American tables • 1927–1935
Desserts from the Model A Era
20 recipes from American publications within 1927–1935. Each recipe shows its actual source year. These dishes reflect food served in the United States, including recipes influenced by other cultures.
Choose a recipe
- Baked Apples — 1927
- Baked Peaches — 1927
- Baked Pears — 1927
- Creamy Rice Pudding — 1931
- Baked Bananas — 1931
- Bananas and Rhubarb — 1931
- Scalloped Apples — 1931
- Bread-Crumb Cake — 1931
- Sponge Cake — 1931
- Orange Gelatin — 1931
- Apple Upside-Down Cake — 1931
- Apple Tapioca — 1931
- Jellied Apricots — 1931
- Peach Bavarian Cream — 1931
- Peach Melba — 1931
- Peach Tapioca — 1931
- Jellied Prunes — 1931
- Rhubarb Betty — 1931
- Applesauce Cake — 1931
- Devil’s Food Cake — 1931
Directions are adapted in plain language for today’s kitchen. Modern handling updates are identified where used; the linked original supplies historical context. Quantities are U.S. measures.
1927 • Recipe 1 of 20
Baked Apples
Ingredients
Apples; sugar; butter; a little water; optional raisins, lemon juice, or spice. Flexible amounts.
Directions
Core apples without cutting through the bottom. Put in a baking dish and fill centers with sugar and butter, adding optional flavorings. Add a little water, cover, and bake in a hot oven until tender. Serve with cream if desired.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes (1927), printed p. 11. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1927 • Recipe 2 of 20
Baked Peaches
Ingredients
Peaches, fresh or canned; sugar if needed; butter; a little salt. Flexible amounts.
Directions
Peel and halve fresh peaches, or drain canned halves. Place in a shallow baking dish, add a little butter, sugar if needed, and salt. Bake or broil until hot, tender, and lightly browned.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes (1927), printed p. 13. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1927 • Recipe 3 of 20
Baked Pears
Ingredients
Pears; brown sugar; butter; a pinch of salt; a little water. Flexible amounts.
Directions
Halve and core pears. Put in a baking dish, sprinkle with sugar and salt, dot with butter, and add very little water. Cover and bake in a moderate oven until tender; uncover to reduce the syrup.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes (1927), printed p. 13. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 4 of 20
Creamy Rice Pudding
Ingredients
1 tbsp uncooked rice; 1 quart milk; ½ cup sugar; salt and cinnamon or nutmeg to taste.
Directions
Combine ingredients in a baking dish. Bake slowly at 250–275°F for 2–3 hours, stirring occasionally at first, until the rice is tender and the milk thickens. Seasoning amounts are adapted to taste.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 101; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 5 of 20
Baked Bananas
Ingredients
6 ripe bananas; ¼ cup sugar; 2 tbsp melted butter; 2 tbsp lemon juice; ¼ tsp salt.
Directions
Peel bananas and split lengthwise. Arrange in a greased shallow dish. Mix butter, lemon juice, and salt, pour over, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a moderate oven for 20–25 minutes.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 88; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 6 of 20
Bananas and Rhubarb
Ingredients
2 quarts rhubarb in 2-inch pieces; 4 ripe bananas; 1 cup sugar; ¼ tsp salt; 2 tbsp butter.
Directions
Layer half the rhubarb in a greased dish, then split banana halves, then the remaining rhubarb. Add salt, sugar, and butter. Cover and bake in a moderate oven about 20 minutes until tender; uncover and continue about 30 minutes until syrup thickens.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 89; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 7 of 20
Scalloped Apples
Ingredients
Tart apples; sugar; butter; buttered breadcrumbs. Original quantities are flexible.
Directions
Layer sliced peeled apples in a baking dish with sugar and butter. Cover and bake slowly in a moderate oven until tender. About 15 minutes before serving, uncover, add buttered crumbs, and brown the top.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 84; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 8 of 20
Bread-Crumb Cake
Ingredients
3 eggs; 1 cup sugar; 2 cups very dry toasted breadcrumbs; ¼ tsp cinnamon; ¼ tsp salt; ¼ tsp almond extract; 1 tsp vanilla.
Directions
Beat eggs, mix in sugar and remaining ingredients, and spread evenly in a greased shallow pan. Bake at 300°F for about 30 minutes. The cookbook presents it as a way to use stale bread.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 110; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 9 of 20
Sponge Cake
Ingredients
4–5 eggs; 1 cup sugar; 3 tsp lemon juice; grated rind of ½ lemon; 1 cup cake flour; ¾ tsp salt.
Directions
Separate eggs. Beat yolks with sugar, lemon juice and rind; add flour sifted with half the salt. Beat whites with remaining salt until stiff and fold in gently. Bake in an ungreased tube pan at 325°F for about 1 hour. Invert on a rack to cool.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 114; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 10 of 20
Orange Gelatin
Ingredients
2 tbsp gelatin; ½ cup cold water; 1 cup boiling water; 1 cup sugar; 3 cups strained orange juice; juice of 1 lemon; a few grains of salt.
Directions
Soften gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes. Add boiling water, sugar, and salt; stir until dissolved. Add juices and pour into a wet mold. Refrigerate until firm. Serve with cream if desired.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 97; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 11 of 20
Apple Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
¼ cup butter; ½ cup sugar; 1 egg; 1 tsp vanilla; 1½ cups cake flour; 2 tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp salt; ½ cup milk; 2–4 apples; 2 tsp cinnamon mixed with ½ cup sugar.
Directions
Cream butter and sugar; add egg and vanilla. Alternate sifted dry ingredients with milk. Grease a heavy pan generously; layer sliced apples with cinnamon sugar. Cover with batter; bake at 300–325°F about 45 minutes. Loosen edges and invert.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 86; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 12 of 20
Apple Tapioca
Ingredients
½ cup quick tapioca; 2 cups boiling water; ½ cup sugar; ½ tsp cinnamon; ½ tsp salt; juice of 1 lemon; 3 pints sliced tart apples.
Directions
Cook tapioca in water over a double boiler 15 minutes. Add sugar, spice, salt, and lemon. Put apples in a greased dish and pour tapioca over. Bake in a moderate oven until tender and lightly browned.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 86; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 13 of 20
Jellied Apricots
Ingredients
½ lb dried apricots; 3 cups water for soaking; 2 tbsp gelatin softened in ½ cup water; 1 cup sugar; ⅛ tsp salt.
Directions
Soak fruit overnight in the refrigerator and simmer until tender. Drain and dissolve softened gelatin, sugar, and salt in hot juice. Cool until partly set, stir in chopped fruit, and refrigerate in a mold until firm.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 87; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 14 of 20
Peach Bavarian Cream
Ingredients
2 tbsp gelatin; ½ cup cold water; 1 quart sliced peaches; 1 cup sugar; ¼ tsp salt; 1 pint whipping cream.
Directions
Soften gelatin in water. Mash peaches with sugar, press through a sieve, and simmer 5 minutes. Dissolve gelatin and salt in hot pulp. Chill until beginning to thicken, fold in whipped cream, and refrigerate in a mold until firm.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 97; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 15 of 20
Peach Melba
Ingredients
6 peach halves; 1 cup peach syrup; vanilla ice cream; ½ cup chopped nuts.
Directions
Drain canned peaches and cook syrup down until thick; cool. Put a spoonful of ice cream in each peach half, pour on syrup, and add nuts. This American cookbook version differs from the classic raspberry-sauce dessert.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 98; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 16 of 20
Peach Tapioca
Ingredients
½ cup quick tapioca; 1 pint hot water; 1 cup sugar; 1 tbsp butter; a pinch of salt; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 cup peach juice; 2 cups sliced canned peaches.
Directions
Cook tapioca in water over a double boiler 15 minutes. Add sugar, butter, salt, and juices. Layer with peaches in a greased dish, ending with peaches. Bake at 350°F about 30 minutes.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 98; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 17 of 20
Jellied Prunes
Ingredients
½ lb dried prunes; 3 cups soaking water; 2 tbsp gelatin softened in ½ cup water; 1 cup sugar; ⅛ tsp salt; ¼ cup lemon juice.
Directions
Soak prunes overnight in the refrigerator, then simmer until tender. Dissolve gelatin, sugar, and salt in hot juice. Cool until partly set and add pitted chopped prunes and lemon. Refrigerate until firm.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 100; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 18 of 20
Rhubarb Betty
Ingredients
4 tbsp melted butter; ¼ tsp salt; 1 quart dry breadcrumbs; 1 quart sweetened cooked rhubarb sauce; cinnamon or nutmeg.
Directions
Mix butter and salt into crumbs. Layer crumbs and rhubarb sauce in a greased dish and sprinkle with spice. Bake in a moderate oven about 20 minutes. Serve warm.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 101; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 19 of 20
Applesauce Cake
Ingredients
½ cup butter or shortening; 1 cup sugar; 1 cup thick unsweetened applesauce; 1 tsp baking soda; 2½ cups flour; ½ tsp each cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; 1 cup chopped raisins.
Directions
Cream fat and sugar; add applesauce. Coat raisins with some flour. Sift remaining flour with soda, spices, and salt, mix all together, and bake in a greased pan at 300–325°F about 1 hour.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 110; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
Back to top ↑1931 • Recipe 20 of 20
Devil’s Food Cake
Ingredients
½ cup butter; 1 cup sugar; 2 eggs; 1½ cups cake flour; 2 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp salt; 1 cup milk; 2 oz unsweetened chocolate; 1 tsp vanilla.
Directions
Cream butter and sugar, add beaten eggs, then alternate sifted dry ingredients with milk. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla. Bake in a shallow greased pan at 300–325°F about 35 minutes.
Recipe credit: USDA Bureau of Home Economics, Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931), printed p. 111; Ruth Van Deman and Fanny Walker Yeatman. Read the original recipe.
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