Depression Era Desserts Grandma Made With No Eggs, No Butter and No Money: 13 Sweets That Still Taste Like Home

Depression era desserts were born in kitchens where eggs, butter and milk were often too precious to spend on a cake, yet grandma still found a way to put something sweet on the table. In the 1930s families stretched every cup of flour, saved stale bread and leftover rice, and swapped in vinegar, applesauce, molasses and even mashed potatoes to make treats from almost nothing. With grocery prices on everyone’s mind again, these thrifty recipes feel surprisingly modern. They are cheap, they use pantry staples and they taste like a visit to a grandparent’s kitchen. Here are 13 cakes, puddings, cookies and candies from that era, each with a simple list of ingredients and easy steps. Preheat the oven and bake a little history today..

Wacky Cake, the Star of Depression Era Desserts

Also called crazy cake, this chocolate snack cake has no eggs, no butter and no milk, and nobody can tell. The secret is a splash of vinegar that reacts with baking soda to lift the batter, while oil and cocoa keep it moist and rich. Old recipes say to mix it right in the baking pan with three little wells for the wet ingredients, so there is no bowl to wash. It became a family favorite in hard times and again during wartime rationing. Dust it with powdered sugar and serve it warm..

You will need: 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 3 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 tbsp white vinegar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup cold water, powdered sugar for dusting.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350°F. 2. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt right in an ungreased 8 inch square pan. 3. Make three wells and pour the oil into one, the vinegar into another and the vanilla into the third. 4. Pour the water over everything and stir with a fork until smooth. 5. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. 6. Cool slightly and dust with powdered sugar.

Poor Man’s Cake With Boiled Raisins and Spice

Poor man’s cake, sometimes called boiled raisin cake or war cake, starts on the stove instead of in a mixing bowl. Raisins, sugar, water, a little shortening and warm spices simmer together until the fruit turns plump and the kitchen smells like the holidays. Once cooled, flour and baking soda go in and the batter bakes into a dense, moist loaf that keeps for days. It is one of those depression era desserts that still show up in collections like these comforting Depression-era desserts on MSN. Slice it thick with coffee.

You will need: 1 cup raisins, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 1/4 cups water, 1/3 cup shortening or oil, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional).

How to make it: 1. Simmer the raisins, brown sugar, water, shortening and spices in a saucepan for 5 minutes. 2. Let the mixture cool completely. 3. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5 loaf pan. 4. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt, then stir in the raisin mixture and nuts. 5. Pour into the pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes. 6. Cool before slicing.

Bread Pudding That Saved Every Stale Crust

In the 1930s no one threw away a heel of bread, and bread pudding is the delicious proof. Of all depression era desserts, it may be the most practical. Dry cubes soak up a simple custard of milk, sugar and an egg or two, then bake until the top is crisp and the middle is soft and spoonable. A handful of raisins and a pinch of cinnamon made it feel like a treat even on the leanest week. It was the natural sweet ending after the hearty meals in our Depression era dinners that fed a whole family. Serve it warm with cream.

You will need: 6 cups stale bread cubes, 2 1/2 cups milk, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbsp melted butter or margarine, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla, pinch of salt, 1/2 cup raisins, whipped cream to serve (optional).

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8 inch square dish. 2. Spread the bread and raisins in the dish. 3. Whisk the milk, eggs, sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. 4. Pour over the bread and press down so it soaks for 15 minutes. 5. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until puffed and golden. 6. Serve warm.

Peanut Butter Bread With No Eggs or Butter

Peanut butter was cheap, filling and full of protein, so clever cooks baked it right into a quick bread. This loaf needs only flour, sugar, baking powder, milk and a generous scoop of peanut butter, with no eggs or butter at all. It bakes up tender with a golden crust and a nutty, lightly sweet flavor that is perfect toasted for breakfast. Like many depression era desserts, it was spread with jam or honey and packed into school lunches. Many people say it tastes even better the second day.

You will need: 2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/3 cups milk, 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 tsp vanilla (optional).

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5 loaf pan. 2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. 3. Add the milk and peanut butter and stir until just combined. 4. Spread in the pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. 5. Cool 10 minutes, then turn out and slice.

Tomato Soup Cake, One of the Strangest Depression Era Desserts

It sounds odd, but a can of condensed tomato soup makes one of the moistest spice cakes you will ever taste. The soup replaced eggs and some of the fat, and its gentle tang disappears behind cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Nobody guesses the secret ingredient until you tell them. Home cooks traded the recipe through newspapers and church cookbooks for decades, and it is still a fun surprise at potlucks. Add raisins or walnuts and finish with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting if you like.

You will need: 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1 can (10.75 oz) condensed tomato soup, 1/2 cup vegetable oil or soft shortening, 1/4 cup water, 1 cup raisins or chopped walnuts.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 inch square pan. 2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and spices. 3. Stir in the soup, oil and water until smooth. 4. Fold in the raisins or nuts. 5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. 6. Cool and frost, or dust with powdered sugar.

Stovetop Rice Pudding From Leftover Rice

A cup of rice left over from supper could turn into dessert in about twenty minutes. Cooked rice simmers slowly in milk with a little sugar until it turns thick and creamy, then raisins, vanilla and cinnamon make it taste like comfort in a bowl. Grandmothers often stirred in one beaten egg at the end for an even richer custard, but it is lovely without. Eat it warm on a cold night or chilled straight from the icebox the next day. Among depression era desserts, few cost less or feel more like a hug.

You will need: 2 cups cooked white rice, 3 cups milk, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 cup raisins, 1 egg, beaten (optional), 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

How to make it: 1. Combine the rice, milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan. 2. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes until thick. 3. Stir in the raisins. 4. If using the egg, stir a spoon of hot rice into it, then stir it back into the pot and cook 2 minutes more. 5. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. 6. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve warm or cold.

Molasses Crinkle Cookies, Cheap and Chewy

Molasses cost far less than white sugar in the 1930s, so it sweetened many depression era desserts in grandma’s cookie jar. These soft, chewy cookies are spiced with ginger, cinnamon and cloves, rolled in sugar and baked until the tops crack into that famous crinkle. They stay soft for days in a tin and make the whole house smell wonderful. A single egg and a little shortening stretch into about three dozen cookies. Do not overbake them, the centers should still look slightly soft.

You will need: 3/4 cup shortening, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 egg, 1/4 cup molasses, 2 1/4 cups flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp salt, granulated sugar for rolling.

How to make it: 1. Beat the shortening, brown sugar, egg and molasses until fluffy. 2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, spices and salt, then stir them in. 3. Chill the dough 1 hour. 4. Roll into 1 inch balls and coat in sugar. 5. Bake on a sheet at 375°F for 9 to 11 minutes. 6. Cool on the sheet 2 minutes, then move to a rack.

Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake That Needs No Oven

As iceboxes and then electric refrigerators made their way into more homes in the 1920s and 1930s, a new kind of no-bake dessert was born. Thin chocolate wafers are stacked with sweetened whipped cream, and after a night in the cold they soften into tender cake-like layers. It looks like it came from a bakery, yet it uses only a few ingredients and no oven at all. Of all the depression era desserts here, this one looks the fanciest, so slice it on the diagonal to show off the stripes. Top it with cocoa or chocolate shavings.

You will need: 2 cups heavy cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, about 40 thin chocolate wafer cookies, cocoa powder or chocolate shavings for topping.

How to make it: 1. Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks. 2. Spread each wafer with whipped cream and stack them into logs or layer them in a round. 3. Lay the logs on a platter and cover everything with the remaining cream. 4. Cover and chill at least 6 hours or overnight. 5. Dust with cocoa or chocolate shavings and slice on the diagonal.

Potato Candy, the Sweetest of Depression Era Desserts

Yes, this candy really starts with a mashed potato. A little plain cooked potato is mixed with powdered sugar until it becomes a smooth, snowy dough, then rolled flat, spread with peanut butter and rolled up like a jelly roll. Sliced into rounds, the pinwheels taste like a creamy peanut butter mint candy, with no hint of potato at all. Families in the Appalachian South made it for Christmas when store candy was out of reach. Kids still love helping roll it up.

You will need: 1/2 cup plain mashed potato (no butter, milk or salt), cooled, 1 tsp vanilla, about 4 to 5 cups powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting, 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter.

How to make it: 1. Mix the potato and vanilla in a bowl. 2. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time, kneading until you have a stiff, smooth dough. 3. Roll out on a sugar-dusted sheet of wax paper into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle. 4. Spread with peanut butter, leaving a small border. 5. Roll up tightly from the long side, wrap and chill 2 hours. 6. Slice into 1/4 inch pinwheels.

Indian Pudding Made With Cornmeal and Molasses

This old New England pudding goes back to colonial days, and it came back strong in the 1930s because cornmeal and molasses were among the cheapest foods in the pantry. Cornmeal is cooked in milk until thick, sweetened with molasses and warmed with ginger and cinnamon, then baked low and slow until it turns deep brown and silky. The result tastes like gingerbread you eat with a spoon, and it is one of the oldest depression era desserts on this list. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a little cold cream poured over the top.

You will need: 4 cups milk, 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal, 1/2 cup molasses, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp butter, 1 egg, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt, vanilla ice cream or cream to serve.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 300°F and grease a 1 1/2 quart baking dish. 2. Heat 3 cups of the milk until steaming, then whisk in the cornmeal and cook, stirring, 10 minutes until thick. 3. Remove from the heat and stir in the molasses, sugar, butter, spices and salt. 4. Whisk in the egg. 5. Pour into the dish, pour the remaining cold milk over the top without stirring and bake 2 hours. 6. Rest 20 minutes and serve warm.

Eggless Applesauce Cake With a Walnut Crumb

When eggs were scarce, applesauce stepped in to keep cakes tender and moist. This spiced snack cake uses a cup and a half of applesauce, a little shortening and plenty of cinnamon, and many families made the applesauce themselves from windfall apples. A quick crumb topping of brown sugar, flour and walnuts bakes into a sweet, crunchy lid. It is one of those humble depression era desserts that disappear from the pan one square at a time. Raisins in the batter make it even more old fashioned.

You will need: 1/2 cup shortening or soft butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce, 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup raisins (optional). Topping: 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 2 tbsp butter, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 inch square pan. 2. Beat the shortening and sugar, then stir in the applesauce. 3. Whisk the flour, baking soda, spices and salt and stir them in with the raisins. 4. Spread in the pan. 5. Rub the topping ingredients together and sprinkle over the batter. 6. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Banana Bread, a Depression Era Desserts Classic That Never Left

Banana bread became a cookbook regular in the 1930s, when baking powder and baking soda were common in home kitchens and no one could stand to waste a brown, overripe banana. Mashed bananas bring sweetness and moisture, so the loaf needs only a little sugar and fat. It is still one of the most baked recipes in America, which makes it one of the depression era desserts that truly never went out of style. Save the spottiest bananas, they give the best flavor. Add nuts if you have them.

You will need: 3 very ripe bananas, mashed, 1/3 cup melted butter or oil, 2/3 cup sugar, 1 egg, beaten, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp baking soda, pinch of salt, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional).

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5 loaf pan. 2. Stir the mashed bananas and melted butter together. 3. Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla. 4. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the batter and stir. 5. Add the flour and nuts and stir just until combined. 6. Bake 55 to 65 minutes and cool before slicing.

Cottage Pudding With Warm Brown Sugar Sauce

Cottage pudding is not really a pudding at all, it is a plain, fluffy one-egg cake that turns special with a ladle of warm sauce. Thrifty cooks baked it in a square pan, cut it while warm and poured over a simple sauce of brown sugar, a bit of butter, water and vanilla thickened with cornstarch. The cake soaks up the sauce like a sponge. In good years it was topped with berries or lemon sauce, but the brown sugar version cost almost nothing. It is pure comfort and a fitting finale for these depression era desserts.

You will need: 1 3/4 cups flour, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 cup soft butter or shortening, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, 3/4 cup milk, 1 tsp vanilla. Sauce: 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 cup water, 1 tbsp butter, 1 tsp vanilla.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8 inch square pan. 2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. 3. Beat the butter and sugar, then add the egg and vanilla. 4. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk. 5. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. 6. For the sauce, cook the brown sugar, cornstarch and water until thick, then stir in the butter and vanilla and spoon over warm squares.