Great Depression One-Pan Chocolate Cake Truly Brightens Your Mood

This Great Depression cake is from the 1930s. I just love vintage recipes, don’t you? Do you have any classic recipes that you’d like to share with me? If so, please post them in the comments below. I never knew that a cake without eggs, butter, or milk could taste so good but it certainly does. The absence of these ingredients qualifies this Great depression cake a sa vegan food. I’m sure the folks of the Great Depression era weren’t concerned about being vegan but rather about making to eat with what they had on hand.

 

It’s hard to wrap our heads around what the people went through during the great depression. It’s nice to know that they at least had some simple joys in their lives such as this cake.

 

Ingredients

2 cups cold water

2 cups Sun-Maid raisins

1 cup Domino brown sugar

1/3 cup Wesson vegetable oil

2 teaspoons McCormick cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons water

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon Morton salt

2 cups Gold Medal flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Powdered sugar for serving (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325º degrees F.  Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine water, raisins, brown sugar, vegetable oil and the spices. Bring to a boil and, stirring constantly, boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the baking soda and salt in water and stir until completely dissolved. Combine flour and baking powder and toss with a fork to combine.

After raisin mixture has cooled, add soda and salt mixture – it will bubble up, so stir well.  Add the flour mixture and stir until a stiff dough has formed and raisins are well distributed. Spoon into prepared pan, smooth the top and bake 55 minutes.

Remove cake from oven to a cooling rack and let cool 5 minutes, then use overhanging foil to remove cake from the pan and allow to cool completely.

Serve slightly warm as a dessert or with morning coffee. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving if desired.

 

 

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Quick Tip: Sprinkle the top of this cake with a dusting of powdered sugar.