What Cake Was Popular The Year You Were Born?

Who doesn't love a delicious yellow cake with slices of pineapple and cherries baked right in? There are few desserts that can match the timeless charm and appeal of the pineapple upside-down cake. This delightful treat has a history that stretches back centuries, with variations of upside-down fruit desserts appearing in various forms across the globe. But the pineapple upside-down cake would achieve national stardom in 1925, thanks to an ingenious move by the Hawaiian Pineapple Company. 

In an effort to promote its pineapple products and inspire culinary creativity, the company decided to run a nationwide recipe competition. It invited home bakers, chefs, and anyone with a passion for cooking to submit their best pineapple-inspired recipes to be judged by representatives from Good Housekeeping, McCall's Magazine, and Fannie Farmer's School. The response to this competition was nothing short of astounding. A staggering 2,500 pineapple upside-down cake recipes flooded in out of the total 60,000 submissions. 

If there's one cake that's absolutely synonymous with the '40s, it's the decadent and airy chiffon cake. This iconic recipe was first developed in the 1920s by Los Angeles caterer Henry Baker. Baker's goal was to create a cake that was lighter than angel food cake and more flavorful and indulgent than the traditional sponge. His solution? By whipping up egg whites rather than using vegetable oil, his unique cake was lighter-than-air without compromising on flavor. Baker served his signature cake to the Hollywood elite and at exclusive events, but he never let his secret slip. His elusive recipe remained under lock and key for nearly 20 years, until he decided to sell it to General Mills, the creators of "Betty Crocker," with the hope that the recipe would be made available to housewives across the country.

In 1947, General Mills published the chiffon cake recipe in the "Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library," marketing it as "the first new cake in 100 years!" and the cake became an instant success. Home cooks everywhere fell in love with the chiffon cake's airy, moist crumb, as well as its versatility — it was just as delicious iced or topped with fresh fruit or confectioner's sugar. According to the Seattle Times, shortly after the release of the Chiffon cake recipe, sales of cake flour went up by as much as 20%. 

Drawing inspiration from the sophistication and glamour of old Hollywood, the pink champagne cake is a symbol of elegance. This delightful dessert is primarily known for its pastel pink color and its light and airy texture, with multiple layers of sponge cake infused with the delicate essence of pink champagne (or, for the teetotaling crowd, pink soda pop). Everything about this cake, from the colors and texture to the subtly sweet flavor gives diners a taste of the finer things in life. 

The pink Champagne cake found its fame in the '60s, a decade marked by an insatiable appetite for luxury and extravagance in a booming post-war American economy. The eye-catching pink color and indulgent texture perfectly encapsulated the era's spirit, becoming an iconic dessert choice for celebrations and special occasions — it was also a surefire way to impress guests at any house party.

One notable establishment that has contributed to the pink Champagne cake's enduring fame is the Madonna Inn, nestled in San Luis Obispo, California. Known for its whimsical maximalist decor, The Madonna Inn has served its signature pink Champagne cake for generations. Its hot pink-hued layers and dreamy champagne-infused frosting have become synonymous with the Madonna Inn experience, enticing travelers and locals alike; it's also a hit for the holidays.

It's fluffy, it's nutty, and it's green, but why on earth is it called the Watergate cake? It's unclear why this eye-catching green dessert takes its name after the infamous scandal that would eventually lead to the resignation of President Nixon in 1974. It wasn't served in the Watergate Hotel, and it wasn't Nixon's favorite cake. But it's clear that the Watergate cake perfectly captured the spirit of the times when the cultural zeitgeist was fixed on the Watergate scandal and the eventual fallout.

Regardless of its origins, the cake itself became an overnight sensation during the early '70s and features ingredients like pistachio pudding mix (that's where it gets its famous pastel green color), 7-Up (yes, the soda), eggs, walnuts, vegetable oil whipped topping, and a generous garnish of chopped pecans. It makes for a simple and easy-to-make dessert that's light and refreshing during the warmer months. 

It's unclear who first came up with this cake idea, but recipes have been published at least as far back as September 1974, just weeks after Nixon's resignation. After a Watergate cake recipe was published in the Washington Post in 1975, there was apparently such a demand for pistachio pudding mix in the Washington, D.C. area that businesses couldn't keep up. And this wasn't the end of the '70s fascination with pistachio green desserts; not long after the Watergate cake, there came the Watergate salad. 

Is there any better combination than cake and ice cream, especially when you're craving something sweet? It's like a match made in dessert heaven. Ice cream cakes, as you might guess, have been served in various forms for almost as long as ice cream itself has been a thing. But if you fast forward a bit to the late '70s and early '80s, it's clear it was truly having its moment in the spotlight.

Typically, ice cream cakes feature layers of cake and ice cream, often covered in whipped cream or frosting. When companies like Dairy Queen and Carval released their own versions, ice cream cakes began to explode in popularity. It wasn't long before you couldn't go to a party without seeing one of these delightful whales grinning at you from the dessert table.

And it wasn't just ice cream shops that were banking on this trend — you could also pick up an ice cream cake at your local grocery store. In 1981, Viennetta ice cream cakes were available in supermarkets. With their intricate layers and smooth, swirly patterns, they had folks rushing to the frozen food section to grab one (or two, who's counting?).

There was a time when chocolate molten lava cake was the epitome of fine dining. Known for its decadent, oozing center of warm chocolate, this dessert was born out of upscale restaurants in Manhattan. The recipe is mainly credited to French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who first began serving the dish in the late '80s (though other chefs claim to have invented it around this time). The story goes that a batch of chocolate cakes that he was baking came out undercooked, with the outer part of the cake solidified but the inner part still gooey and liquid.

By the mid-'90s, molten chocolate lava cake had made its way from the fine dining tables of Manhattan to the menus of casual family restaurants, where it cemented itself as the must-have dessert of the decade. This indulgent treat delighted diners with its combination of a delicate cake exterior and a gooey chocolate interior. Pair it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you've got a timeless classic on your hands!

Cake pops, those cute little treats that are synonymous with the Starbucks drive-thru, first burst onto the dessert scene around 2008, and it wasn't long before they took the world by storm. These miniature, bite-sized delights owe their invention and initial surge in popularity to Angie Dudley, a creative baking enthusiast and blogger, who first introduced the world to cake pops on her blog, appropriately titled "Bakerella." These little mini-cakes were so popular that they were even credited with killing the cupcake trend of the early 2000s!

So, what was it about cake pops that were so irresistible? Angie first came up with the idea of cake pops when looking to use up leftover cake scraps. She'd crumble up those cake remnants and combine them with frosting to create a gooey, compact dough, and then work her magic to shape them into these delightful lollipop-like confections. Finally, she'd dip them in vibrant candy coatings and sprinkle them with all sorts of eye-catching decorations.

It's safe to say that people couldn't get enough of these little bites of heaven. As more and more folks discovered her delightful creations, cake pops started popping up at parties, events, and even in bakeries. They became the go-to treat for everything from birthdays to weddings. Cookbooks offered a variety of recipes for all kinds of cake pops, and special cake pop appliances similar to waffle irons became a staple in every baker's kitchen.