Let’s visit a recipe that makes me think of Yum Yum Cake, another Great Depression era recipe (also known as War Cake – see here for my sugar-free version). I saw the recipe on a page about historical recipes, and that’s where my mind immediately went. The amount of batter was quite a lot, and I am of the mind that it could have all fit into a single springform pan (the cheesecake size) and made a dense, tall cake. The picture he showed, he definitely used a very tall cake pan.
The recipe directions said to put it in a bread or cake pan, with no size specified. As I filled up a cake pan (9″), I realized I had enough batter for two pans. I find it annoying when a recipe doesn’t specify the right size pan.
Due to the change in pans (using two), I watched the baking time. It was noted at 90-100 minutes. At 80 minutes, my cake pans smelled done, so I did a knife check, and it came out clean. Had I kept baking it, it would have become overbaked.
The other issue is that this recipe contained too much liquid. It was noted that it would be dense, thick, and heavy. But it was not. I even added an extra half cup of flour. I think it is because you simmer the raisins in water, and modern raisins are just not hard pebbles like they used to be. They don’t need as much water to plump up. In the 1920’s, raisins were nature’s hard fruit.
I had considered adding more flour to reach that dense texture, but then I decided not to and just saw how it turned out. And I am glad I did. The texture was nice and light, a moist cake. Not a dense brick, like Yum Yum Cake turns out
So, the cake was a winner. And I got two cakes! I immediately wrapped up one and froze it, for a future time, when we crave something sweet.
Poor Man’s Fruitcake
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups raisins
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp baking soda
- 1 cup cold water
- 3½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
In a large saucepan, add the raisins, salt, spices, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.
Take the mixture off the stove, add the butter, letting it melt in, and set it aside to cool a bit.
Preheat the oven to 300° and lightly oil 2 8″ or 9″ cake pans.
Add the raisin mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Stir the baking soda into the cold water, and add it to the raisin mixture. It will foam up quickly.
Stir in most of the flour to see how thick the mixture is. It will depend on how dry your raisins were – most modern raisins are not hard like in the old days. Most likely, you will need all the flour, and the dough may be soft (in the old days, it would have been stiffer).
Divide the batter between the cake pans, and bake for 80 minutes. Insert a butter knife into the center; if it comes out clean, the cake is done. If not, bake for another 10 minutes, or as needed.
Let cool, then transfer to the pans. (Flip the cake over onto a cooling rack; it should pop right out.) If using a pan that isn’t nonstick, I recommend lining the bottom with a piece of parchment paper and lightly oiling it as well.
Wrap tightly once fully cooled.
Makes 2 cakes.
~Sarah