My husband’s brother and his wife were visiting and the discussion turned to an interesting cake their mother would bake for them. She called it the Canadian War Cake. It was popular during World War 1 when eggs and milk were scarce. Mom used lard or shortening, but I have substituted butter. Also included is Peg Bracken’s "War" Chocolate Cake version.
1917 WAR CAKE
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups hot water
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 cup raisins
Mix brown sugar, hot water and butter in a medium size saucepan. Add raisins, and spices. Boil for 5 minutes after it bubbles. Cool completely (important). Next - - add
1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in
2 tsp. hot water
3 c. flour
Add baking soda that has been dissolved in hot water. Then add flour. Mix well and pour into a greased tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees 1 hour.
Another interesting similar cake is The Cockeyed Cake a chocolate “war” cake from the “I Hate to Cook cookbook,” by Peg Bracken. This cake is egg-less and butter-less, uses oil for the moisture, and vinegar and baking soda for leavening. This Cockeyed cake is a fun cake for children to make from scratch.
Chocolate Cockeyed Cake (Peg Bracken’s War Cake)
1 and 1/2 cups sifted flour
3 Tbsp cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp cooking oil
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup cold water
Put your sifted flour back in the sifter, add to it the cocoa, soda, sugar, and salt, and sift this right into a greased square cake pan, about 9 x 9 x 2 inches. Now you make three grooves, or holes, in this dry mixture. Into one, pour the oil; into the next, the vinegar; into the next, the vanilla. Now pour the cold water over it all. You'll feel like you're making mud pies now, but beat it with a spoon until it's nearly smooth and you can't see the flour. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done.
This post has been entered in Ann Kroeker’s, Food on Fridays at http://annkroeker.com/
Do visit her site and gather up some delicious and nutritious recipes.
