Depression cake, war cake, poverty fruitcake, bachelor’s cake, milkless, butterless, eggless cake, boiled cake, poor man’s cake — call it what you will, raisin cake’s time has come.
Edmonds reader Susan Everett started the ball rolling when she asked for a duplicate of a long-lost recipe for a boiled raisin cake she made for her parents and brothers when they lived in Northern Canada.
“My family wolfed it down in less than a day each time I made it,’’ she told us. “I would like to pass on the recipe to my grown daughters and make it again for myself.’’
Forum cooks, 26 strong, answered her request, supplying a grand total of 28 recipes. Most are nearly the same, but still vary significantly in certain respects. The following cakes illustrate that point nicely.
“This is the exact recipe,’’ Marysville cake-baker Meredith H. Latlip says. “I am 79, married for 59 years. I still use this original recipe and, in fact, made one last week. It has a nice top and keeps well. All my children use this recipe. I always double it to make a 9-by-13-inch cake.
“Mother got it from the paper during the Depression era. Some call it boiled cake, but Mother called it poor man’s cake. She made it often as it has no milk or eggs.
“Mother lived in Maine and still baked at 93-plus years. She died a few years ago.’’
Next, we hear from longtime Forum helper-outer Arlene Wingender of Edmonds.
“I found a recipe book that was passed on from my mother and wonder if this recipe is the one Susan Everett is looking for.
“Although no pan size was given, I made the cake this morning and used a 9-inch square pan. I think an 8-inch pan would also work. It took 40 minutes to bake — test it with a toothpick. When it finally cooled enough so I could cut it, I tried a sample. Very good!’’
Arlene adds, “A note about this recipe book. It was printed in 1977 and is a collection of recipes from members and friends of the Hope Chapter of Eastern Star. I happen to know most of the ladies that donated them, since it is a small farm community in Whitman County in Eastern Washington.’’
Mother’s poor man’s cake
1cup white sugar
1cup cold water
1/2cup shortening (originally called for lard)
1cup raisins
1teaspoon salt
1/4teaspoon ground cloves
1/2teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon
2cups flour
1teaspoon baking soda
In a saucepan, combine the sugar, water, shortening, raisins, salt, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon, mixing well; simmer for approximately 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Add flour and baking soda and beat gently so as not to destroy the raisins. Turn into a greased pan (no pan size given, but a 9-inch square baking pan should work) and bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean.
Makes one 9-inch square cake.
Hope Chapter OES raisin cake
1cup raisins
1cup water
1/2cup shortening
1cup sugar
2cups sifted flour
1teaspoon baking soda
1teaspoon cloves
1teaspoon nutmeg
1teaspoon cinnamon
1teaspoon allspice
1/4teaspoon salt
1egg, well beaten
1/2cup chopped walnuts (optional)
In a saucepan, combine raisins and water and boil steadily for 10 minutes, then remove from heat. Add shortening and let cool while you sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Add to the cooled raisin mixture and beat well, then add the beaten egg and beat again. Walnuts may be added, if wished. Turn into a greased and floured, 9-inch square baking pan and bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until cake tests done with a toothpick. This cake may be frosted, served plain, or warm with brown sugar sauce.
Makes one 9-inch square cake.
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s comics pages.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
