By 1962, Sara Lee’s “fresh frozen” cakes were known nationwide. Aluminum foil pans made it possible to bake, freeze, sell, and even serve Sara Lee cakes in the same package. The cakes were transported in freezer trucks or rail cars and delivered to the frozen-food sections of national supermarkets. Once purchased the cakes were stored in new combination refrigerator-freezers, owned by an estimated 7 million Americans by 1956.
In the 1968 television commercial below, note the central importance of the aluminum foil pan as a permanent package for the cake. The ad makes opening the package appear to be easy but renders it otherwise invisible.
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