Before the boxed mix, a cake was a small act of love. You creamed the butter by hand until your arm ached, you measured by feel, and you guarded the oven like a hawk. The cakes that came out — dense, buttery pound cakes, deep dark chocolate cakes, spiced gingerbread and moist banana loaves — carried the whole occasion, whether that was a birthday, a christening, or just a Sunday that needed lifting.
This collection gathers the old-fashioned cakes we've tested from scratch, each with the little secret that makes it: the long creaming that raises a pound cake without a speck of baking powder, the very ripe bananas, the fizz of soda in a Depression-era wacky cake, the caramelised topping on a pineapple upside-down. No mixes, no shortcuts — just flour, butter, sugar and a bit of patience.
Pick a showstopper for the table or a humble everyday loaf, and rediscover what a cake tastes like when it's made the way grandmother made it.
11 recipes in this collection
Old-Fashioned Pound Cake
Dense, buttery and tender, with a close velvety crumb — from the classic 1:1:1:1 recipe.
Old-Fashioned 7UP Pound Cake
The 1950s Southern icon — raised by nothing but long creaming and a glass of lemon-lime fizz, under a sharp lemon glaze.
Old-Fashioned Hummingbird Cake
The legendary 1978 Southern classic — spiced banana & pineapple layers, toasted pecans and cream cheese frosting.
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake
Deep, moist chocolate sponge with a glossy cooked fudge frosting.
Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cake
Soaked oats make it impossibly moist; the coconut-pecan topping caramelises under the grill.
Old-Fashioned Gingerbread
Dark, sticky and warmly spiced — a soft treacle gingerbread that only gets better the next day.
Old-Fashioned Wacky Cake
Rich chocolate cake with no eggs, no butter, no milk — mixed with a fork right in the tin.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Glossy caramel, pineapple rings and cherries over soft buttery sponge.
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Soft sponge soaked in tangy lemon syrup — gone before it cools.
Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake
Flaky butter shortcakes, syrupy sugared strawberries and softly whipped cream — the real old-fashioned kind.
Old-Fashioned Banana Bread
Impossibly moist, tender and full of banana flavour — made in one bowl.