Our dessert preferences have changed a lot over the past 80 years, from the potluck pies and boxed cakes of the 1940s to the cake pops and liquid-nitrogen creations of the 1990s. Along the way, each decade has brought its own signature sweet treats, reflecting the trends, tastes and cultural moments of the time. Some of these desserts have become classics we still enjoy today, while others now feel like charming relics of the past. Join us on a trip down memory lane as we celebrate the most beloved desserts of each decade – and see which ones have stood the test of time.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover the sweet treats everyone was enjoying the decade you were born.
A classic Southern dessert often associated with family gatherings, banana pudding is made with layers of vanilla wafers, sliced bananas, custard and cream. It was invented in the late 19th century, but it really took off in the 1940s, when Nabisco began printing the recipe on its Vanilla Wafers boxes. Once a dessert crafted from scratch, it became a household staple that could be made entirely with store-bought ingredients.
This rich, decadent dessert skyrocketed in popularity in the 1940s, becoming a staple at family dinners and holiday tables. Crispy on the top and gooey and dense on the inside, it owes much of its success to the invention of Karo corn syrup. The filling blends sugar, molasses, butter, eggs and vanilla extract, all baked inside a classic pie crust. Still beloved today, it remains one of the South’s most iconic sweet treats.
One of the first boxed cake mix flavors was gingerbread, created by P. Duff and Sons as a clever way to use up surplus molasses. The company pioneered the idea of a convenient kit that simply required home cooks to add a fresh egg. Betty Crocker and Pillsbury soon followed suit, and by the end of the 1940s, hundreds of companies had released their own versions, making boxed cakes a pantry staple in households across the country.
The story of how Florida’s state pie came to be is a bit murky. It’s believed that a similar lemon cream pie recipe existed in New York; however, when home cooks in the Sunshine State began making it in the 1940s, they adapted it to feature the local Key lime, harvested from the Florida Keys. Whatever the truth, it's a sweet and tangy pie with a crisp cracker crust that's won hearts ever since, becoming a beloved symbol of Florida’s culinary heritage.
Advertised by General Mills as 'the first really new cake in 100 years,' the chiffon cake became a sensation in the late 1940s. Elegant and tall, chiffon cakes stood out for their light, airy texture, achieved by using oil instead of butter. They were baked in a special cake tin with a central metal tube, allowing them to rise particularly high. With their delicate crumb and impressive height, chiffon cakes quickly became a showstopping choice for celebrations and dinner parties.
Although this dessert of baked fruit topped with biscuit dough has been around for centuries, it became particularly associated with the Deep South in the 1950s – a decade when advertisements for tinned peaches were everywhere, and the Georgia Peach Council declared April 13 as National Peach Cobbler Day. With its golden, buttery topping and sweet, juicy filling, peach cobbler quickly became a beloved Southern staple, appearing on countless family tables and at community gatherings throughout the region.
Another dessert that had existed for some time but soared in popularity during the 1950s was pineapple upside-down cake. The eye-catching creation gained momentum after thousands of home cooks submitted their own versions in response to a Hawaiian pineapple recipe contest. Capitalizing on the trend, Py-O-My released a convenient cake mix featuring tinned pineapple and cherries, making it easy for families to recreate the sweet treat at home.
This sticky, caramelized dessert was created at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans and named after Richard Foster, the chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission, for whom it was originally made. Sliced bananas are layered into a rich sauce of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, doused with rum, then flambéed tableside for dramatic effect. The dessert quickly became a signature of the restaurant, delighting diners with its sweet, buttery, and boozy flavors – and it remains a must-try item on Brennan’s menu to this day.
The most impressive dessert of the decade has to be the baked Alaska, made up of a soft layer of cake, a generous filling of ice cream, and a crisp meringue shell. First created in 1867 to celebrate the purchase of Alaska, this sweet treat quickly earned a place in culinary history. After its debut, it fell in and out of fashion, but it truly came into its own again in the 1950s, when it returned as the ultimate dinner party showstopper.
Invented in the early 1900s, the banana split quickly became a soda fountain sensation, and it remained a beloved treat right through to the 1950s. The classic version is a feast of color and flavor: a banana sliced neatly lengthways, topped with scoops of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream, then drizzled with pineapple, chocolate, and strawberry sauces for extra indulgence. A crown of whipped cream, a scattering of chopped nuts, and an all-important maraschino cherry complete the picture.
Mentioned in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960, lane cake is about as Southern as it gets. More than just a fruit cake, it’s a towering creation of delicate sponge layers sandwiched together with a boozy, sticky filling of pecans, bourbon, coconut, and peaches. To finish, the entire cake is lavishly coated in a sweet peach schnapps frosting, giving it both a glossy appearance and an extra kick of flavor.
This flambéed favorite never goes out of fashion. It’s a delicate French crêpe that's drenched in a rich sauce of orange zest, sugar, butter, orange liqueur, and a splash of Cognac, before being dramatically set alight at the table. The flames caramelize the sugars, leaving the crêpe with a glossy, smoky sweetness. Although it was invented in the 19th century, it truly came into its own in the 1960s, when it became a staple of fine dining menus.
Cheese fondue was the height of fashion in the United States during this era – so it was only a matter of time before a sweet version was invented. Enter chocolate fondue, created by Swiss restaurateur Konrad Egli at his celebrated Chalet Suisse restaurant in New York. The original recipe was a decadent blend of cream, kirsch, and chunks of Toblerone, melted down into a silky pool of chocolate perfection. Guests dipped walnut pastries and fresh orange slices into the molten mixture, transforming dessert into a shared, sociable ritual.
This wobbly wonder was the perfect dessert for busy households, as the Jell-O cubes could be prepared in advance. Also known as broken glass cake, it’s a playful creation made by cutting jewel-like pieces of fruit jelly and folding them into a lemon-laced cream, which is then chilled until set. Home cooks often experimented with the recipe, giving it a buttery graham cracker crust, setting it in decorative molds, or enriching it with cream cheese for extra tang and richness.
This huge, gooey chocolate cake is the very definition of comfort baking. Said to have first appeared sometime in the 1960s, it’s a rich sheet cake generously topped with fudgy frosting and a scattering of pecans and walnuts. In Texas, it became such a staple at gatherings of all kinds that it earned the nickname 'Texas funeral cake,' thanks to its enormous size and its ability to console and nourish mourners. Despite its somber association, the cake is anything but gloomy – it’s a crowd-pleasing classic.
This cake sparked a nationwide craze for Bundt tin recipes, inspiring millions of home bakers after it took the top prize at the long-running Pillsbury Bake-Off contest in 1966. Baked in the distinctive ring-shaped mold, it stood out not only for its striking shape but also for its clever surprise inside. A rich blend of butter, sugar, cocoa, and nuts creates a gooey 'tunnel' of fudge that runs through the middle of the cake as it bakes.
Can’t imagine life without soft, refreshing, low-calorie frozen yogurt? You only need to travel back to the 1970s, when it was first created at Hood Dairy in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. Initially, many found it too tart and too similar to regular yogurt, and it took a few years of tweaking the recipe to strike the perfect balance of sweetness and creaminess. Once perfected, frozen yogurt quickly became a hit, offering a lighter, fun alternative to traditional ice cream.
1970s dessert lovers embraced carrot cake as a 'healthy' alternative to richer sweet treats thanks to the nutritious vegetables tucked inside, and it quickly took off in a big way. This indulgent yet seemingly virtuous cake combined grated carrots, plump raisins, warm cinnamon, oil, and sugar, all crowned with a luscious cream cheese frosting. Its popularity soared to the point that Food Network later listed it among the top five fad foods of the decade.
The origins of Mississippi mud pie remain somewhat murky. However, we do know that by the 1970s, recipes for this decadent chocolate dessert were appearing in cookbooks and magazines across the country. Known for its indulgent layers, the pie typically combines a fudgy cake or cookie crust base with rich chocolate pudding, ice cream, whipped cream, and sometimes a splash of liqueur. Each slice is a towering celebration of textures and flavors.
One of the decade’s most famous dishes, Watergate salad combined tinned pineapple, mini marshmallows, whipped cream, chopped nuts, and Kraft pistachio instant pudding mix, resulting in a fluffy green dessert that was as sweet as it was striking. It likely emerged soon after Jell-O introduced its pistachio pudding mix, and it earned its memorable name due to the political scandal of the era, as well as its resemblance to Watergate cake – a green pistachio cake that was equally popular.
Black Forest gâteau is a light, elegant layer cake that perfectly balances richness and freshness. Its layers of moist, bitter chocolate sponge are complemented by tart, juicy cherries and a splash of boozy kirsch, all enveloped in clouds of whipped cream. As visually stunning as it is delicious, the cake became a natural choice to finish a sophisticated 1980s dinner party, impressing guests with its dramatic presentation and harmonious combination of flavors.
Tiramisù’s popularity seemed to come from nowhere in the 1980s. So sudden was its rise to fame that The New York Times even ran an article exploring how this previously obscure Italian dessert had become a staple on restaurant menus across the country. Its appeal is easy to understand: layers of rich mascarpone, delicate sponge fingers, and a dusting of chocolate, all infused with a hit of espresso, create a dessert that's both indulgent and airy.
The 1980s were the decade of Bisquick Impossible Pies, the recipes for which were printed right on the back of Bisquick baking mix boxes. Using Bisquick – a simple blend of flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening – along with ingredients like eggs, milk, and desiccated coconut, these pies transformed in the oven. As they baked, the mixture mysteriously separated into a distinct crust and creamy filling, delighting children and adults alike.
This classic Italian dessert is a delicate, sweet custard made by whisking together eggs, sugar, and Marsala wine until silky smooth. It started to appear on American restaurant menus in the 1980s, and it quickly earned a reputation as a refined, elegant finale to a meal. Light yet flavorful, it provides a satisfying sweetness without feeling heavy, making it the perfect choice to round off a long, luxurious dinner.
A traditional British dessert, trifle layers sponge fingers with fresh, tinned, or stewed fruit, Jell-O, custard, and whipped cream to create a visually stunning and indulgent treat. In this decade, the rise of convenience foods meant that more home cooks turned to store-bought, ready-made ingredients, making it easier than ever to assemble an impressive-looking trifle with minimal effort.
This elegant dessert was the most coveted store-bought frozen treat of the 1990s. Viennetta’s signature layers of wafer-thin chocolate and smooth vanilla ice cream melted in the mouth, offering a combination of textures and flavors that felt indulgent yet refined. As the adverts famously proclaimed, one slice was never enough. While Viennetta is no longer widely available in the United States, it remains a nostalgic favorite and can still be found in some parts of Europe.
A ruby-red cake with cream cheese frosting, red velvet cake has a rich and storied history. Its roots stretch back to the Victorian era, but it gained wider recognition when it was served at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria in the 1930s. Despite this early fame, for much of the 20th century it was dismissed as a gimmick. That changed in the 1990s, when Magnolia Bakery in New York introduced red velvet cupcakes, turning the once-niche dessert into a bestseller and transforming it into a global sensation.
This indulgent chocolate cake, with its decadent molten chocolate core, became an instant sensation when Jean-Georges Vongerichten introduced it at his New York restaurant, JoJo. Its dramatic presentation and oozing chocolate center captured diners’ imaginations, and within months, variations began appearing on menus across the country. It remains a beloved dessert and a staple in many restaurants today.
Making crunchy, sugary Rice Krispie treats has long been a favorite pastime of parents and children alike. They're a staple at school bake sales thanks to their simplicity; all that’s required to make them is Rice Krispies cereal, melted marshmallows, and butter. In the 1990s, Kellogg’s made life even easier for busy families by introducing its own packaged version, bringing the beloved snack from homemade kitchens to store shelves.
The world’s love for Funfetti has only grown since 1989, when Pillsbury introduced the white cake mix with rainbow sprinkles – designed to be stirred into the batter rather than to decorate the top. It quickly became a must-have at children’s birthday parties, delighting young bakers and partygoers with its cheerful, confetti-like appearance. Today, those same children have grown into adults, and their affection for Funfetti shows no signs of fading, inspiring creative twists such as Funfetti macarons, croissants, and even wedding cakes.
Although it was around in the 1980s and 1990s, this dainty dessert reached the height of its popularity in the 2000s. Featuring a rich, velvety vanilla custard topped with a crisp, caramelized sugar shell, it offered both elegance and a touch of theatre at the table. Recipes appeared in nearly every cookbook of the decade, encouraging adventurous dinner party hosts to dust off their blow torches and add a dramatic finishing touch.
When these bite-sized treats went viral in the late 2000s, home cooks everywhere were eager to try their hand at them. Made by combining cake crumbs with cream cheese frosting, rolling the mixture into small balls, and coating them in melted chocolate and colorful sprinkles, they quickly became a baking craze. However, in recent years, their popularity has waned, and they have mostly fallen out of favor.
Influenced by pioneering celebrity chefs like Heston Blumenthal, the 2000s saw high-end restaurant desserts make a dramatic entrance, often arriving at the table billowing clouds of liquid nitrogen smoke. While the practice still exists today, experts warn that liquid nitrogen can be dangerous if mishandled or accidentally ingested, making it a thrilling but potentially risky addition to modern fine dining.
Beloved hazelnut chocolate spread Nutella was invented in a small town in Italy in 1964. It quickly grew in popularity, and, by the 2000s, fans around the world were not only spreading it on toast but also incorporating it into an endless array of desserts, from creamy cheesecakes to moist banana bread. Its irresistible flavor and versatility became so popular that it even contributed to a global shortage of hazelnuts.
When Carrie Bradshaw and Miranda Hobbes were seen eating cupcakes on Sex and the City in 2000, the nation instantly wanted to emulate them, and these sugary treats became the dessert of the decade. Shops devoted entirely to cupcakes sprang up, home bakers proudly brought their own creations to gatherings, and elaborate cupcake towers even began to replace traditional wedding cakes. With their endless flavor combinations, colorful decorations, and Instagram-worthy appeal, cupcakes captured the imagination of a generation.
Now discover the once-popular retro dishes we think should make a return
Last updated by Jessica Morris.