Poor Man's Cake

poor mans cake on a white plate. no eggs, butter or milk in this vegan cake recipe with raisins
Photo Credit
Sam Jones/Quinn Brein
The Editors
Yield
12 to 15 servings
Category
Cakes and Frostings
Course
Desserts
Credit
Ruth Gagen Brentwood Historical Society, Brentwood, New Hamp
Sources
Yankee Magazine Church Suppers and Potluck Dinners Cookbook

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, or eggs are needed! This doesn’t 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. This is a great vegan option for a moist, delicious cake!

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
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
  2. 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.
  3. 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. 
  4. Cool in the pan. Frost, if desired.
About The Author

The Old Farmer’s Editors

We love introducing fun new recipes as well as time-tested recipes, straight from the archives! Read More from The Old Farmer’s Editors
 

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Comments

jabeve (not verified)

3 years 11 months ago

I'm not fond of raisins, and I was wondering if you think dried
cranberries /craisins would work?
Thank you

Kathy (not verified)

2 years 7 months ago

It’s your cake, add what your family will like. Dried cranberries, pineapple or apple.

deercoll (not verified)

3 years 2 months ago

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.

Bea (not verified)

3 years 11 months ago

Can cooking oil be used instead of the shortening. Do not want to buy shortening for one recipe

Janet (not verified)

3 years 11 months ago

The A&P grocery store had raisin cake baked in a loaf pan with a white frosting, it was my grandmother's favorite cake and very similar to this one. I found a recipe for it in the 1952 Good Housekeeping cookbook.

Judith A Chisholm (not verified)

3 years 11 months ago

my Grandma had a recipe like this. It was called "Lead Cake" because when you picked it up it was heavy.

Diane (not verified)

3 years 11 months ago

Do I need to make any changes in the amounts of certain ingredients or add anything to bake this at 5100 ft. altitude?

Ellie (not verified)

3 years 11 months ago

Yes, I remember that cake and I think I still have the recipe for it. We were poor but we didn't thik so. We always had enough of what we needed - but not always what we wanted. My sister's hand me down shoes fit her narrow feet but not my wider feet - tough.

Cindy (not verified)

3 years 11 months ago

This is a cake we have always made for the holidays. It truly is the best. I am now trying to get this working with Gluten free flour.

ENF (not verified)

3 years 11 months ago

Agree w another reader.... my mother made this “ boiled cake”! Often at Christmas.