Baker's Coconut Cut-Up Cakes

While unpacking some boxes today, I came across one of my more treasured possessions, and I thought it might be of interest to some of the folks here, so I snapped some pics to share.

It's a simple paper booklet printed in 1959 and given away by General Foods to advertise Baker's Angel Flake Coconut. The booklet provides full-color photographs and instructions to turn ordinary sheet cakes into animals by cutting them up, and then of course frosting and covering with Baker's Angel Flake Coconut.

This booklet was one of my favorite things as a child, and I couldn't wait until it was my birthday so we could try out another cut-up cake. It amazes me that it has survived in such good condition given how much thumbing through it had with grubby little crayola-toting fingers, not to mention hard time spent in the kitchen being used as a reference while baking.

Sorry these photos are hard to read, I didn't spend a lot of time on this, but I can get better photos up if someone wants to see something in particular.

The whole booklet is here: http://photo.humuhumu.com/v/cutupcakes/

A Butterfly Cake is airy and light,
Iced with coconut--it's a lovely sight!
For a luncheon or bridge or for the kids next door,
Better make two--they'll be asking for more!
My Mom once made one of these and gave it away as a school fundraiser, I was heartbroken. If only she'd followed the poem's advice!

This lion was one of my favorites, mostly because of the licorice legs.

I thought that this was what I would be like when I grew up. I was wrong. You just know she's wearing a strand of pearls under that collar.

Now, doesn't that make you want to run out and buy an Economy Size box of Baker's Angel Flake Coconut?

Critiki - Ooga-Mooga - Humu Kon Tiki

[ Edited by: Humuhumu 2006-09-07 12:19 ]

Oh my gosh, that is the cutest booklet!! Thank you so much for sharing it! I love to make coconut cake and I can't wait to all of those adorable cakes especially the pink elephant!
Very Best,
Gem

This was my nephew's 7 year birthday cut up cake.

[ Edited by: Unga Bunga on 2004-07-05 12:04 ]

i remember cut up cakes.. but i've only done the Easter Bunny (two rounds which made a bunny face and bow-tie)

very nifty find!

elicia

I hate to be crude but in English(UK) these two words should never be used in the same sentence.

Um,UnggBunga,I didn't see YOUR cake in that sweet little book-maybe a page was left out???

Thank you for sharing. My favorite is easily the penguin.

Whenever I come across an old cookbook at a garage sale or Goodwill, I snap it up immediately. I find the slender ones with the super-saturated color photography on the cover irresistible. There's nothing like an orange 1950s mom w/ international-rescue-red lips serving her hubby a neon-green drink while he salivates over a chicken that's been through some kind of nuclear radiation test, I say.

I'll try to post some, if ever I can get one of my lazy children to hook the scanner back up.

Wow Humuhumu,

Thanks for posting! My dear Ma used to have this same book and I remember leafing through it as a kid.

Mom used to make some ass-kickingly good cakes! My favourite was when she made me an R2-D2 cake for my 8th birthday.

On 2004-07-05 01:56, cheekytiki wrote:

I hate to be crude but in English(UK) these two words should never be used in the same sentence.

HA! :lol: :lol: :lol:
When I saw that one, I thought "I wonder which one of the Brits will speak up about this?".

On 2004-07-05 08:50, Satan's Sin wrote:
Whenever I come across an old cookbook at a garage sale or Goodwill, I snap it up immediately. I find the slender ones with the super-saturated color photography on the cover irresistible.

Me too. I have a thrift store cookbook website

http://www.swankola.com (click on the "Mock Duck" banner)

Thanks for letting me shill for my website once again.

Sweet Daddy --

What a FABULOUS web site! Immediately goes to "favorites," of course --

Will harangue my kids about that pesky scanner -- have one sensational picnic cookbook where the grass looks like something from an LSD fever dream, checked tablecloth that could be seen on the moon, and slender glasses of some icy, electric-green drink used to sanctify 1950s rituals now entirely lost to us. Simply must share it.

Since you all liked them so much, here's more of the pages:

This is definitely the point at which they completely ran out of creativity in naming these guys.

Mommy, please make me a black Scottish terrier, and I promise to be ever so good!

Good God! That Fox Terrier is dead on!!

On 2004-07-07 16:11, Satan's Sin wrote:
Mommy, please make me a black Scottish terrier, and I promise to be ever so good!

OOOH, as much dye it would take to make coconut black would be incredibly vile to taste!

That reminds me of a true story from my days as a Carvel Ice Cream cake decorator. A night club in Toronto (RPM) wanted a cake that looked like their logo. Their logo was black with Neon letters. I suggested using dark fudge for black, but The 'head' cake decorator insisted that if they asked for black, they should GET black... and proceeded to pour about 2 cups of black dye #1 into the icing. I can only imagine what the teeth of all the partygoers looked like that evening...

I have a Scottish terrier and as much as I love him, close proximity tends to engender some pain and consternation. The breed is very cute but also very ornery, and if one is to put one's arm around this black terrier and get a set of fangs sunk in one's forearm, then it is only fitting that its cake representation cause some discomfort and annoyance. Black teeth after eating his cake? But of course. Thus have things always been, and ever will be.

On 2004-07-07 20:06, tikifish wrote:
That reminds me of a true story from my days as a Carvel Ice Cream cake decorator.

daaaammmm tikifish, you get to do any cookie pusses? fudgie the whales? tommy turkey? did you guys have the "creepy guy voice" commercials up there?

Oh yeah,I got endless pervy guys who thought they were real funny asking to see my 'cookiepuss'. Keep in mind i was 14 or 15 at the time...

Ewwww.

The awesome thing was, it was a kosher Carvel, but we'd get the same cake molds as every other store, so we'd have to turn the cross shaped confirmation cakes into airplanes, bibles into torahs, wreaths into racecar tires... and I got really good at writing things in hebrew in icing. Ah, this thread is taking me down memory lane!

I was trying to follow your link - but was not able - it kept asking me for my password - can you assist?

The whole booklet is here: http://public.fotki.com/Humuhumu/cut-up_cakes/

No problem! All of my photo galleries have been moved, and my Cut Up Cakes book is now here:

http://photo.humuhumu.com/v/cutupcakes/

Wow!!! what a blast from the past!!! We had that book when I was a kid and I used to beg my mom for one of those cakes in advance of my birthdays. I know my mom made quite a few of them over the years. I forgot all about them and I am so happy for this thread. Now Ive gotta see if my mom still has that book. I will not rest until I get a copy and I plan to bake each and every one of them. Thank you HumuHumu!!!!

On 2004-07-08 06:44, tikifish wrote:
Oh yeah,I got endless pervy guys who thought they were real funny asking to see my 'cookiepuss'. Keep in mind i was 14 or 15 at the time...

Ewwww.

It could've been worse, they could've been asking if your "Cookie O'Puss" was really green for St. Pat's Day! Or to see your "Fudgie the Whale"! :x

EEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwww!

Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Freelance, Ph.D., D.F.S

[ Edited by: freddiefreelance 2006-05-09 07:33 ]

I made "Gary Giraffe" (yes, Gary, not Jerry) for Tiki A. Moaikingbird's birthday earlier this month.

Gettin' ready

Cutting up. I didn't have a 9" x 9" cake pan so I used a 9" x 13" pan – this giraffe is gonna have a loooong neck.

Assembled.

Frosting.

Applying coconut.

Finished.

Would you like a delicious piece of neck meat?