Recipes Everyday Cooking More Meal Ideas Retro Recipes 20 Vintage Desserts to Make Before Summer Ends Savor the last bit of summer with these timeless treats. By Diana Moutsopoulos Diana Moutsopoulos Diana Moutsopoulos is a food writer, recipe developer, Greek cuisine expert, and an Editorial Director at Allrecipes. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Published on August 19, 2024 Close Photo: smlindsey Summertime is all about making memories, so we took a trip down memory lane to round up the coolest retro desserts from years gone by. From the classic baked Alaska to icebox cakes, frozen key lime pie, and more, we have 20 recipes to tempt you and bring back those sweet, sweet memories. 01 of 21 Baked Alaska melissahyerstay Let's begin with what must be the ultimate in retro dessert fare -- the intimidatingly delicious baked Alaska. Ice cream is molded in a bowl, set atop a round layer of cake, then covered in airy meringue. After a final freeze, the whole shebang is put in a hot oven so that the meringue can quickly turn a beautiful golden brown. It may sound like a recipe for a trained pastry chef, but the dozens of reviews from home cooks prove it's totally achievable at home. If you want to make things a little easier, skip making your own cake and use a store-bought cake for the base instead! View Recipe 02 of 21 Raspberry Trifle Holly A solid five-star rating with hundreds of reviews -- this trifle recipe has stood the test of time, and for good reason: light-yet-decadent layers of pound cake, whipped cream, cream cheese, and cool frozen raspberries, all dusted with a cocoa powder finish. Make this with the frozen berries or try using fresh summer berries for a vintage dessert everyone will love. View Recipe 03 of 21 Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake Mackenzie Schieck If your favorite childhood treat was a Creamsicle, this recipe is for you. An easy orange cake made with your favorite box mix is baked, cooled, then layered with vanilla ice cream. Cool and creamy whipped topping makes for the ultimate finish. View Recipe 04 of 21 Tipsy Peaches lutzflcat There's something about fruity and boozy desserts that always evokes retro vibes. Fresh summer peaches are quickly cooked with butter, brown sugar, and a healthy shot of whiskey. Serve with vanilla ice cream for a sophisticated vintage summer treat. View Recipe 05 of 21 Aunt Betty's Banana Pudding smlindsey A classic summertime pudding, perfected here by Aunt Betty with more than 100 glowing reviews. View Recipe 06 of 21 Seven Layer Gelatin Salad larkspur Travel back to a time where the term "salad" was loosely applied to seemingly an endless variety of dishes, including sweet Jell-O treats like this. No one will be able to resist this colorful, jiggly concoction, which is sure to bring back memories for anyone who tries it. View Recipe 07 of 21 Chocolate Eclair Cake footballgirl16 It seems impossible that just five ingredients results in a dessert that's so beautiful and delicious. Graham crackers, vanilla pudding, whipped topping and chocolate frosting transform into an icebox cake that tastes remarkably similar to a fancy chocolate eclair. View Recipe 08 of 21 Banana Split Ice Cream Pie Meredith Food Studios Transform the greatest sundae of all time into a cool, creamy, sliceable pie. All the elements of a banana split are there, including the crushed pineapple, chocolate, nuts, banana, and of course a maraschino cherry on top. View Recipe 09 of 21 Strawberry Tiramisu Without Eggs Alemarsi Lesser-known than its espresso-soaked cousin, strawberry tiramisu is an Italian classic. This no-bake recipe makes the most of fresh summer berries and couldn't be easier to make. View Recipe 10 of 21 Grandma's Blueberry Buckle Deb C Grandma's buckle is delicious as it is, but you could easily use almost any summer berry in place of blueberries for an equally yummy result. Handed down by recipe submitter Gary's grandma, this recipe is a keeper that you'll want to make every summer during blueberry season. View Recipe 11 of 21 Chocolate Strawberry Crunch Icebox Cake Sandra Garth This perfectly portable icebox cake is made in a 9x13 inch dish, making transporting and serving a breeze. Bring it to any summer picnic, barbeque, or reunion and revel in all the oohs and aahs! View Recipe 12 of 21 Chef John's Fresh Berry Fool Chef John When we say "vintage dessert," we use the term loosely -- a dessert from the 1950s may appear alongside one from the 70s or even 80s. The fool, however, truly warrants the "vintage" title. First referenced in the 16th century, this is surely the oldest dessert in this collection! Chef John does the fool's history justice with his rendition of this cool, creamy English dessert. View Recipe 13 of 21 Ice Cream Sandwich Cake ~JustLuvToBake~ A handful of store-bought ingredients are arranged in a 9x13-inch dish, transforming into a decadently cool summer dessert that will give the ice cream truck a run for its money. View Recipe 14 of 21 Judy's Strawberry Pretzel Salad Sarah Waltrip Another salad that eats like a dessert! This summertime favorite is a perfect balance of sweet, creamy, and salty in every bite. View Recipe 15 of 21 Carlota de Limon (Mexican Lemon Icebox Cake) Chapita The carlota is a classic Mexican icebox cake whipped up with just four ingredients before chilling in the fridge, so you'll be in and out of the kitchen in no time! View Recipe 16 of 21 5-Layer Chocolate Banana Pudding Pie HomeCookinMan We love all five layers of this take on banana cream pie. The sweet-salty crust is made with a mix of pretzels and vanilla wafers, then topped with a chocolate ganache, banana cream cheese mixture, vanilla pudding, and finally whipped cream. The end result is as decadent as it looks! View Recipe 17 of 21 Mudslide Pie Marianne Williams Frozen cocktails have long been a summertime favorite. The most famous is surely the mudslide, so it is fitting that it got its own pie. This grown-up treat features coffee ice cream with hints of Kahlua and Baileys. View Recipe 18 of 21 Chef John's Bananas Foster Chef John This New Orleans classic has summer written all over it. Ready in a total of 15 minutes, it's the perfect retro dessert for summer entertaining. View Recipe 19 of 21 Frozen Key Lime Pie Maya Key lime pie has never really gone out of style, of course! This is an extra-summery twist on the original recipe that requires absolutely no heating whatsoever. Just whizz together the ingredients, pour over a graham cracker crust, and freeze! View Recipe 20 of 21 Fried Ice Cream Allrecipes There's lots of debate when it comes to the origins of fried ice cream. We'll save that topic for another day. In the meantime, if you've never made this vintage treat at home, make this the summer that you finally do! This top-rated recipe is the perfect place to start. View Recipe 21 of 21 More Inspiration Dotdash Meredith Food Studios 15 Easy 9x13 Vintage Casseroles That Deserve a Comeback 14 Old-Fashioned Dinner Recipes Worth Making Again 15 Tried-And-True Recipes from Vintage Cookbooks Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit