Dessert Recipes

Eggless chocolate banana snack cake with mashed ripe banana, cocoa, brown sugar, and a vinegar-baking soda lift. Topped with melted chocolate chips. A no-egg, no-dairy 8-inch square cake.

Crazy chocolate cake made with no eggs, no butter, and no milk. Vinegar and baking soda create the lift in this one-bowl Depression-era recipe that bakes up surprisingly moist and rich.

Sawmill cake with no eggs and no dairy, just cocoa, vinegar, and margarine for a moist, dark chocolate sheet cake. The Depression-era one-bowl dessert born from pantry shortages.

Double chocolate cream cheese cake with a coffee-spiked cocoa batter and a tangy cream cheese chocolate chip swirl baked right in. A one-pan dessert that disappears at potlucks.

Red Velvet Cocoa Cake made with buttermilk, cocoa powder, and vinegar for a tender, tangy crumb with that classic crimson color. A Southern layer cake staple.

Southern chess pie with a custardy filling of eggs, sugar, butter, and a splash of vinegar, thickened with cornmeal in a pre-made pie shell. Old-school Southern dessert.

Grandma's red velvet cake: a true vintage Southern recipe with cocoa, buttermilk, and vinegar reacting with baking soda to give the cake its tender, tangy crumb. Two 9-inch layers, ready in 45 minutes.

Waldorf Astoria red velvet cake made with buttermilk, cocoa, and red food coloring, topped with a cooked flour frosting that tastes like whipped cream. The legendary original recipe.

Meringue cookies use just five pantry ingredients to make crisp, snowy puffs that melt on the tongue. Naturally fat-free and gluten-free, with a marshmallow-like interior and a delicate vanilla finish.

Vegan cocoa cupcakes made without eggs, butter, or milk. Oil, vinegar, and baking soda create the lift in these simple, one-bowl chocolate cupcakes.

Classic chocolate sheet cake with cinnamon and vinegar in the batter, topped with warm cocoa icing poured over the hot cake so it soaks into every prick-marked inch.

Crazy cake, also known as wacky cake, is an egg-free and dairy-free chocolate sheet cake made with vinegar and oil. Depression-era one-pan recipe that bakes in 35 minutes.

Gingerbread cut-out cookies with molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, plus a homemade egg white decorating frosting. A classic holiday cookie for decorating with kids.

Old-school lard pie crust with egg, vinegar, and a touch of brown sugar. One batch yields four disks for double-crust pies. The flakiest crust comes from cold lard worked into the size of tiny peas.

Three-layer red velvet cake with buttermilk, cocoa, and vinegar topped with a cooked flour white icing. Old-fashioned Southern style with an ermine frosting that's not too sweet.

Chocolate chip snack cake with cream cheese pockets: a no-egg, no-butter chocolate cake topped with dollops of sweetened cream cheese, chocolate chips, and walnuts. The retro depression-era "crazy cake" upgraded.