Photo Credit
Sam Jones/Quinn Brein
Yield
12 to 15 servings
Category
Course
Credit
Ruth Gagen Brentwood Historical Society, Brentwood, New Hamp
Why do we call this recipe Poor Man’s Cake? It’s a vintage cake recipe created during the Depression Era during the 1930s. The “poor man” refers to the ingredients; no butter, milk, nor eggs needed! Clearly, this doesn’t seem to affect the taste because it’s the best cake ever!
Most of these ingredients should be found right in the pantry. Just add raisins—which you boil for plumpness. If you wish, you could always add walnuts.
It’s fine without frosting but we like to pair the cake with a cream cheese frosting, such as the one we use on our Best Ever Carrot Cake. If you don’t have frosting, a sprinkling of powdered sugar works, too.
Enjoy this old-fashioned cake! We’re so glad that we rediscovered it in our recipe archives. It’s a keeper!
Ingredients
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups hot water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 package (15 ounces) raisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water
cream cheese frosting (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
In a pan, combine brown sugar, hot water, salt, shortening, raisins, and spices. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
In a bowl, combine flour and dissolved baking soda, add to the batter, and mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan. Frost, if desired.
More Like This
ADVERTISEMENT
I love this cake. It's also known as Depression Cake, at least in the NW.
My gram called it spice cake ...... to use less sugar and save money she kept jelly jars in the fridge and used the water to rinse them into the batter .... it’s also called war cake .
Anyone have a recipe for an Orange Kis-Me Cake? Had orange rind (zest), spices, dried fruit, was color of spice cake and was laced with orange juice after baking.
I'm not fond of raisins, and I was wondering if you think dried
cranberries /craisins would work?
Thank you
The flavor is sweet-spicy so if the contrast of the cranberries works for your pallette, it would be fine, like spiced cranberries. I add nuts when I make it is a more nutritious snack.
Comments