Surprisingly Delicious Depression-Era Desserts Worth Trying

Desserts are an indulgent treat, a tasty morsel many of us love to snack on daily. According to a 2023 survey conducted by Crumbl Cookies, one in six Americans eats dessert every day. Even though we know it's not a necessity, it's hard to skip what's become a customary after-dinner treat. But when times are tough, and the price of almost everything – including food – has risen, certain indulgent treats aren't as feasible. This is when we become inventive and lean to the past where we can perhaps look to these surprisingly delicious Depression-era desserts worth trying.

The U.S. is no stranger to financial hardships. The nation has seen several recessions, the most recent from December 2007 to June 2009 which saw a long and difficult recovery. But it was during the Great Depression, that began with the Wall Street crash of 1929, citizens suffered real hardship and many struggled to afford even basic food items like bread and milk. But "Necessity is the mother of invention" and the era saw an influx of recipes using cheaper ingredients.

24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of surprisingly delicious depression-era desserts worth trying by scouring through heirloom recipes posted on cooking websites like TasteofHome, focusing on desserts that utilize elements of frugality and ingenuity. (Some remained family favorites and these became the most iconic dessert in every state.)

Mock Apple Pie

Recipe: Crackers mixed with lemon juice
Period of popularity: From mid-19th century to 1930s
Claim to fame: Recipe was published on Ritz cracker boxes
Interesting fact: It contains no apples whatsoever

Mystery Cake

Recipe: Cake mixture where milk, eggs, butter and sugar were replaced by tomato soup
Period of popularity: From 1930s into the 1960s
Claim to fame: Was also called 'magic cake' and was very moist
Interesting fact: It was an orange color

Navy Bean Pie

Recipe: Pie made with beans
Period of popularity: Still popular with Black Muslim communities
Claim to fame: Most popular with Southern Black households
Interesting fact: Texture is similar to sweet potato pie and is protein-rich

Prune Pudding

Recipe: Prunes with lemon zest, cinnamon, or nutmeg
Period of popularity: 1930s
Claim to fame: Served by Eleanor Roosevelt
Interesting fact: Can be eaten as breakfast

Wacky Cake

Recipe: Cake mixture with oil instead of butter, eggs, and milk
Period of popularity: 1930s
Claim to fame: It is a vegan recipe
Interesting fact: Vinegar and baking soda were the raising agents

Poor Man's Pudding

Recipe: Eggless cake better with hot caramel or maple syrup
Period of popularity: 1930s
Claim to fame: It is similar to old-fashioned American pudding cakes
Interesting fact: Based on French-Canadian recipe called Pouding chômeur

Potato Pinwheel Candy

Recipe: Mashed potato base
Period of popularity: Arrived from Germany in 1900 and still made today
Claim to fame: Made popular by the Irish of Appalachia
Interesting fact: They taste nothing like potatoes

Frozen Fruit Salad

Recipe: Fruit mixed with whipped cream and frozen
Period of popularity: 1930s
Claim to fame: Popular in the winter as freezers were rare
Interesting fact: Could be made with cheap canned fruit or fresh

Chocolate Potato Cake

Recipe: Cake mixture with grated raw potato
Period of popularity: From 1912 onwards
Claim to fame: Very dense and rich
Interesting fact: So moist it does not need frosting

Vinegar Pie

Recipe: Lemon pie mixture with vinegar instead of lemon
Period of popularity: From mid to late 1800s
Claim to fame: May be the precursor to Shoofly Pie
Interesting fact: You can't taste the vinegar

Peanut Butter Bread

Recipe: Bread with peanut butter instead of butter and eggs
Period of popularity: Late 1920s into 1930s
Claim to fame: Owes its success to commercial brands of peanut butter
Interesting fact: No yeast needed to make it rise

Baked Apple Pudding

Recipe: Baked pudding with bits of apple
Period of popularity: 1920s onwards
Claim to fame: Apparently a favorite of President Calvin Coolidge (1923 to 1929)
Interesting fact: Variations could have a crumby or gooey texture

Sugar Cream Pie

Recipe: Pie recipe with no eggs
Period of popularity: 1920s onwards
Claim to fame: Now a Midwest tradition
Interesting fact: Flour used as a thickener

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Recipe: Cake mixture with mayonnaise
Period of popularity: 1920s onwards
Claim to fame: One of many variations on chocolate cake from The Depression era
Interesting fact: Cocoa powder was widely accessible during the 1930s