From the 1920s to the 1950s vintage cake ads have been a source of inspiration and innovation for bakers everywhere. With their beautiful artwork, popular retro flavors, and even recipes to try yourself, these ads delight the senses and make anyone think they are the next best baker.

Today’s post is going to feature some of these fun ads.

Let’s begin!

Note: For this post, if a vintage recipe is in the ad I have tried to make it bigger so you can give it a go at home. Happy Baking!

1950s vintage food ad for Fluffo Shortening for making vintage cakes, like Spice Cake with white icing with nuts as seen in a 1951 newspaper.

Source: eBay – Fluffo Shortening for making vintage cakes, like Spice Cake with white icing with nuts as seen in a 1951 newspaper.

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

Vintage Cake Advertising & Recipes

1920’s-1950’s

Hostess Cake! August 1929 ad for a ‘Hostess Lemon Loaf / Cake’. “An Unusual New Cake Made With Fresh Crushed Lemons”.

YUM! I did not realize that Hostess was this old (future blog post coming soon).

1920s vintage ad: Hostess Cakes! August 1929 ad for a 'Hostess Lemon Loaf / Cake'. "An Unusual New Cake Made With Fresh Crushed Lemons".

Source: Etsy –AmericanCenturyShop

“From an Economy recipe…get a Luxury cake! But not with ordinary Flour!” 1932 Swans Down cake flour ad.

1930s Vintage Ad: 1932 Swans Down cake flour ad featuring a vintage cake recipe for a Harvest Cake & Harvest Moon Frosting recipe

Harvest Cake & Harvest Moon Frosting recipes.

1930s vintage cake recipe for a Harvest Cake & Harvest Moon Frosting recipe as seen in a 1932 Swans Down Cake flour vintage ad.

Source: Etsy – AmericanCenturyShop

“He Came, she Conquered…with a Digestible dinner”. 1936 Crisco Shortening ad featuring recipe for ‘Dinner-In-A-Pie’, ‘Fried Bubbles’ and ‘Chocolate Temptation Cake’.

Vintage 1936 Crisco Shortening Cake Baking Print Ad featuring a 1930s cartoon and vintage recipes for pies, cakes and oysters.

Chocolate Temptation Cake Recipe.

1930s Vintage Recipe as seen in a 1930s Crisco Vintage ad for Chocolate Temptation Cake. Vintage Cake.

I also added the ‘Fried Bubbles’ recipe encase anyone was interested in this recipe (I have never heard of it before).

Fried Bubbles: Oysters with horse-radish right in them.

1930s vintage ad for Fried Bubbles: Oysters with horse-radish right in them as seen in 1930s Crisco vintage ad.

Source: Etsy – AmericanCenturyShop

1930s Betty Crocker Softasilk Cake Flour baking ad featuring a recipe for ‘Creole Chocolate Cake’ (Recipe below).

Further Reading: Take a look inside a 1950s Betty Crocker cookbook

1930s vintage ad for softasilk cake flour from betty crocker featuring a creole chocolate cake vintage recipe.

Vintage recipe for the Betty Crocker Creole Chocolate Cake featured in the ad above.

1950s vintage recipe for vintage cake Betty Crocker Creole Chocolate Cake as seen on a 1950s vintage ad.

Source: Etsy – AmericanCenturyShop

1942 Presto Cake Flour ad featuring a vintage cake recipe for ‘Marshmallow Lily Chocolate Cake’. How pretty!

1942 Presto Cake Flour Vintage Ad featuring a vintage cake recipe for Marshmallow Lily Chocolate cake with instructions on how to make the lily's featured on the cake in the ad.

Marshmallow-Lily Chocolate Cake recipe with instructions on how to make the Lily design.

1940s vintage recipe for Marshmallow-Lily Chocolate Cake recipe with instructions on how to make the Lily design. Seen in a 1942 vintage food ad.

Source: Etsy – PlentifulPages

“Like Ice-Cream ‘n’ Cake at Your House? 1947 Pillsbury’s Best Flour vintage ad featuring a recipe for ‘Cream-Lined Cake’.

It sure is colourful with neopolitan ice cream in the middle of the cake.

1940s Vintage Ad featuring an image of a vintage cake with ice cream in the middle. 1940s Vintage Cake Recipe for an 'Ann Pillsbury's Cream-Lined Cake' from 1947 vintage food advertisement.

Vintage Cake recipe for ‘Ann Pillsbury’s ‘CREAM-LINED CAKE’. A delightful new to way to serve it!

1940s Vintage Cake Recipe for an 'Ann Pillsbury's Cream-Lined Cake' from 1947 vintage food advertisement.

Source: Etsy-KristensVintagePaper

1940s Durkee’s Coconut Cake Baking Ad featuring a recipe for Coconut frosting (yum!).

1940s Vintage Ad: 1940s Durkee’s Coconut Cake Baking Ad featuring a recipe for Coconut frosting. The ad features an image of a vintage cake

Coconut Frosting recipe.

1940s Vintage Ad featuring a vintage recipe: 1940s Durkee’s Coconut Cake Baking Ad featuring a recipe for Coconut frosting.

Source: Etsy – AmericanCenturyShop

Introduced in 1952, Colorvision Cakes were one year ahead of color TV. Promising “a delicate texture, like that of fine lace,” the new cakes added fruit gelatin to the mix, promising a whole rainbow of new fruity, fluffy, fabulous possibilities.

1950s vintage ad for Betty's Crocker's Colorvision cake with pink icing recipe from 1952.

Colorvision Icing recipe. For the cake…”Follow easy directions for yellow two-egg cake printed on Betty Crocker PartyCake Mix package.”

1950s Vintage baking recipe: Colorvision Icing recipe. For the cake..."Follow easy directions for yellow two-egg cake printed on Betty Crocker PartyCake Mix package."

Source: Betty Crocker

1954 Diamond Walnuts vintage ad featuring a recipe for a ‘Walnut Ribbon Angel Cake’ & a ‘Cinnamon Waldorf Salad’.

What is a Waldorf Salad?

A Waldorf salad is a fruit and nut salad generally made of celery, fresh apples, walnuts, and grapes, dressed in mayonnaise, and traditionally served on a bed of lettuce as an appetizer or a light meal.

Waldorf salad is named for the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, where it was first created for a charity ball given in honor of the St. Mary’s Hospital for Children on March 13, 1896 (Source).

1950s vintage ad: 1954 Diamond Walnuts vintage ad featuring a recipe for a 'Walnut Ribbon Angel Cake' & a 'Cinnamon Waldorf Salad'.

Source: Etsy-KristensVintagePaper

I’m going to leave you with this ‘1959 General Foods Baker’s Coconut Animal Cut-Up Cakes recipe book’ that you can instantly download HERE. How cute is the lion with his black licorce feet?

1950s Vintage Cake Baking Recipe book: 1959 General Foods Baker's Coconut Animal Cut-Up Cakes recipe book. Featuring a lion cake on the cover.

Someone PLEASE make the turtle cake pictured below (only because I have so many questions on what it is made out of beyond bacon feet, I think that is bacon or is it bread? Comment below whatyou think!).

1950s Vintage Cake Baking Recipe book: 1959 General Foods Baker's Coconut Animal Cut-Up Cakes recipe book. Featuring a turtle cake you can make.

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer Cake.

1950s Vintage Cake Baking Recipe book: 1959 General Foods Baker's Coconut Animal Cut-Up Cakes recipe book. Featuring a rudolph the red nose reindeer you can make.

Source: Etsy – ArtfulOtterDesigns

Now I’m not a baker but I love all these cakes and would love for someone to fedex me something yummy!

Question Time: Are you a Cake or Pie person? Did any of the cakes above catch your eye? Share any thoughts in the comment section below.

FURTHER READING:

Thanks for dropping by!

Liz