This Vintage Betty Crocker Cake Mix Was All The Rage In The '50s

There's a lot to love about boxed cakes. They become a light and fluffy treat in just a short while, and they're good for more than just cake. Boxed versions can be a key part of whipping up some quick cinnamon rolls and, with a slug of soda, they'll make yummy cookies, too. One of the leading companies producing boxed cakes in the United States is Betty Crocker (via General Mills), which launched a ginger variety in 1947, followed a couple of years later by devil's food cake and party mixes. By 1952, a boxed yellow cake fleshed out the line-up, but only a few people remember the follow-up, the intriguing Answer Cake.

Betty Crocker's Answer Cake hit shelves in 1954 and took the convenience of vintage boxed cakes to a whole new level. Advertised as a "sensational new concept," it had everything a home cook needed to bake a cake, including the powdered mix, an aluminum foil pan, and the frosting to top it. Answer Cake had two flavors (Devil's Food and yellow cake), both of which came with chocolate frosting. The range was later expanded to include white cake with a chocolate fudge topping and peanut delight cake with peanut crème frosting. Aimed at smaller families, Answer Cake offered six servings, though, as some people remembered on social media, it was also perfect for just two.

The curtain came down on Betty Crocker's Answer Cake in 1968, and it was replaced — kind of — by Snackin' Cake in 1972. It came with the mix and pan, but no frosting. Some might say that's what led to its downfall when, just four years later, Stir 'n Frost mix hit American grocery stores. It was essentially the Answer Cake with a new name, and customers loved how easy they were to make, as well as the fact that any mess was minimal. One Facebook commenter also highlighted the benefits of the smaller size, saying they were the "best thing [ever] for a single person wanting cake but not wanting to make a full size cake." Meanwhile, a Redditor revealed they thought their dad "bought them by the case" as their mom, apparently, was not a very good cook.

Although the success of the Stir 'n Frost boxed cakes was great for anyone who fondly remembered the Answer Cake, it was the death knell for Snackin' Cake, which faded from view some time after 1981. Unfortunately for everyone who loved Stir 'n Frost, Betty Crocker also discontinued it a few years afterward. Although a similar product has yet to make an appearance, today the company makes 25 different kinds of boxed cake, and while not everyone's a fan of some varieties like Butter Pecan, there are plenty of others that should please even the choosiest sweet tooth.