The seventies have a lot to answer for, in terms of taste transgressions: shag-pile carpet, bell bottoms and jello salad, to name a few. But recent evidence suggests that the poke cake might have the power to redeem the decade.

What, pray tell, is a poke cake? In the seventies, for some reason, home bakers began poking their sheet cakes with a fork, and pouring jelly – of all things – into the holes. The result was an often-ghoulish red or green streaked vanilla cake.

But now, thanks largely to Instagram, the poke cake is having a revival – and everything from salted caramel to molten chocolate is being poured into the holes. If that doesn’t sound historically important to you, have a look at this catalogue of visual evidence we have compiled. Here’s why poke cakes are the future.

1. If you use a contrasting colour, you can create a beautiful marbled effect.

A photo posted by Fleischmann (@fleischmannbrasil) on Mar 30, 2016 at 1:30pm PDT

2. It’s also a great way to add more sucrose to a cake that you might, in a grave error, have made too low in sugar.

A photo posted by Canesmith & Co (@thecanesmith) on Apr 29, 2016 at 9:09am PDT

3. Making neat rows of holes in freshly baked cakes is incredibly therapeutic. It’s almost meditative.

A photo posted by @foodiewithoutablog on Apr 21, 2016 at 2:02pm PDT

4. They’re able to adapt to all manner of flavours – like lemon, for instance.

A photo posted by Scake Scake (@silvia_scake) on Mar 19, 2016 at 6:41am PDT

5. Or red velvet.

A photo posted by Hamilton Beach (@hamiltonbeach) on Feb 8, 2016 at 7:03am PST

 

6. Or even Snickers…

A photo posted by Allison Miller (@tornadoughalli) on Feb 7, 2016 at 7:40am PST

7. Yes, they’re a little retro.

A photo posted by 80smagazines (@80smagazines) on Dec 11, 2015 at 4:04pm PST

 

8. But there’s no reason you can’t bring them up to date with a little root beer.

A photo posted by Kellie (@thesuburbansoapbox) on Dec 1, 2015 at 12:25pm PST

9. Or with salted caramel, fudge sauce and mascarpone cream cheese.

A photo posted by Abby (@honeyfrosting) on Nov 19, 2015 at 5:52am PST

10. The genius, really, is in a poke cake’s ability to turn a dry sponge into something with a magnificently succulent texture.

  A photo posted by Food Porn (@foodgasm_) on Nov 12, 2015 at 10:20am PST

 

11. And in their ability to expose a greater surface area of cake to icing and caramel.

A photo posted by La Manger (la mon.jay) (@lamangercatering) on Oct 18, 2015 at 9:20pm PDT

 

12. And to offer the cake slicer an opportunity to snap a pic.

A photo posted by Nikki (@savannahnickole_d) on Mar 28, 2015 at 4:43pm PDT

13. Ah, poke cake: you are the future.

A photo posted by Tasbih (@cleobuttera) on Oct 8, 2015 at 5:22am PDT