When most of us think of cake, we think of light, moist layer cakes swathed in fluffy frosting or rich, fine-crumbed pound cakes, but these cakes are mostly a 20th-century innovation. Prior to 1850, most cakes were leavened with eggs (and/or yeast) and were often packed with dried fruit and nuts—think traditional fruitcake and you’re on the right track. They required a strong arm to mix and were heavy, dense affairs. Chemical leaveners such as cream of tartar, baking powder, and baking soda revolutionized cake making in the late 19th century, cutting out not only much of the labor and preparation time but also the cost—eggs could be very expensive. Case in point: A recipe for Plain White Cake from Dixie Cookery (1867) instructs the reader to “cream a pound and a quarter of butter, and beat it into a pound and a half of sugar and a pound and a half of flour alternately with the beaten whites of thirty eggs.” Thirty eggs!

In this chapter we include a wide variety of beloved cakes, including ethereal Angel Food Cake and its easier cousin, Chiffon Cake (whose inventor used vegetable oil as the secret ingredient), as well as vibrant Red Velvet Cake (with its tangy cream cheese frosting), Strawberry Poke Cake (a cake borne of a marketing campaign for Jell-O), and many more.

Cookies get their due here, too. In contrast to the labor and time involved in preparing a cake (even a modern one), it’s a cinch to make most cookies and they’re in and out of the oven in minutes—making their appeal to children undeniable. In keeping with their kid-friendly qualities, it’s no wonder so many cookies have fanciful names. In the following pages, we include recipes for such cookies as Fairy Gingerbread, Joe Froggers, Melting Moments, and more. So pour yourself a glass of cold milk and join us as we re-create classic cakes and cookies that adults and kids alike will enjoy.