Depression Cake I

It’s very good and easy, I was surprised at how moist it is. I made half the recipe and use oil instead of shorting. I also did half sugar and half Splenda. Turned out great but I think next time I will up the spices just a little. Will be making again for sure.

This was AWESOME!!! It just needed a little more of each f the spices listed, I have made this multiple times now.

I was surprised at how well this cake turned out, with no eggs or milk. I would have liked a bit of salt, just to amp up the flavor, but I was unsure if it would affect the rise. The cake as a springy texture, and makes a nice accompaniment for coffee. I sprinkled on a little confectioner’s sugar, to enhance it visually, just a bit. Fresh fruit would be a nice go-along, too.

I have been looking for a recipe like this! We have family members who are allergic to milk and eggs, and I had heard of my Aunt’s famous raisin cake recipe! I think this is it. TIP DO let the mixture cool prior to adding the flour; otherwise you get lumps in the batter similar to those found in gravy.

Yummy.,I made it with no issues. I doubled the spices, used 1/4 shortening, 1 cup of water and brown instead of white sugar. Next time I plan to use oatmeal flour instead of white flour. Tastes great with coffee or herbal tea!

Very similar to a family recipe that never turned out right for me. This cake tasted great, just like my mother in law’s cake. Easier to make. The second time I made it I took it out at about 35″, 10″ early. Cake tester still came out clean, but cake was heavier, denser, and moister than the 1st time I made it, which is more like the way my hubby likes it. I will be using this recipe from now on when my husband asks for depression cake.

My cakes always seem a little dry…How can I make them more moist? This Cake TASTE great. Maybe I baked it 5 min. Too long?

Excellent in every possible way. Super easy to make. If you need to cool down the initial cooked mixture in a hurry, fill the sink with ice water (that comes up no higher than the sides of the saucepan, obviously) and stir occasionally. If the ice melts, drain and refill the sink again with ice water. It will cool down in about 10 minutes. The cake is just so moist. I baked it in an 11″X17″ jelly roll pan, and it was baked through at 27 minutes. The flavor is wonderful. I added 1/2 tsp dry mustard and 3 good shakes of cayenne. This gave it a subtle hint of warmth, which most people find irresistible. I made this to send in to work with the hubs, who couldn’t stop eating pieces as I was cutting it up the night before. It was inhaled in record time by his work crew. I drizzled on a simple glaze, made of 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1Tb softened butter, and milk to make a stiff but flowable glaze, put it in a baggie, snipped off one corner, and made several lazy zig-zags. It would be fantastic with cream cheese frosting. Or keep it simple by sprinkling with sugar before baking, or powdered sugar after. Dress it up or down, doesn’t matter. Like so many other recipes that have survived decade after decade, especially those that were born out of poverty, this one is a classic for a reason. It’s outstanding!

I made this cake for my husband tonight who is to avoid dairy and egg to prepare for a medical procedure in a few days. I halved the recipe and baked it in a 8×8 pan. I omitted the raisins and added a pinch more of the cinnamon and nutmeg, also added 1/2 tsp ground ginger and 1 tsp vanilla extract. I let the liquid cool to a little warmer than room temperature and mixed in the flour and baking soda..I also added a pinch of salt. After baking, I allowed the cake to cook for 5 minutes then spread vanilla frosting from a can over the top so the frosting melted into a glaze. My husband was skeptical when I told him it was milk and egg less, lets just say that a little more than half the pan is now gone…and not by my doing this time! This is a great cake recipe for anybody with egg/dairy allergies or is vegan/vegetarian. Thanks for sharing!

This recipe turns out, JUST like my great grandmother used to make it!! This cake is definitely a treasure to us from but no longer living in the Northeast U.S. I’m baking this and sending some to my sister and Mother who have lost the recipe ??

I just had to try this as an experiment. For what it is, it’s amazing. I took the suggestion of cooking the shortening/raisin/spice/sugar mixture the night before and just letting it sit with a lid on overnight. Worked great (and smelled lovely!). My mom LOVED this cake, unfortunately it was not to my liking (so my mom ended up eating the majority of it). The texture was really nice and moist. If I was growing up during the depression and eating ketchup and mayo sandwiches like my grandmother and great-aunt did, I probably would have thought this was such an amazing treat, however, my spoiled taste buds ruined this for me. Thank you for this recipe though, it was really cool to make! Very ingenious for containing no milk, eggs, or butter!

Great recipe on this dreary day that just begged for baking but not going out to get eggs! Switched it up a bit by making a mixture of dried apricots (minced), craisins and raisins for the fruit and added the flour coated walnuts for crunch. My only suggestion is to add at least 1/2 teaspoon salt to cut the sweet just a bit. By instinct I added just a pinch, but it still could have used just a touch more. Otherwise a very nice spice cake…reminiscent of a fruit cake except MOIST and TASTY! 🙂

This recipe was not to my liking.

Cooks up with the texture and flavor of Pumpkin Bread, but as though the cook forgot to add the pumkin. A good choice for those on strict allergy diets, but I’d give this one a pass otherwise.

Came out very good. Surprisingly rich. Next time I might cut down on the sugar, though, because this was much sweeter than I expected. I halved the recipe and baked it in an 8×8 glass pan for just under 35 minutes and it worked well. Thanks for a great dairy-free recipe!

Suggestion: put hot mixture in freezer to cool, stir often. The first time I made this the hot liquid took hours to cool down. Butter cream frosting is delicious on top.

Great spice cake for someone with dairy and egg allergies. We omitted the raisins. Would be a nice cupcake with icing.

I always have the items needed to make this in the pantry. It is wonderful and a nice dessert to make on a budget. With our grocery budget shrinking, it is nice to have a recipe for something sweet that doesn’t require so many “extras”. This cake is nice enough for company. It would also be nice with a cinnamon glaze drizzled on top, or some powederd sugar dusted on top – if you were trying to dress it up. We like it just the way it is. I use 1 cup water and 1 cup leftover coffee. Also I reduce the nutmeg to 1/2 tsp. just because this is my own personal taste. I have made it both ways and I prefer less nutmeg, however my husband doesn’t notice a difference when I do. Great served warm right out of the oven with a nice cup of coffee.

My mother made this often when we were children. Somehow this recipe got lost though. I remembered that she made it in a jelly-roll pan, so that’s what I did. I baked it for 30 minutes and then put a vanilla icing on it after it cooled. Yep, this was it. How wonderful to have this recipe back in the family. Thanks so much.

As a child growing up, my mom made this often. It was and is still one of my favorites! The only difference in my mom’s recipe was she added a cup of chopped pecans that had been floured (so they wouldn’t sink to the bottom), gently stirring them in at the last before pouring into the pan for baking. (She made hers in a tube pan.) Also, something else my mom did, was she would start this the night before. She would cool the shortening/raisins/water/sugar mixture with a lid on the pan, overnight. (She did this on top of our washing machine in the garage!) The next morning, she would spoon most of the hardened shortening off, and then proceed with the making the cake. Thanks so much for posting! I absolutely LOVE this cake!! 🙂

I was just given this cake as a gift from a friend. It is a tradition in her family to bake them in loaf pans, wrap in saran wrap and plaid wrapping paper and share with family and friends. It is a great spice cake. They call it Poor Man’s Cake