A fabulously easy, festively fun 1950s Easter Cake recipe

With such a hectic whirlwind of activity going on recently due to the move/unpacking/sudden return to having more of a social life, it feels like Easter really snuck up on me this year (or perhaps, more aptly, silently hopped into town like a darling little bunny).

Fortunately however, I didn't forget about it entirely, and have a small but rather enjoyable collection of vintage Easter recipes I've collected (be it in real life online) over the years to turn from, no matter how last minute a meal, dessert, or sweet snack I might need to whip up just happens to be.

Though I don't have the slightest bit of talent (at all!) when it comes to cake decorating, one does not have to a TV reality show in which they run a cake shop to be able to put together today's thoroughly adorable 1950s Easter themed dessert. So long as you can find your way to the shredded coconut and jelly bean aisles at the grocery store, you'll likely come out in top form.

Hailing originally from the April 1953 edition of Household magazine, this festively charming Easter Glory Cake is made all the more simple and quick by the use of a cake mix. Though of course you can always create a white or golden cake from scratch as well, if you like (and for an extra fun Eastertime idea, you could also try making this recipe with carrot cake - something Peter Cottontail would no doubt thoroughly approve of!).

{Colourful jelly beans mimic the look of candy eggs in this cheerful double layer Easter cake from the 1950s, while the shredded coconut calls to mind the ultra soft fur of an April born baby rabbit. Vintage recipe image via saltycotton on Flickr.}

There's nothing stopping you either from tinting the coconut, frosting and/or cake itself any number of pastel hues. I think that a pale pink or robin's egg blue, either inside or out, would look so sweetly pretty and also really help drive home the 1950s vibe of this terrific dessert.

While tried-and-true treats like hot cross buns and chocolate eggs are springtime classics that will never go out of style, I think a springy, lightheartedly cute cake - like today's vintage example - is every bit as much a Easter staple, too - and one that all of your holiday guests are bound to be thrilled with.

Though time may be winding down, luckily I have a box of Betty Crocker's gluten-free yellow cake mix in the cupboard (the mister and I both agree that it's the best GF cake mix we've tried yet here in Canada - by far!), as well as plenty of coconut on hand. All I need then is some jelly beans and come this weekend, we'll be tucking into sweet, smile-inducingly fun slices of this wonderful vintage Easter cake.