The Dessert Book
by Duncan Hines

edited by Louis Hatchett

For those who are unaware, in the 1940s and 1950s surveys showed that the most respected name in the food industry was Duncan Hines. Beginning in 1936, he published Adventures in Good Eating, an annual restaurant guide that eventually forced the restaurant industry—particularly those eating establishments in out-of-the-way places—into the modern era; with that single book he helped pave the way for the quality restaurant meals that we expect today. In 1938 he began publishing an annual guide for travelers seeking quality overnight lodgings, one which he called Lodging for the Night. In 1948 he published Duncan Hines Vacation Guide, which was a guidebook for people seeking that era’s quality vacation spots throughout America. And in 1939 he began publishing an annually updated cookbook, Adventures in Good Cooking, which consisted of recipes taken from many of the nation’s finest restaurants as well as from individuals who were as discriminating about quality food as he was.

When Proctor and Gamble bought the rights to Duncan Hines name in August 1956 and began putting his name on its cake mix packages, a lot of this history was forgotten by the American public. When Hines dies in 1959, he was soon forgotten as a celebrity, but his name lives on today via America’s supermarket shelves.

In my book Duncan Hines: The Man Behind the Cake Mix (Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 2001) I described two books that Duncan Hines published in 1955. In July 1953 Duncan Hines, then seventy-three, wanted to semi-retire; so he sold his publishing operation, Adventures in Good Eating, Inc., to Roy Park, his business partner in Hines-Park Foods. At the time of the sale and transfer, Hines was publishing his three annual guidebooks and cookbook, which were all still popular.

Due to neglect, this book has mainly been forgotten. But when its contents are tried, they are guaranteed to pack a wallop on the tongue. As always, Duncan Hines never recommended anything unless it was extraordinarily good. If he recommended it, he really meant it. So when he approved his name to be associated with the delectable desserts found in these pages, the reader can be sure that a rich treat, one never to be quickly forgotten, will delightfully entertain his taste buds and make him pine for more.
—Louis Hatchett, editor


RECIPE SAMPLES:

Poppy Seed Cake	Lake Breeze Resort, Three Lakes, Wisconsin
ingredients	directions (Makes three 9-inch layers)
1 cup poppy seeds 3/4 cup scalded milk	Soak together overnight.
1 1/2 cups sugar 3/4 cup butter	Cream butter and sugar together. Stir in the milk.
3 teaspoons baking powder 3 cups flour together.	Sift together three times and blend all ingredients
4 egg whites, beaten Fold into mixture.	Bake in three layers in 9-inch cake pans in 350º oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool and fill with Lemon Filling. Frost with White Icing.
Lemon Filling	Lake Breeze Resort, Three Lakes, Wisconsin
ingredients	directions (Makes about 1 1/2 cups)
2 egg yolks Juice of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 cup scalding water Pinch of salt 1/2 cup chopped nuts	Cook opposite ingredients until thick. Spread lemon filling between cake layers. Sprinkle with nuts and top with icing.
White Icing	Lake Breeze Resort, Three Lakes, Wisconsin
ingredients	directions (Frosts a 9-inch layer cake)
2 egg whites 1 cup sugar 4 tablespoons cold water	Mix together opposite ingredients and cook in a double-boiler until thick. Beat constantly with an eggbeater while cooking. Put on cake while hot.
A wonderful compilation by a forward thinking man, who understood classic cooking and technique and exhibited good taste—whose recipes stand up, even today. —Nathalie Dupree