If there was one thing that World War I taught Canadian cooks, it was how to be frugal.
With water as one of its prime ingredients, Economy Cake was a dessert that was resurrected during the Great Depression and found its way to many a Toronto table. Price: $4.13
The baker
needed no eggs and no milk, and some versions even omitted butter and used only
lard.
Also known as Poverty Cake, Poor Man’s Cake, or my favourite, Mom’s Minus
Cake, this costs pennies to make and tastes pretty good. Adapted from How We Do
It, Budget-Designed Recipes from the 1930’s, a collection of recipes gathered
from Montreal homemakers.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb raisins 1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cold water 1-1/2 tbsp butter, 1-1/2 tbsp lard
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon 1-1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups
flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
DIRECTIONS
Bring water, sugar, butter, salt & cinnamon to boil on high heat in medium pot; reduce heat, add the raisins and simmer for 15 minutes. Let this Cool before you add the flour below:.
Sift flour and baking soda together. Add to raisin mixture & mix well.
Bake in a greased 9-inch cake pan in 325F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until cake tester inserted in middle comes out clean.