A couple of years ago, Chatelaine magazine offered up a recipe collection titled 25 of our favorite old-fashioned desserts. Ever late to the party, I just came across the article and, while scrolling through the various pics and recipes, thought it might be fun to put together a list of my top 10. Only problem – I was really hard-pressed to come up with five favorites from the list of candidates, much less ten! I considered switching to a list of my bottom 10 but, again, was stymied. There are A LOT of really middling old-fashioned desserts.
Anyway, after several reviews, I was finally able to come up with five candidates on both sides of the scale. The many not making the list include the mediocre likes of lemon loaf, oatmeal-raisin cookies, and rice pudding.
My Bottom Five Old-Fashioned Desserts
#5. Date Squares
You won’t believe the number of times I’ve glimpsed these at various farmer’s markets and, overcome with excitement, stepped up to purchase what I assumed were blondies or pecan squares only to discover the horrifying truth. They’re the brownie’s less popular con artist cousin.
#4. Sponge Cake
This aptly named creation sucks the joy out of eating dessert.
#3. Ginger Cookies
A dessert only someone’s aunt could love.
#2. Angel Food Cake
A disaster of texture and taste, I’d be more inclined to use it as insulation.
#1. Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Oh, don’t get me started on ice cream-less pies – but the inclusion of rhubarb here (a.k.a. the devil’s stalk) is particularly reprehensible. THIS is the type of dessert you can expect to be served in a prison cafeteria.
My Top Five Old-Fashioned Desserts
#5. Pound Cake
It makes the list by virtue of the fact that I needed to round out this list and I had to choose from a fiercely average bunch of contenders. It also gets the nod for its unapologetic density and audaciously defiant moniker.
#4. Coconut Cake
One of the few fruit-based post-dinner creations that make for good dessert. The other being…
#3. Banana Cream Pie
One of the few fruit pies that doesn’t require an ice cream accompaniment.
Doesn’t hurt though.
#2. Chocolate Cake
A classic that may vary in consistency but remains a perennial favorite like the Dallas Cowboys, skull rings, and aviator jackets.
#1. Pecan Pie
My Death Row Dessert. Or, barring a capital punishment sentence, one I’d happily special order from blog regular Jeff Wilson. His southern version is killer.
I leave you today with a picture of the best of both worlds, old meets new, in this “piecaken” dessert Akemi and I made to accompany the turducken we roasted for a Super Bowl party a few years back…
A pecan pie baked inside a giant brownie.
And, yes, there was ice cream.
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