Desserts from the Great Depression Era are not only frugal, but also delicious! Why are Depression Era desserts still popular? They are still a hit because they can be made with pantry staples and some can be made even when you have run out of some baking essentials like eggs or butter or flour.
When you think of the depression era, you probably think of a time without a whole lot of joy. A time where families barely held on financially and many things were given up in order to pull through. One thing about the human spirit is it finds ways to make light in even the darkest of circumstances. For busy, low-income families, this often came in the form of making their kids happy with fun desserts and treats. After all, what’s childhood without a little sweetness?
The depression-era was a time when people had to get creative. With food rationing and large families to tend to on low incomes, parents found great ways to make their child’s favorite sweets on a limited budget, and in many cases, the end product was better than before! Here are 12 Decadent Depression Era Desserts for you to make for your kids that they are sure to love, too!
12 Decadent Depression Era Desserts
One of the benefits to desserts from the Great Depression Era is that they can be with pantry staples.
Depression Era Cake Recipes
Make this classic no egg, no milk, no butter Vanilla Depression Cake for the moistest cake around.
Looking for more egg-free cake recipes? Try this Chocolate Depression Cake recipe! Because depression cakes do no use eggs, butter, or milk, they were often called Crazy Cakes or Wacky Cakes.
Try Tomato Soup Cake for something a little different. It actually is a great depression recipe that was sometimes called Mystery Cake. See if your family can guess what the mystery ingredient is!
Culinary Hill has a classic cake recipe from the depression era with this Hot Milk Cake.
Pie Recipes from the Great Depression
Sugar Milk Pie from Jade’s Homemade Recipes is another recipe that contains only a couple of ingredients and is from the late 1920s – early 1930s.
When fruit was hard to get, people got creative. Try this Mock Apple Pie from Simply Sweet by Cori. She swears it tastes just like apples.
How about some Navy Bean Pie from Saveur? I bet it is so creamy you wouldn’t even know it was beans!
Cookie Recipes from the 1930s
These 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies do not require any flour, butter, or milk!
Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies can be made without eggs or flour.
Check out Grandma’s Slice and Bake Cookies from Bless This Mess for a simple recipe that you can keep in your fridge or freezer.
These Poor Man’s Cookies from Taste of Home contain no milk, eggs, or nuts.
This Flourless Chocolate Cookie recipe has 4 delicious variations.
More Depression Era Treats
Have you ever tried Poor Man’s Pudding? It’s a classic depression recipe from A Hippie With a Minivan.
Another way to get creative with what you had was with this Potato Candy from Christmas Cookies.
Another classic sweet from the era are these Crispy Fried Saltines from Relish.
I love this 1930s Cheesecake Recipe from Just a Pinch Recipes.
More Depression Era Tips:
Frugal Depression Era Gardening Tips
Depression Era Tips to Stretch Your Food Budget
Carolyn says
According to my father (1906-1967), Poor Man’s Pudding was a slice of bread with milk and jam on it.
Sherri says
Mouth-watering!! I need to be reminded not to read these before eating…