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

MV Pelt (not verified)

4 years 11 months ago

Could butter be used in place of the shortening? Thanks in advance.

Dawn Harrison (not verified)

5 years 1 month ago

Do I dare try and make this with a gluten-free flour blend ?

We have not made the recipe with gluten free flour so we can’t say if it will yield the same results. You can experiment and see how you like it. Good luck!

Jeanetta (not verified)

5 years 1 month ago

The recipe looks like what I remember except for hot water I am going to try hot coffee. Thanks

Kathy (not verified)

6 years ago

I used to make this cake for my father in law using his mother's recipe. The only difference was that she added black walnuts from the tree in their yard. Of course, the cake became more expensive after the depression with the raisins and nuts. If we did not have the black walnuts we also used pecans which I preferred, but no the rest of the family!

Julie (not verified)

6 years ago

I think this is what my mother-in-law used to call "War Cake" since it didn't have eggs or white sugar, which were in short supply due to the war

Marilyn Bergeron (not verified)

6 years 12 months ago

My mom made this cake special for me ...she came through the depression and I know it was everything for them to have this specialty in tough times..thank you

Janis Warner (not verified)

7 years ago

GRANDMA'S APPLESAUCE CAKE:
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 cups applesauce
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup boiling water
Confectioners' sugar, optional
DIRECTIONS
Place raisins and hot water in a small bowl; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients except last three. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water; add to batter. Mix well. Drain softened raisins and fold into batter. Pour into a greased and floured 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.
Bake at 300° for 40 minutes. If desired, dust top with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm or cold. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Debbie (not verified)

7 years ago

Does anybody have the recipe for the applesauce cake that grandma used to make