The pink coconut cake in Retro Recipes by Bobby Hicks stopped me mid-scroll. Frosted in cheerful bubblegum pink and covered in snowy coconut flakes, it looks like something straight out of a 1950s church cookbook—sweet, nostalgic, and just a little bit over the top. It’s the kind of dessert that doesn’t whisper elegance. It beams.

As I flipped through Retro Recipes, I found myself wondering: How can I be someone who reveres elegant, timeless beauty while simultaneously harboring a deep, abiding love of kitsch?

---

There’s More Than One Kind of Pretty—Even in Coconut Cake

At Pretty, we love French antiques and quiet, layered rooms. We gravitate toward patina, restraint, and the kind of beauty that feels as though it has always existed.

However, we also love personality. Color. A little wink of nostalgia.

The pink coconut cake—a mid-century staple dressed in bright frosting and celebratory flair—captures that second kind of pretty. As Hicks notes in the book, coconut has long been part of American baking, but in the 1950s and ’60s it was often dressed up in vibrant food coloring and festive presentation. The result isn’t subtle. Instead, it’s optimistic.

And optimism has its own kind of elegance.

---

Retro Recipes, Revisited

In Retro Recipes: Vintage Dishes with a Modern Twist, Bobby Hicks revisits American classics from the early 1900s through the 1970s—everything from Lazy Daisy Cake to Chicken Divan and Brown Sugar Meatloaf. Each recipe includes thoughtful historical context, grounding these dishes in the eras that shaped them.

Hicks, the creator behind the popular Retro Recipes Kitchen series, approaches nostalgia with affection rather than irony. A self-taught cook and culinary storyteller, he blends curiosity, humor, and research in a way that makes even boxed cake mixes and canned soups feel like part of a larger cultural story.

The photography leans fully into its decades—sometimes bright, sometimes bold, occasionally tipping into full 1970s exuberance—but always with intention. And the illustrations throughout are a particular highlight, offering a graphic, mid-century sensibility that feels like a loving homage rather than parody.

This isn’t a book that mocks the past. It celebrates it.

---

---

Why Kitsch Can Still Be Pretty

Kitsch isn’t the same thing as elegance.

It’s memory—avocado green canisters and daisy wallpaper. Church potlucks and birthday cakes crowned with coconut. Color before we decided everything had to be beige.

There is room in our homes—and on our tables—for timeless beauty.

But there is also room for pink coconut cake.

And sometimes the prettiest thing of all is something that simply makes you smile.

---

Want to Make the Pink Coconut Cake?

The full Pink Coconut Layer Cake recipe appears in Retro Recipes: Vintage Dishes with a Modern Twist. Hicks walks readers through the classic method while preserving its mid-century charm.

If you love nostalgic baking with a modern sensibility, this one is worth bookmarking—and baking.

---

About the Book

Retro Recipes: Vintage Dishes with a Modern Twist releases June 2 and is currently available for preorder. Author Bobby Hicks revisits American culinary nostalgia from the early 1900s through the 1970s, blending historical context with updated technique. Hicks is the creator of the Retro Recipes Kitchen series, where he reimagines vintage dishes for modern kitchens.

---

Disclosure

This post contains an affiliate link. Pretty received digital access to Retro Recipes for review consideration.