Andrine’s Banana Cream Cake
Written on a torn little scrap of paper, Andrine’s Banana Cream Cake promises a moist, tender cake rich with ripe banana and vanilla—and only 25 minutes in the oven.
Category Cakes
Cake recipes from Aunt Bertha’s Recipe Box, including layer cakes, sheet cakes, fruit cakes, and other homemade favorites for everyday and special occasions.
Fruit Cake
Forget the fruit cake that has to sit around for weeks—this typed recipe says to dig in while it’s still new, with raisins, dates, figs, citron and plenty of nuts packed into every slice.
Milk Sponge Cake
A handwritten recipe for a light, tender Milk Sponge Cake made with beaten eggs and hot milk, with your choice of vanilla or lemon for flavor—and it bakes in just 25 minutes.
Jelly Roll
A handwritten Jelly Roll recipe with lemon and Crisco that gives directions for mixing the batter but leaves the baking, filling and rolling instructions a mystery.
Andrine’s Simple Date Cake
A handwritten recipe for Andrine’s Simple Date Cake, made with dates and nuts, baked in a loaf pan and served plain or topped with whipping cream or hard sauce.
Lincoln’s Birthday Cake
A 1969 newspaper recipe for a gingerbread cake roll filled with pineapple whipped cream and made in honor of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.
Rhubarb Cake
A brown sugar rhubarb cake topped with cinnamon sugar and served with whipped cream or ice cream.
Vera’s Date Cake
A simple date and nut cake made with shortening and vanilla, with directions for baking as a cake or cupcakes.
Aunt Olga’s Fruit Cake
A substantial fruitcake packed with raisins, dates, figs, citron and nuts, with an intriguing old-fashioned addition of a “small glass of jelly.”
Radiant Mix Old Fashioned Dark Cake (5 lb)
A rich, dark old-fashioned fruitcake packed with raisins, dates, nuts, and candied fruit, with a family tradition of keeping it moist with currant wine.
Devil’s Food Pound Cake
A rich Devil’s Food Pound Cake made with Duncan Hines cake mix, chocolate pudding, and Crisco Oil, finished with a simple chocolate glaze.
Applesauce Cake
A C&H Sugar applesauce cake made with brown sugar, raisins, walnuts, and warm spices.
Philly No-Bake Cheesecake
A Philadelphia Cream Cheese recipe for an easy no-bake cheesecake with a graham cracker crust.
Stokely Choco-Moist Cake
Chocolate cake made with Stokely fruit cocktail and topped with chocolate pieces and nuts.
Irma’s Lemon Jello Cake
A typed recipe for Irma’s Lemon Jello Cake, a cake-mix dessert made with lemon gelatin and finished with a fresh lemon glaze.
Vera’s Lemon Velvet Cake with Glaze
A typed recipe for Vera’s Lemon Velvet Cake with Glaze, made with Betty Crocker Lemon-Velvet Cake Mix and lemon Jell-O, then finished with a fresh lemon glaze.
Devil’s Food Cake with Filling and Icing
A typed recipe for Devil’s Food Cake with Filling and Icing—rich buttermilk chocolate cake paired with an unexpected orange-flavored filling and frosting.
Violet’s Coffee Cake
Violet’s old fashioned Coffee Cake made with brown sugar and nut meats, from a handwritten recipe with wonderfully brief directions.
Ella’s Sponge Cake With Lemon Filling
A handwritten recipe for Ella’s Sponge Cake with Lemon Filling—six eggs, homemade lemon filling, and the wonderfully vague direction to simply “bake slowly.”
Alice’s Rhubarb Torte
A handwritten recipe for Alice’s Rhubarb Torte—just a handful of ingredients, 35 minutes in the oven, and rhubarb gets to steal the show.
Simple Date Cake
A typed recipe for Simple Date Cake—rich with chopped dates and nuts, with whipped cream or hard sauce waiting to dress it up.
Susie’s Chocolate Oatmeal Cake
A handwritten recipe for Susie’s Chocolate Oatmeal Cake brings cocoa, oats, and coconut frosting together in one pan—proof that oatmeal knows how to have a good time.
Billie’s Angel Food System
Handwritten angel food cake baking notes with mixing and baking instructions for a tall, light cake that “never fails.”
Cinnamon Supper Cake
A handwritten recipe for Cinnamon Supper Cake—warm cake, melted butter, and a snowy cinnamon-sugar topping make a pretty convincing case for dessert tonight.