14 Forgotten Desserts From the ’70s That Almost No One Makes Anymore

These 14 forgotten desserts from the 1970s reveal a colorful era of convenience cooking, playful flavors, and nostalgic sweets that once filled family tables but have since faded from modern kitchens.

Alyana Aguja
March 11, 2026
9 min read

14 Forgotten Desserts From the ’70s That Almost No One Makes Anymore — Joyful from Unsplash

In the 1970s, dessert tables reflected a unique moment in culinary history when convenience products, bright colors, and creative flavor combinations shaped home cooking. Families embraced recipes that relied on instant pudding, gelatin mixes, whipped toppings, and canned fruit. Many recipes also reflected the social culture of the decade, appearing at potlucks, church gatherings, and family celebrations. Over time, changing tastes and a renewed interest in fresh ingredients caused many of these desserts to disappear from everyday kitchens. Today they survive mostly in vintage cookbooks and nostalgic memories. Looking back at these forgotten treats reveals how food trends change with each generation.

1. Watergate Salad

Watergate Salad was a staple at potlucks, church gatherings, and home dinner tables throughout the 1970s. On the surface, it was a slightly odd-looking dessert: pistachio pudding powder, crushed pineapple, and mini-marshmallows, all mixed together and served in a pale green bowl of sugary goodness. This dessert quickly gained popularity shortly after pistachio pudding powder became widely available in the mid-1970s. It was a home cook’s dream come true because it required virtually no cooking: everything was mixed together in a bowl, refrigerated, and then served after it had puffed up in the refrigerator. Children loved the little marshmallows and chunks of sweet pineapple hidden inside.

2. Harvey Wallbanger Cake

The Harvey Wallbanger Cake is a nostalgic throwback to the 1970s cocktail party mania. It is an offshoot of the cocktail consisting of vodka, orange juice, and Galliano, a favorite cocktail in many bars in the early days. Someone decided to turn this cocktail into a cake, using a boxed yellow cake mix, orange juice, vodka, and Galliano. This results in a bright, citrusy cake with a hint of alcohol flavor. To top it off, a glaze made from powdered sugar and liqueur is drizzled on top, giving it a shiny appearance after being baked in the oven. Its popularity coincided with the 1970s’ desire for modern, sleek, and slightly naughty alternatives to traditional family recipes.

3. Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Ella Helfrich, a baker, managed to attain the second spot in the Pillsbury Bake-Off in 1966 with the dessert Tunnel of Fudge Cake. The recipe gained popularity in the 1970s and became a common dessert in many American homes. The Tunnel of Fudge Cake appeared to be an easy dessert to make at first glance, but when cut into slices, it revealed a thick and velvety chocolate fudge running through the center. The dessert was dense and moist, almost resembling a brownie rather than the light and airy texture that is normally expected from a cake. The recipe relied on the usage of a special type of frosting mix that enabled the baking of the gooey chocolate fudge into existence.

4. Impossible Pie

Impossible Pie became a household name in America in the 1970s, one of those pies everyone would talk about. Its popularity was fueled by a bakery’s advertising campaign that promoted the magic of a biscuit baking mix. You would add all these ingredients, pour it in a pie pan, and voilà! Magic would happen in the oven as it would bake into a pie with three distinct layers: a crust on the bottom, a custard in the middle, and a toasted, airy top. The classic ingredients consisted of coconut, eggs, milk, sugar, and a biscuit mix. As it baked in the oven, the coconut would rise to the top, giving it a golden color while the rest settled at the bottom. Families would cool it and serve it after dinner.

5. Tomato Soup Cake

Tomato Soup Cake sounds like an unusual recipe, but it gained unexpected popularity in the 1970s because of its moistness and warm spices. The secret ingredient was a can of condensed tomato soup added to the batter for a spice cake. The other ingredients were sugar, flour, cinnamon, cloves, and raisins. The soup added a cake that tasted much sweeter than the ingredients would have suggested. The tomato soup mostly disappeared during baking, adding moisture and richness. The recipe was found in community cookbooks and at church gatherings and symbolized the resourcefulness of home cooks in America. The red soup added a touch of acidity and moisture to the cake.

6. Sock It to Me Cake

Sock It to Me Cake was a popular dessert in the early 1970s as the phrase became popular in the United States. The phrase was commonly used on many comedy programs and eventually became the name of a moist coffee cake dessert. The cake is made by combining a yellow cake mix with sour cream. A hidden surprise in the middle is a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped nuts. A powdered sugar glaze tops the cake after baking. It was popular at brunches and other gatherings during the 1970s. The cake has a surprise in the middle when you cut into it. A cinnamon and nut mixture is in the middle of every piece. The cake is a combination of the popular cake mixes and the strong flavors of the time.

7. Grasshopper Pie

Grasshopper Pie was one of the most striking sweets on the tables at parties and holiday buffets in the 1970s. It took its name from the cocktail of the same name, which consisted of mint liqueur made from crème de menthe and crème de cacao. The dessert version of this cocktail consisted of mint liqueur, whipped cream, and melted marshmallows. The mixture was then frozen to create a pie that was creamy and cool at the same time. The 1970s were all about experimentation and playfulness, and this dessert was perfect for parties. The hosts of these parties were thrilled to serve their guests something so colorful and modern, something that was almost theatrical in presentation.

8. Jell-O 1-2-3 Dessert

In the late ‘60s, into the ‘70s, Jell-O 1-2-3 dessert amazed families with a simple ingredient list that, after refrigerating, split into three separate parts. The gelatin powder had special additives that enabled the dessert to separate into different textures after making it. The bottom part consisted of a jelly base, the middle part consisted of a mousse, and the top part consisted of a light, foamy top. Children marveled at the wonder as it gradually transformed in the refrigerator. Its appeal and popularity came from the simplicity: boil water, add cold water, and stir for a few minutes. Families enjoyed the convenience and the wonder inside a glass bowl once it was transformed into the refrigerator.

9. Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake

While Pineapple Upside Down Cake was not invented in the 1970s, this was the decade in which this cake was reborn, thanks to the introduction of the Bundt pan. This cake, a variant of the original, was created by altering the traditional cake recipe, as home cooks began putting pineapple slices and red maraschino cherries on the bottom of a fluted Bundt pan, coating them with brown sugar mixed with melted butter, followed by a batter mixture over the top of the pan. This cake was then baked, creating a sweet, gooey top of the pineapple mixture, which was then revealed as the cake was removed from the pan, as the pan was gently flipped over onto a plate, revealing a stunning display of the fruit mixture, depending on the ridges of the pan.

10. Strawberry Pretzel Salad Dessert

In the 1970s, the Strawberry Pretzel Salad was appearing at every potluck dinner and church social, despite the fact that it was more akin to a dessert than a salad. It has a pretzel crust made from crushed pretzels, butter, and sugar pressed into a baking dish and then baked until it is crunchy. The pretzels add a nice saltiness to the dish that helps offset the sweetness. The second part is a creamy mixture of cream cheese, whipped topping, and sugar. It is then topped off with a strawberry gelatin mixed with sliced strawberries. It is then chilled until it is set in three colors and cut into squares.

11. Ambrosia Marshmallow Fruit Dessert

Ambrosia has its roots in American cuisine in earlier times, but it was in the 1970s that it took on its sweeter form, packed with marshmallows and canned fruit. Picture a mixture of mandarin orange slices, pineapple pieces, coconut flakes, and marshmallows mixed with whipped topping or sour cream. Let it sit for a few hours to allow all of these flavors to blend together for a creamy fruit treat. The color of all of these fruit pieces adds to its beauty on any table setting, but kids will enjoy digging into to find marshmallows hidden in the fruit pieces. It is commonly found at holiday meals and family gatherings due to its ease of preparation. Canned fruit was convenient for use in this dish, as it is easy to store in any pantry.

12. Icebox Lemon Chiffon Dessert

Icebox Lemon Chiffon desserts gained popularity during the 1970s, a period during which better home refrigeration units ensured chilled treats instead of baking. The dessert began with a crust of crushed graham crackers packed into a pie pan or a rectangular dish. The filling was a mixture of lemon juice, sweetened condensed milk, and whipped topping, creating a smooth but airy texture. The pie was then left in the fridge to chill for a few hours until firm. This chilled dessert was suitable for a warm summer evening, offering a light, tangy lemon flavor to counterbalance the sweetness. It was also a dessert reserved for after a heavy dinner, as the cold texture was a welcome relief instead of something heavy to digest.

13. Dream Whip Chocolate Pudding Pie

However, in the 1970s, Dream Whip Chocolate Pudding Pie was a common dessert in the era of easy desserts. The recipe for this pie was quite simple: instant chocolate pudding was mixed with milk, then combined with a powdered whipped topping known as Dream Whip. When whipped, the topping combined with the pudding to create a light and airy pie filling. The creamy mixture was then placed in a pre-made graham cracker crust and chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours. When ready to eat, the pie had set to a smooth and creamy dessert that did not require any advanced knowledge of baking. Families also enjoyed this pie as it could be quickly prepared before the company arrived.

14. Seven Layer Magic Bars

Seven Layer Magic Bars achieved popularity in the 1970s because they’re so simple to make yet pack a lot of taste. The dessert consists of a crust made from graham crackers, butter, and a baking pan. Then come the seven layers: chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, shredded coconut, nuts, sweetened condensed milk, and finally baking them in a pan in the oven. The magic happens when you remove them from the oven because they’re incredibly easy to make: just place all the ingredients in a pan, bake them, and voilà! Once they cool off, you can slice them up and indulge in a dense dessert filled with chocolate, coconut, and caramelized sweetened condensed milk.