War-time Cake
Description: This recipe is one of many variations on “Eggless Butterless Milkless Cake,” an unusual recipe that became a staple during the food shortages of both World War One and World War Two. While wartime cookbooks usually referred to this type of cake with names like “Eggless Butterless Milkless Cake” or “War Cake,” cookbooks published during the Great Depression often call it names such as “Depression Cake,” “Economy Cake,” or “Poor Man’s Cake.” The differing names give an indication as to why this cake remained popular for so many decades; the cake could still be made even when fresh ingredients such as eggs, butter, and milk were difficult to come by, whether the shortages were caused by war or economic depression.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1/3 cup lard or other shortening (this could be vegetable shortening, or leftover fats such as bacon drippings)
- 2 cups seeded raisins
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp soda
- 2 tsp water
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Combine brown sugar, water, shortening, raisins, and spices in a saucepan (the rest of the ingredients will be added to the saucepan later, so choose one large enough to hold everything).
- Bring to a boil, then let boil for 3 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Dissolve the salt and baking soda in 2 tsp of water, then add to the saucepan (this is the point at which it will look like a “volcanic mass”).
- Sift the flour and baking powder together, then stir into the saucepan.
- Pour the mixture into a greased and lined 8 inch square pan, then bake at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes.