Nostalgia Is a Piece of Cake

About author / Rebecca Michaels

Queen of the desserts and pastry chef extraordinaire; graduate French Culinary Institute; Golden Scoop Award winner; Flying Monkey Bakery founder

I love pretty cakes.  Not fancy, but more of a pretty, feminine, happy look to my dessert design.  My aesthetic has been described by a few people as nostalgic, 1940s, retro, even 'grandma's attic.'   I've chosen to take that last bit as a compliment.

Cupcakes and cake slices are a huge seller at Flying Monkey.  I don’t tend to fuss too much on decorating cupcakes.  They are meant to be a quick, cheerful little parenthesis in your day, not a sit down Top Chef sort of food item that leaves you pondering the intricate beauty of thing hours afterward (though you can think of how positively delicious it was!).

I was wearing a light blue skirt with circles of fabric stitched on to it the other day and someone actually commented that the skirt looked very similar to my cakes.  For most of my everyday cakes that I sell at the shop, I usually frost it simply and then put a swirl on it with a small offset spatula and garnish it with three little pink rosebuds.  Indeed there really is something about it that is classic 1940s.  

I’ve found loads of inspiration from some of the classic cakes that were popular in the mid-century.  They are fun, simple cakes that will make you smile as you conjure up happy memories of your own Grandma or Great Grandma.

Let’s take a walk down Memory Lane.

The Lady Baltimore Cake is starting to regain popularity these days.  The lore is that this cake was developed in Charleston, South Carolina at The Lady Baltimore Tea Room in the early 20th Century.  It is a yellow cake with a fluffy meringue frosting and filled with nuts and candied fruit.  A classic Lady Baltimore is said to have pecans, dried figs and raisins, though more modern variations also include candied cherries.  

The Brown Eyed Susan Cake is a chocolate and orange marbled buttercake with orange and chocolate buttercreams.  Cakes named after flowers were all the rage in the 1950s.  

The Pink Azalea Cake is similar to the Lady Baltimore Cake.  It’s one pink layer and one white layer of cake with a filling of cherries and nuts and covered in meringue frosting that’s pink.  I love pink.  I must try this cake!

The Chrysanthemum Cake is named after its shape rather than the cake itself.  It’s basically a pound cake baked in a special bundt pan shaped like the flower.  It’s a beautiful, simple cake that looks great on any brunch table.  Or serve at a birthday party.  In Japanese culture, the mum symbolizes long life!

The Jelly Roll is a super easy party cake.  Simply make a cake recipe for one nine inch pan.  Grease and line with parchment paper a sheet pan with a lip, spread the batter evenly and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.  Let the cake cool (refrigerate it to make handling the easiest), spread with a thin layer of good quality jam and roll carefully.  Refrigerate the cake again before slicing.  That’s a 1950s classic for sure!

Serves/Makes: 10

• 1 package white cake mix (or your favorite recipe from scratch)
• hot pink food coloring
• 1 can cherry pie filling
• 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts (or a mix)
• 1 tablespoon kirsch

***Seven Minute Frosting***

• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• OR
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Maraschino cherries for garnish
• nuts for garnish