararat.

    What is the oldest dish we still eat? ›

    The World's 10 Oldest Dishes And Where They Are Today
    • Indian curry, circa 2200-2500 B.C. ...
    • Pancakes, circa 11650 B.C. ...
    • Linzer Torte, circa 1653. ...
    • Tamales, circa 5000 B.C. ...
    • Burgers, circa 100 century A.D. ...
    • Mesopotamian Stew, circa 2140 B.C., and bone broth, circa 400 B.C. ...
    • Rice dishes, circa 4530 B.C. ...
    • Beer, circa 3500 B.C.
    Sep 2, 2023

    What baked goods did they have in the Middle Ages? ›

    English sweets included many types of cakes, custards, and fritters such as funnel cake. They used strawberries, apples, figs, raisins, currants and almonds. They also made cheese-based sweets including cheesecake. A large number of English cookbooks have been found and some date back to the late 1300's.

    References

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