Skip to content

Top Navigation

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Food and Recipes
  • Culture and Lifestyle
  • Style
  • Holidays & Occasions
  • Home
  • Gardening Ideas
  • News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living Books this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Southern Living

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • The Best New Haircuts to Try in 2022

      The Best New Haircuts to Try in 2022

      Here are the haircuts you'll be seeing everywhere this year. Read More
    • How To Season A Cast-Iron Skillet

      How To Season A Cast-Iron Skillet

      Learn how to season this Southern kitchen staple in five easy steps. Read More
    • 50 Thoughtful Messages for a Meaningful Thank You Note

      50 Thoughtful Messages for a Meaningful Thank You Note

      Not sure what to write in a thank you card? Here's how to show your gratitude with a handwritten note. Read More
  • Food and Recipes

    Food and Recipes

    See All Food and Recipes
    4 Easy Ways to Tell if an Egg Has Gone Bad

    4 Easy Ways to Tell if an Egg Has Gone Bad

    It’s not all in the senses, but they sure can help.
    • Recipes
    • Quick and Easy Dinner
    • Kitchen Assistant
    • Casserole
    • Holiday and Occasion Food
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Desserts
    • Healthy and Light
    • Side Dishes
    • Party Food and Drink
    • Appetizers
    • Meat
    • Breakfast
    • BBQ
    • Drinks
    • What's Cooking
  • Culture and Lifestyle

    Culture and Lifestyle

    See All Culture and Lifestyle
    70 Cute and Funny Nicknames For Your Best Friends

    70 Cute and Funny Nicknames For Your Best Friends

    Let your besties know how much they mean to you with these unique nicknames.
    • Quotes and Sayings
    • Biscuits and Jam Podcast
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Healthy Living
    • Coastal Living
  • Style

    Style

    See All Style
    The Coziest Winter Nail Colors for January 2022

    The Coziest Winter Nail Colors for January 2022

    The beginning of a new year often has us all feeling like starting off fresh by taking on better habits, getting rid of old ones, and—most commonly—changing up our look. While others are hitting the squats and going into the salon for a pixie cut, why not start slow and steady with a cozy winter manicure in a color that feels new to you? It takes only a little courage to step outside your usual OPI Lincoln Park After Dark or Essie Bordeaux, which is all you need to kick 2022 off on a fanciful foot.  From new wintry takes on classic dark nail colors to unique pops of color that'll have you feeling the opposite of boring, these are the best nail colors to try this January and tick off all the way into spring. 
    • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Fashion
    • Short Hairstyles
    • Nails
    • Medium Hairstyles
    • Skincare
    • Long Hairstyles
  • Holidays & Occasions

    Holidays & Occasions

    See All Holidays & Occasions
    • Thanksgiving
    • Gifts
    • Christmas
    • Mother's Day
    • Hanukkah
    • New Year's
    • Easter
    • Mardi Gras
    • 4th of July
    • Weddings
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    16 Kitchen Design Trends Southern Designers Predict Will Be Everywhere in 2022

    16 Kitchen Design Trends Southern Designers Predict Will Be Everywhere in 2022

    There's no denying how the pandemic fundamentally changed the world—including how we live (and work) inside our homes. An overall trend toward celebrating the history and originality of our homes is displacing ultramodern aesthetics and sharp lines as we all look to create cozier, colorful, more personalized spaces that better suit our lifestyles. We're turning away from big-box stores and toward vintage items—first, out of necessity due to supply-chain issues, and now, for design reasons—to add charm and character to every room in the house, including the kitchen. Here, interior designers from around the South share their predictions for what's trending in kitchen design for 2022 and beyond.
    • Home Decor Ideas
    • Idea Houses
    • Kitchen Design
    • Before & After Photos
    • Bathroom Design
    • Curb Appeal
    • Bedroom Design
    • DIY Home Decor
    • Color Palettes & Paint
    • House Plans & Builders
    • Inspired Communities
  • Gardening Ideas

    Gardening Ideas

    See All Gardening Ideas
    If You Keep Finding Ladybugs in Your House, Here's What You Need to Know

    If You Keep Finding Ladybugs in Your House, Here's What You Need to Know

    Plus a few strategies for keeping them out-of-doors
    • Container Gardening
    • Gardening Flowers
    • Fruit, Vegetable & Herb Gardens
    • Garden Pests
    • Plant Guides A-Z
    • Indoor Plants
    • Fall Plants
    • Landscaping Ideas
    • The Grumpy Gardener
  • News

    News

    See All News
    • Celebrities
    • Local News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living Books this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Southern Living
  2. Recipes
  3. 35 Vintage Church Desserts Worth Praising

35 Vintage Church Desserts Worth Praising

Kaitlyn Yarborough, Assistant Editor and Writer for Southern Living
By Kaitlyn Yarborough
Skip gallery slides
FB
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Credit: Alison Miksch; Prop styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food styling: Mary-Claire Britton
If we had to pick a favorite cookbook from the kitchen shelf, it wouldn't be the shiny new one that looks as good on the counter as its new-age recipes taste. It wouldn't even be the special one that holds the holiday essentials, things like glazed ham and fruitcake. No, those wouldn't be saved in this fictional house fire. It'd be the tattered, faded, stain-covered spiral notebook hidden away at the end of the stack. It'd be the church cookbook.Through the generations, Southerners have published their most trusted recipes in these collections, whether it dubbed a church cookbook or community cookbook. From classic cold salads to warm, creamy casseroles, these recipes simply don't go out of style. Take the vintage desserts—we'll never pass up a bowlful of banana pudding, a square of Texas sheet cake, or a slice of buttermilk pie. There's really nothing like the old-fashioned desserts you can find in your mama's old church cookbook. We rounded up the most classic desserts that have been coming out of Southern kitchens for generations. We're warning you, these'll have you singing some praises.
Start Slideshow

1 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Luscious Lemon Bars

Luscious Lemon Bars
Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Luscious Lemon Bars

A plate of lemon squares disappears mighty quick at any Southern gathering. You'll see this classic recipe in many a church or community cookbook.

1 of 34

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Credit: Alison Miksch; Prop styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food styling: Mary-Claire Britton

Recipe: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

This chocolate cake is next-level moist because of its secret ingredient: Duke's mayo. And we don't even care. We're too far gone.

2 of 34

3 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Classic Southern Buttermilk Pie

Classic Buttermilk Pie
Credit: Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Classic Southern Buttermilk Pie

This pie was created to be budget-friendly by Southern women who were “making-do” with what they had on hand, going way back to the depression era and World War II.

3 of 34

Advertisement

4 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Classic Southern Pound Cake

Classic Southern Pound Cake
Credit: Skyler Burt; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Karen Rankin

Recipe: Classic Southern Pound Cake

She's the ultimate classic, and there's no world in which this recipe doesn't belong on the list.

4 of 34

5 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Easy Peach Cobbler

Easy Peach Cobbler
Credit: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Easy Peach Cobbler

Though any Southern cook knows this recipe by heart, we still include it in just about any cookbook, just in case.

5 of 34

6 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Texas Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing

Texas Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing
Credit: Photo: Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Texas Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing

Texas claims this chocolate sheet cake as its own, dating back to the mid-20th century. And judging by its ooey, gooey, nutty, fudgy self, we understand why. "Everything is bigger in Texas!"

6 of 34

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Classic Banana Pudding

Banana Pudding
Credit: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Banana Pudding

We'd recognize this classic banana pudding any day, any cookbook. It takes a page straight from grandmother's recipe box. (But sometimes you might use that vanilla pudding packet in the pantry, and that's okay.)

7 of 34

8 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Vintage Fresh Apple Cake

Fresh Apple Cake
Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Amy Burke

Recipe: Fresh Apple Cake

How else would we use our fall harvest? This apple sheet cake, filled with fresh Granny Smith apples and topped with to-die-for cream cheese frosting, was destined to feed a crowd.

8 of 34

9 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

How To Make Strawberry Pretzel Salad Still

Recipe: Strawberry-Pretzel Salad

Nostalgic churchgoers know this dish from a mile away. It's a salad...in a casserole dish...with strawberry gelatin.

9 of 34

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Mississippi Mud Cake

Mississippi Mud Cake
Credit: Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Mississippi Mud Cake

We can get on board with Mississippi's decision to create the richest, darkest, most decadent chocolate dessert you’ve ever nibbled on. Yes, those are marshmallows.

10 of 34

11 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Peanut Butter-Banana Icebox Pie

Peanut Butter-Banana Icebox Pie
Credit: Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Peanut Butter-Banana Icebox Pie

In the South, icebox pie is a staple during the hot summer—when all we want to do is just cool down. This pie recipe is an ode to Mr. Elvis Presley, making it a Tennessee church cookbook favorite.

11 of 34

12 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Lemon-Lime Meringue Pie

Lemon-Lime Meringue Pie
Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling; Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Lemon-Lime Meringue Pie

They had us at "meringue." You really can't beat these fluffy white peaks of sugary goodness.

12 of 34

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Marbled Pecan Pound Cake

Marbled Pecan Pound Cake Recipe
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Marbled Pecan Pound Cake

You won't find a more crowd-pleasing pound cake. This marbled pound cake recipe can be served as-is or sweetened a bit with homemade whipped cream.

13 of 34

14 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Over the Moon Chocolate Pie

Over the Moon Chocolate Pie
Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Over the Moon Chocolate Pie

Inspired by a sweet confection born in 1917 in Chattanooga, the MoonPie, this pie recipe is church potluck-approved. The dessert is made with a graham cracker crust, has a rich chocolate filling with a touch of Tennessee whiskey (another nod to its birthplace), and is finished off with light clouds of marshmallowy meringue.

14 of 34

15 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake

Orange Chiffon Cakes
Credit: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake

The chiffon cake was introduced in the mid-20th century and dubbed the first “new” type of cake in over 100 years. The creator held onto its secret ingredient—using oil instead of butter—until he sold the recipe in the late 1940s, but we're thinking the church ladies had already figured it out.

15 of 34

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pretzel Pie

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pretzel Pie
Credit: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff

Recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Pretzel Pie

Strawberry-pretzel salad is one of the most nostalgic Southern dishes, and rhubarbs are a real delicacy down here. So we combined them into a salty-and-sweet pie.

16 of 34

17 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Mamie Eisenhower’s Chocolate Fudge

Mamie Eisenhower’s Chocolate Fudge
Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Mamie Eisenhower’s Chocolate Fudge

This creamy fudge recipe was supposedly the go-to of President and Mrs. Eisenhower. The ingredient list is incredibly simple, which is enough to convince us of its merit.

17 of 34

18 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird Cake
Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Hummingbird Cake

It's the most popular recipe in Southern Living history. Simple spiced cakes with canned pineapple and bananas popped up in community cookbooks throughout the early 20th century, and this three-layer dream is the ultimate example.

18 of 34

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Strawberry Kuchen

Strawberry Kuchen
Credit: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

Recipe: Strawberry Kuchen

Kuchen, the German word for cake, is often more bread-like and made with a yeasted dough. Our variation has a tender, fluffy crumb topping and is then topped with fresh strawberries and sliced almonds.

19 of 34

20 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Hello Dolly Bars

Hello Dolly Bars
Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia DeGaris Pursell

Recipe: Hello Dolly Bars

This beloved bar recipe packs the perfect mixture of salty and sweet, making it a crowd-pleaser for any hostess.

20 of 34

21 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Classic Chess Pie

Classic Chess Pie
Credit: Jessica Colyer

Recipe: Classic Chess Pie

For a couple hundred years, the chess pie has been a staple on Southern dessert tables. It's hard to pass up a legend.

21 of 34

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

22 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie

Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie
Credit: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie

Utterly deadly, indeed.Although there are plenty of pecan pie recipes out there, we can vouch for this one as your best one yet.

22 of 34

23 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Chocolate Peanut Butter-Fudge Bars

Peanut Butter-Fudge Bars
Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter-Fudge Bars

While the church potluck might be weary of nut allergies, there's nothing that says the cookbook needs to be.

23 of 34

24 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Cherry-Nectarine Pandowdy

Cherry-Nectarine Pandowdy
Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

Recipe: Cherry-Nectarine Pandowdy

Popular in the 1800s and early 1900s, a pandowdy is essentially cooked fruit under a pastry crust. But unlike a cobbler, the cook uses a fork to break, or “dowdy” the crust. What's it all for: The broken crust absorbs the sweet juices from the cooked fruit!

24 of 34

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

25 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Coconut Cream Pie

Coconut Cream Pie
Credit: Photo: Lee Harrelson

Recipe: Coconut Cream Pie

Don't even get the church ladies started on cream pie. Coconut cream pie? Forget about it.

25 of 34

26 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Little Layer Chocolate Cake

Ivy Odom 18-Layer Chocolate Cake Still

Recipe: Little Layer Chocolate Cake

Known best below the Gnat Line, this towering chocolate cake's height can be based on which birthday you're celebrating—or how much you're trying to show off at the church homecoming. The 10 to 18 layers are a feat.

26 of 34

27 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Ultimate Apple Pie

Ultimate Apple Pie from Buxton Hall
Credit: Photo: Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Ultimate Apple Pie from Buxton Hall

Fall means apples, which obviously means apple pie. Every Southern cook needs a classic, but insanely tasty apple pie recipe.

27 of 34

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

28 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Death by Caramel Bars

Best Cookies Recipes: Death by Caramel Bars Recipes
Credit: Oxmoor House

Recipe: Death by Caramel Bars

That doesn't sound like the worst way to go, if we're being honest. Pockets of gooey caramel are the stars of these bar cookies.

28 of 34

29 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Creamy Grape Salad

Creamy Grape Salad
Credit: therecipecritic.com

Recipe: Creamy Grape Salad

Deliciously creamy, slightly crunchy, and perfectly sweet, this classic "salad" is a church cookbook regular.

29 of 34

30 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Cherry Pie Bars

Cherry Pie Bars
Credit: Greg Dupree

Recipe: Cherry Pie Bars

We're tapping into good 'ole Americana—in bar form. This grabbable, cherry-speckled bar is super portable and makes a huge batch.

30 of 34

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

31 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Cassandra’s “Light” Fruitcake

Cassandra’s “Light” Fruitcake
Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Anna Hampton

Recipe: Cassandra's "Light" Fruitcake

Cassandra, we'd like to formally thank you. This recipe has turned even the most fruitcake-hating people in the region.

31 of 34

32 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Ambrosia Pudding Pie

Ambrosia Pudding Pie
Credit: Alison Miksch

Recipe: Ambrosia Pudding Pie

Following British tradition, the earliest custard pies were recorded as puddings in antebellum cookbooks. And—as any Southerner knows—ambrosia is a church cookbook staple. This is the best of both worlds.

32 of 34

33 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Molded Cranberry Salad

Molded Cranberry Salad
Credit: Hector M Sanchez

Recipe: Molded Cranberry Salad

Was it really church without congealed salads on the menu? In the South, these are a decades-past phenomenon.

33 of 34

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

34 of 34

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Hummingbird Bundt Cake

Hummingbird Bundt Cake
Credit: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Hummingbird Bundt Cake

This spin on classic hummingbird cake is a no-brainer for any gathering because of its relative ease and fuss-free hands-on time compared to the layered version. You still get all of amazing flavor of the crushed pineapple, bananas, cinnamon, and pecans.

34 of 34

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Kaitlyn Yarborough

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 34 Luscious Lemon Bars
    2 of 34 Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
    3 of 34 Classic Southern Buttermilk Pie
    4 of 34 Classic Southern Pound Cake
    5 of 34 Easy Peach Cobbler
    6 of 34 Texas Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing
    7 of 34 Classic Banana Pudding
    8 of 34 Vintage Fresh Apple Cake
    9 of 34 Strawberry Pretzel Salad
    10 of 34 Mississippi Mud Cake
    11 of 34 Peanut Butter-Banana Icebox Pie
    12 of 34 Lemon-Lime Meringue Pie
    13 of 34 Marbled Pecan Pound Cake
    14 of 34 Over the Moon Chocolate Pie
    15 of 34 Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake
    16 of 34 Strawberry-Rhubarb Pretzel Pie
    17 of 34 Mamie Eisenhower’s Chocolate Fudge
    18 of 34 Hummingbird Cake
    19 of 34 Strawberry Kuchen
    20 of 34 Hello Dolly Bars
    21 of 34 Classic Chess Pie
    22 of 34 Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie
    23 of 34 Chocolate Peanut Butter-Fudge Bars
    24 of 34 Cherry-Nectarine Pandowdy
    25 of 34 Coconut Cream Pie
    26 of 34 Little Layer Chocolate Cake
    27 of 34 Ultimate Apple Pie
    28 of 34 Death by Caramel Bars
    29 of 34 Creamy Grape Salad
    30 of 34 Cherry Pie Bars
    31 of 34 Cassandra’s “Light” Fruitcake
    32 of 34 Ambrosia Pudding Pie
    33 of 34 Molded Cranberry Salad
    34 of 34 Hummingbird Bundt Cake

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print
    Southern Living

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • About Us
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Books from Southern Living
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    MeredithSouthern Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. Southern Living is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab All Rights Reserved. Southern Living may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Southern Living. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.southernliving.com

    Sign in

    View image

    35 Vintage Church Desserts Worth Praising
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.