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Do you have the recipe for Poor Man's Cake? | Almanac.com

Do you have the recipe for Poor Man's Cake?

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Do you have the recipe for Poor Man’s Cake?
Answer
This cake is from the 1930s and is also called Depression Cake. It contains a very small amount of fat, since fat was hard to come by during the Depression. You need 2 cups brown sugar, 2 cups hot water, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, 1 package (15 ounces) raisins, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 3 cups all-purpose white flour, and 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, water, salt, shortening, raisins, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Mix the flour and baking soda mixture, add to the batter, and mix well. Pour into the pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan.