The Depression-Era Dessert That Swapped Apples for Crackers

The Great Depression was the longest and deepest financial downturn in United States history. It started in 1929, triggered by several financial collapses, including the 1929 stock market crash, and finally ended in 1941 with the U.S. involvement in World War I which created employment in numerous industries supporting the war effort. During this period, severe economic hardship contributed to widespread unemployment, bank failures, and poverty, which led many people to become resourceful.

People had to be resourceful, and when it came to mealtime, homemakers used a lot of imagination to keep desserts on their tables. 24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of Depression-era desserts that are surprisingly tasty by scouring through heirloom recipes posted on cooking websites like TasteofHome, focusing on desserts that are no longer commonplace and that use elements of frugality and ingenuity.

While most of these recipes are relics that have gone out of fashion, some saw a bit of a revival during the supply shortages of the pandemic. Others are still regionally popular in limited areas, but not widespread throughout the nation. (This is the most iconic dessert in every state.)

Incredibly, you don't need apples to make something that looks like an apple pie. This recipe uses crackers soaked in lemon juice to make a 'fruity' filling. The idea first came about in the 1800s and spread throughout the U.S. However, it was during the 1930s that it really took off. Household budgets were feeling the pinch and Ritz even printed the recipe on their boxes of crackers.

"Tomato soup cake" doesn't sound very appetizing, so this Depression-era staple with a secret ingredient was often referred to as "magic cake" or "mystery spice cake." Canned tomato soup was cheap and readily available. It could replace the milk, eggs, butter, and some of the sugar in a recipe, resulting in an incredibly moist, if oddly orange-tinged, cake. Fans of mystery cake liked it so much that they continued making it into the '60s.

Beans were a staple for nearly every family in the 1930s, and bean pies were a nutrient-dense and protein-rich dessert. These custard pies, with a texture similar to sweet potato pie, became popular in Southern Black households. They remain a beloved treat in Black Muslim communities, where cooks embraced them as an alternative to richer soul food desserts.

Eleanor Roosevelt famously served thrifty meals at the White House during the Depression, in order to set an example of frugality for the American people and to not cause an uproar by continuing the tradition of elaborate feasts while the general public could barely afford to eat.

One of the dishes she championed was prune pudding. With a little lemon zest in warmer months or cinnamon and nutmeg during chillier times, this fiber-rich pudding doesn't need much sweetener and can be enjoyed for breakfast as well as dessert.

This dessert could be mistaken for a modern, innovative vegan recipe but it actually originated during the Depression era or perhaps before. When families could not get hold of butter, milk, or eggs, they found that they could still make a delicious dessert using cheaper and more widely available ingredients. Butter was replaced with oil, milk with water and there were no eggs. Vinegar and baking soda ensured that the mixture rose when it was cooked to give a lighter texture.

Pouding chômeur is a French-Canadian treat created in Quebec during the Great Depression. It consists of an eggless cake batter with a hot caramel or maple syrup poured into it before baking. This results in the formation of a gooey layer at the bottom of the pan, reminiscent of old-fashioned American pudding cakes.

This Appalachian candy uses mashed potatoes as a base. Mixed with copious amounts of powdered sugar and rolled around a layer of peanut butter, potato candies (sometimes called peanut butter pinwheels) taste nothing like potatoes, but are fudgy, filling, and economical.

Frozen fruit salad required a method to freeze the fruit. If families had access to a freezer, that was great otherwise they simply made it on special occasions during the winter. Any fruit could be used but as canned fruit was cheaper this was the most popular.

As potatoes were cheap and easy to come by, they found their way into numerous recipes. One of the most exceptional, however, was the chocolate potato cake. Rich, moist, and dense, this dessert utilized leftover mashed potatoes; but you'd never even know it.

Citrus fruits were scarce in many places, so home cooks figured out a way to make a lemon pie with no lemons. Vinegar pie uses a small amount of white or cider vinegar to mimic lemon juice, and the end result is a tart, sweet pie similar to a lemon chess, with no noticeable hint of vinegar.

When commercial brands of peanut butter began popping up in the late 1920s, the price of peanut butter went down and this protein-rich spread became commonplace in most households. Peanut butter bread, which is a "quick bread" like banana bread, doesn't need yeast to rise, and uses peanut butter in the place of butter and eggs.

This moist pudding cake used chunks of apple for texture, and was served warm. Some recipes called for hot water to be poured into the batter before baking, which created a gooey pudding bottom, while others omitted the water and had a sturdier crumb.

Also known as Hoosier pie, this simple custard pie has become a Midwest tradition, especially in Indiana. The simple filling made of butter, cream or milk, and sugar doesn't require eggs, but uses flour as a thickener. It can be flavored with vanilla and often comes dusted with nutmeg.

When eggs and butter were scarce, home cooks turned to mayonnaise – which consists of mostly eggs and oil – to keep their cakes moist. Cocoa powder remained widely accessible during the 1930s, hence the profusion of chocolate cake recipes to come out of the Depression.

This cake is unashamedly heavy so don't expect a light sponge! You may see it called "Depression cake" as it became popular during the 1930s. Boiled raisons provide both the sweetness and the moisture. Thanks to this special ingredient, you do not need butter, milk, or eggs. Flavor is added using cinnamon and nutmeg although some people have been known to use molasses.

Even without milk or eggs, home cooks figured out how to make custard pies with a bare minimum of ingredients. This surprisingly delicious dessert contained a pie filling made of just water, sugar, flour, and butter, with a little vanilla extract if it was available.