10 Old-School Desserts That'll Take You Straight Back In Time

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Going old-school has been all the rage in modern times. From retro food trends that are due a comeback to vintage kitchen appliances and old-school lighting trends popping up in homes across the nation, we're obsessed with the fact that old is new again. There's just something incredibly nostalgic about the flavors of yesteryear, and we love how just seeing a photo of an old-school recipe can instantly transport us back to simpler times.

While you might see some savory foods like pigs in a blanket or deviled eggs popping up as appetizers once again, we thought it would be fun to take a peek at some retro desserts that deserve their time in the spotlight. While some classic desserts are timeless in the sense that they may likely still be made today, we love that some of these choices are time-capsuled to their particular era (although we certainly wouldn't mind trying them today). So put on your favorite bell-bottom jeans and let's explore some old-school sweet treats together.

A type of dessert salad, this fruit-packed concoction was popular from the 1940s through to the 1980s. It consists of a colorful medley of fruits like pineapples, mandarin oranges, grapes, and cherries mixed with coconut shavings, mini marshmallows, and whipped cream. Some incorporate puddings or homemade custards, but the simplest simply mix the whipped cream with fruit and marshmallows.

Attributed to the Pennsylvania Dutch as far back as the early 1900s, whoopie pies are the perfect dessert for chocolate lovers. They're made from two cocoa cake-like cookies that are sandwiched together with a fluffy marshmallowy filling — what could be better?

With bundt cake pans first being invented in 1950, this delightful dessert has been around for over half a century. Typically denser than other cakes, the texture is closer to a pound cake than sponge, and usually features a beautiful sprinkling of powdered sugar or an icing drizzle on top. It's a classic, elegant dish, and, while it can be tricky to get out (hot water can help with that), it's a relatively easy way to have a beautiful dessert. Try a chocolate caramel pecan cake, or Alex Guarnaschelli's orange walnut bundt.

This chewy vintage dessert became popular in the 1960s, taking classic Jell-O and adding it to sugar cookie recipes. The result is a pastel-colored cookie often made during the holidays. And thanks to the use of Jell-O, they usually have a slightly fruity taste to them and a soft, moist crumb, too.

This beauty likely dates back to the 1920s — though the earliest upside-down cake recipes likely used prunes and plums instead of pineapple. It's a simple cake that looks more difficult than it actually is. All you have to do is pour cake batter over some sliced pineapples (and maybe cherries if you feel fancy), butter, and brown sugar in a skillet and then bake until set. No other dressing necessary.

Everybody's grandma seems to have a shoofly pie recipe. A molasses-forward pie with a crumb topping, this classic Pennsylvania Dutch dessert takes sticky molasses and combines it with water and baking soda to create the gooey filling. And yes, shoofly is meant to have a soggy bottom — at least if you're in Lancaster.

Back with another Jell-O dessert, molded Jell-O became incredibly popular in the 1950s and '60s. Making one of these is wildly easy, and you can elevate it by adding fruits and other goodies to the mold for a creative and pretty display. Try layering different colors or flavors for a truly elegant and vintage dish.

This no-bake layered cake is said to have been born around the 1920s. It became popular in the United States when Nabisco, a mega cookie corporation, put a recipe for one on its boxes of chocolate wafers. All you have to do is layer your cookies of choice with whipped cream, pudding, or custard, and let the cake chill in the fridge or freezer until set.

Dating back to the Great Depression, this Southern delicacy is considered a "make-do pie," meaning that it was created to be an easy, throw-together dessert that could be made with limited supplies and ingredients. It's made with a crust of whipped egg whites, baking soda, crushed saltine crackers, and sugar that's baked and then topped with whipped cream.

If you're anything like us, you probably grew up with a butter knife permanently sitting in a box of Entemann's Coffee Crumb Cake — now available online in individual servings. How would we make a list of old-school desserts and not include this absolute icon? This beloved cake became incredibly popular in the 1950s, and the brand has dozens of popular items still available today, like its cheese danish and marshmallow devil's iced cake.