Depression or War Cake

Depression cakes, sometimes known as war cakes or even wacky cakes, are home baked goods that can be made without seemingly vital ingredients like milk, butter or eggs. These recipes date back as far as World War I. They were made with syrups or molasses due to a persistent shortage of sugar, according to a pamphlet distributed by the now-abolished U.S. Food Administration in 1918. (In the pamphlet, the dessert is referred to as a “war cake.”) I believe this recipe may be the origin; the granddaddy of all milk-less, butter-less and egg-less cakes.

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup molasses

• 1 cup corn sirup [sic]

• 1½ cups water

• 1 package raisins

• 2 tablespoons fat

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon cloves

• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

• 3 cups rye flour (or 3.4 cups oatmeal)

• ½ teaspoon soda (baking soda)

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Method:

1. As for directions, the pamphlet instructed bakers to boil together for 5 minutes the first nine ingredients.

2. Allow to cool before adding the sifted flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix into a smooth batter.

3. The batter could then be divided into two loaves, and baked for 45 minutes in a moderate oven. (350 degrees)

4. For further information the U.S. Food Administration did not recommend frostings -- at least not traditional ones.

5. Either honey or maple sirup [sic] can be substituted for frosting.

Note: In my search on the internet I found that nearly all the modern depression cake recipes called for sugar or brown sugar which was hard to come by during that era.

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Rustled this from:

Google https://www.foxnews.com/person/b/michael-bartiromo