I recently got an e-mail stating:

I wasn't born until the late 70's. I have no idea what it could be other than a white cake with a basic buttercream. Is anyone out there familiar with cakes from that time period that could help me? I don't know what to tell her. Thanks!

Gee, boiled icing, or "Seven minute Icing" was really popular in the 60's. I am wondering if this might be the icing she is looking for. I remember as a child attending cousins' weddings in the U.S. where this icing was on cakes. In Canada, traditional fruitcakes with Royal Icing were the only wedding cakes served.
Seven-Minute Icing
1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
Combine all ingredients except for the vanilla, in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a rotary beater (hand beater) until thoroughly mixed. Place over rapidly boiling water and beat constantly for 7-10 minutes until icing will hold a peak. remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Beat until cool and thick enough to spread. Will cover tops and sides of 2, 9 inch layers, 1 1/2 inch high. You can omit cream of tartar and use 1 1/2 tsp. corn syrup
The Marshmallow version was popular. Add 16 large marshmallows that you have cut into quarters, to the hot cooked icing beating until smooth.
The only issue with this icing is that it cannot be used way ahead of time, generally should be eaten within 24 hours.
As far as the cake, the white cakes were pretty much the same as they are now, I would think any white or silver cake recipe would be right. They were generally a lot more dense than cake mixes but then most from scratch recipes are.
Another icing that was popular then was Divinity Icing, another icing that cannot be used too much ahead.
Royal icings were popular then on wedding cakes but normally used more so on fruitcakes than white cakes. Sometimes a little glycerine was added to stop the royal from setting up so hard.

I would bet it's the Seven Minute Icing, too. That was THE thing for such a long time. I wasn't born until '74, but my grandmother was always making that icing and it ALWAYS went on either a white or strawberry cake. She told me a while back that she didn't learn how to bake or ice a cake until the mid-60's and those were the only cakes she ever mastered the recipes for...lol. So that's probably what this lady is looking for. As for the cake...well, it's white cake, from what she said. Maybe you could email her back and just ask if the name Seven Minute Icing rings a bell, and ask if the cake was just a plain white cake without a 'flavoring' or if it had more of maybe a stronger vanilla or French vanilla or even almond flavor to it?

I googled 1960's recipes and here's what it brought up: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=RNWE,RNWE:2006-05,RNWE:en&q=1960%27s+recipes Hope this helps you!

Thanks, that helps a lot.

2 more searches I did that may be helpful as well...one for Seven Minute Icing and the other for pics of cakes with Seven Minute Icing

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&rls=RNWE%2CRNWE%3A2006-05%2CRNWE%3Aen&q=seven+minute+icing

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&rls=RNWE,RNWE:2006-05,RNWE:en&q=seven%20minute%20icing&sa=N&tab=wi

I found your recipe request while searching for the same recipe myself.  Did you ever find a recipe for a wedding cake from the 1960's?   I have been searching for one for a long time.  I remember the cake was yellow and had a distinct taste not found in other yellow cakes from the same era.  I remember the icing as being stiff but creamy.  

Please, if you've found the recipe, let me know!  I will be forever grateful.

Sorry, no.  All I got was listed above.