(Editor’s note: Recipes excerpted from “Baking Yesteryear,” reprinted by permission of DK, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2023 by B. Dylan Hollis.)
‘Tis the season for indulging in our favorite foods, especially decadent desserts, and confections. It’s the time families gather in the kitchen baking their favorite recipes, many handed down through the generations.
These vintage recipes, often written on index cards, tattered and stained from years of use, provoke warm memories of baking with loved ones when we were young. What better way to embrace the season and bring warmth, nostalgia, joy and togetherness to a home. Holiday baking brings back fond memories of simpler and calmer times. It is an escape as well as a connection to the past.
One of the top cookbook titles this year is “Baking Yesteryear: The Best Recipes from the 1900’s to the 1980’s,” by B. Dylan Hollis (2023, DK, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, $32). Hollis’ book will take you down memory lane. The chapters are broken down by decade, beginning with the 1900s and ending with the 1980s.
Hollis shares his favorites from each decade.
1900s: Food for the Gods
1910s: Chocolate Potato Cake
1920s: Ricciarelli
1930s: Whipped Cream Cake
1940s: Applesauce Graham Cracker Torte
1950s: Kiskadee Fantasy
1960s: Haystacks
1970s: Christmas Crack
1980s: The Buster
The final chapter “Worst of the Worst,” is where he writes, “these creations are the kind that make you ponder the sobriety of the recipe developer.” You might be thinking, why were these recipes included? He writes, “I resolved to do so, since the bad experiences of what I do play such a big part in my overall journey of exploring cooking past, and not including them would ignore the fact that some bona fide, published recipes are simply bad — horrendous bad.”
So, what are a few of the recipes included here? Pickle Cheesecake, jellied meatloaf and SpaghettiOs Jell-O Ring (watch these videos at your own risk! https://bit.ly/3Np0cY6 https://bit.ly/48dPage). If you are a fan of these recipes, don’t fret, food is personal, like fashion.
The headnotes to each recipe are intriguing … some history with a good measure of humor as you will see in the recipes shared below.
I had the opportunity to interview Hollis, a larger-than-life personality. The conversation could have gone on and on. Both of us share an interest in vintage cookbooks. I asked how his delight in vintage recipes came about. From a career as a jazz pianist, I thought it was quite a diversion to becoming a baker. Well, he is not just a baker, he is a social media phenomenon with millions of followers patiently (or perhaps impatiently) waiting for his next video showcasing his unique style and humor while cooking. He said it was happenstance.
“During the pandemic I had too much time on my hands and the quarantine caused boredom,” he said.
Hollis always collected old things, including vintage cookbooks. They came in handy to fill the time. One day he looked through a 1912 Canadian cookbook and came across a recipe for pork cake.
“I just stared at it,” he said.
His experiment making the cake on video went viral and the rest is history.
Perhaps these recipes will become part of your holiday repertoire. As Hollis writes in the conclusion of his book, “The experience of putting together Baking Yesterday for you was a pleasure unmatched. Not only as an opportunity to breathe new life into dishes that once held the hearts of those in the old world, but as a celebration of the fact that while the cakes might change, the joys of baking remain timeless. … I sincerely hope that Baking Yesteryear serves you well, and offers you the opportunity to taste just a sliver of the past’s ingenuity, and the magic that I feel comes with it.”
Until my next column, Happy Baking and Happy Holidays!
For the recipe for Potato Chip Cookies from the 1970s visit stephenfries.com/recipes.
Admiral’s Gingerbread (1910s chapter)
The headnote says, “This is a most peculiar variety of gingerbread, and its bizarre method of preparation seems to have been quite popular along the East Coast cities of the United States in the early 1910s under names like New York Gingerbread and Providence Gingerbread. Bakers will notice that it has an impressively backwards order of operation, but despite this (or because of it), the result is surprisingly soft, light, and buttery ginger loaf, setting itself apart from traditional dense, dark gingerbreads of yuletide.”
9 x 5-inch loaf quick bread
1 cup (225g) butter, softened
1½ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground ginger
3 tablespoons molasses or treacle
Yolks of 5 large eggs, reserve whites
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups (180g) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth and light. Gradually beat in the flour, ginger, and molasses. Beat until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the salt. Gradually whisk in the powdered sugar.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with which an electric hand mixer is to be used, beat the reserved egg whites to stiff peaks. Beat in the baking powder.
Mix the egg yolk mixture into the creamed mixture, before adding the egg white mixture. Beat thoroughly.
Turn into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center can be removed cleanly.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Christmas Crack (1970s chapter)
The headnote says, “I’ve never before beheld such a perfect meeting of caramel, chocolate, and salty crunch as I did the day I made Christmas Crack. I remember it vividly and has since become my #1 homemade candy. Beginning this recipe by counting and arranging soda crackers in a grid may seem unorthodox, but since the 1970s the making of crack has become a popular yuletide activity for families in the United States…And, just as stockings and candle-glow punctuate the quiet midwinter home, Christmas Crack longs to sit patiently in a glass jar, eager to offer yet another reason for joy during the season.”
40 saltine crackers
1 cup (225g) butter, softened
1 cup (220g) packed light brown sugar
2 cups (340g) semisweet, or milk chocolate chips (one 12oz bag)
Chopped nuts, peppermint candy pieces, M&M’s candies, chocolate bar pieces, or sprinkles, for topping
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line a large baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Arrange a grid of saltine crackers in five rows of eight on the baking sheet. The crackers should all be touching.
Vertically crease the sides of the aluminum foil to create a dam that borders the crackers.In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the butter and the brown sugar, stirring occasionally until it reaches a boil.
Once the mixture reaches a full boil, boil for 5 minutes without stirring.
Carefully pour the mixture evenly over the saltine crackers. The foil dam will prevent the syrup from spilling.Immediately bake for 7 minutes.
Remove from the oven and quickly sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the hot crackers. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, or until the chips appear glossy, indicating they have melted.
Carefully spread the melted chips in a thin, even layer over the crackers.
While the chocolate is still hot, sprinkle on any desired toppings. Chopped walnuts or green and red sprinkles are my favorite options to use.
Midnight Mallowmalt Cake (1960s chapter)
Makes two 9-inch layers
The headnote says, “Chocolate cakes are an entire world waiting to be explored, and this 1960s example is just as badass as its name. With deep chocolate, marshmallow sweetness, and hints of malt and sour cream tartness, all needed a snowy blanket of marshmallows and boiled frosting, it is a winner if there’s ever been one.”
CAKE
18 marshmallows, or 2 1/3 cups mini marshmallows (¼ lb, 113g)
4 ounces (113g) bittersweet chocolate
¾ cup (180ml) boiling water
3 large eggs
1¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups (375g) sour cream
2¼ cups (350g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (36g) malted milk powder
1½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
FROSTING
Whites of 2 large eggs
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
1⁄3 cup (80ml) light corn syrup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mini marshmallows, for garnish
Cake Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch cake pans.
Melt together the marshmallows and the chocolate in a double boiler.
Add in the boiling water and beat the mixture smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until thick and foamy. Blend in the sour cream and the cooled chocolate mixture.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the wet ingredients. Mix until well combined.
Turn into the prepared pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center can be removed cleanly. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting Method
In a large bowl that can be placed atop a double boiler, combine the egg whites, sugar, corn syrup, and vinegar.
Over boiling water, beat the mixture with an electric hand mixer until it thickens and soft peaks form. Remove from heat and beat in the vanilla.
Away from the heat, continue beating until the frosting has cooled and is thick enough to spread onto the cake. This will take some time, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Spread a suitable amount of frosting evenly atop the first cake. Invert the second cake atop the filling to form the second layer.
Frost the assembled cake with the remaining frosting. Decorate the top of the cake with marshmallows.
Stephen Fries, is Professor Emeritus and former coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, in New Haven, Conn. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 15 years and is co-founder of and host of “Worth Tasting,” a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven. He is a board member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Email him at Stephen@stephenfries.com. For more, go to stephenfries.com.
