Mary Beth York from Niles, Michigan, was copying some old recipes a friend had collected over the years and stuck in the back of a cookbook from 1942 when she came across one called “Crisco Breath o’ Spring” cake.

Unfortunately, there was some damage to the recipe and she was unable to read parts of it. Apparently, the recipe was on the label of a can of Crisco, but when York contacted the Crisco company, she was told that they do not save all their old recipes and no longer had the one she was looking for. York was hoping someone still had the recipe and would be willing to share it with her.

Diane Jensen from Alamogordo, New Mexico, sent in the recipe for the cake York was looking for. Jensen said it was copied from a photograph of the original Crisco advertisement from 1945. She did not say where she found it, but when I did an Internet search of my own I found a copy of the Crisco ad that appeared in the Milwaukee Journal on March 25, 1945.

The ad was introducing a collection of brand-new, easy cake recipes called Pride ’n’ Joy cakes that were specially perfected for Crisco.

The ad said, “Pure, snowy Crisco is fresh and sweet as new-churned butter. It brings out the full, rich flavor of your cakes.

And Crisco has developed a special baking secret. It gives you lighter, more tender cakes. Yes, even lighter than cakes made with the most expensive shortenings!” It goes on to proclaim, “Crisco is the ideal cake shortening no matter what recipe you use. But if you want cake at its most delicious best — just make the Breath o’ Spring cake with Crisco today!”

I don’t think I’ve ever made a cake with Crisco — I’m a butter baker — but I must confess this cake pleasantly surprised me. I made a quick frosting with chocolate chips and butter, and in no time at all I had quite a tasty old-fashioned layer cake made without a mix. It was indeed moist and rich with a wonderful light texture.

At the very bottom of the old advertisement there is an offer for the “New Crisco Cook Book.” In those pre-Internet days, one could simply send in 10 cents and a Crisco label (any size) to the company to receive a copy of the 64-page cookbook from Crisco that included recipes for many more Pride ’n’ Joy cakes.

Wonder if anyone out there still has that book in his or her collection?