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War Cake

War Cake

An old-fashioned cake made with large sticky raisins and a mixture of spices. Common cake during war time.
Course Cake
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword war cake
Servings 12
My Island Bistro Kitchen My Island Bistro Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup shortening
  • 2 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 pound large, sticky raisins
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/8 tsp mace
  • 1/8 tsp cardamon
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp soda

Instructions

  1. Assemble ingredients.
  2. Place the shortening, brown sugar, raisins, salt, spices, and boiling water into a large saucepan. Over medium-high heat, bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium or slightly lower and boil mixture for five minutes. Remove from heat and set saucepan on cooling rack. Let mixture cool to room temperature (4-5 hours), stirring occasionally.
  3. In bowl, whisk the flour and baking soda together. Set aside.
  4. Grease large tube or Bundt pan.
  5. When raisin mixture has cooled completely, add the flour and baking soda. Stir until dry ingredients have been completely mixed into the raisin mixture.
  6. Spoon mixture into greased pan. Add a small pan of hot water to lower shelf in oven for moisture while cake is baking. Bake cake on middle rack in 335°F preheated oven. If cake starts to brown on the top too quickly, loosely place a piece of tin foil on top of cake. Bake apx. 1 hour but begin to test cake for doneness, using a cake tester, at the 45-minute point as cake can dry out very quickly.
  7. Remove cake from oven and place pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes then remove from pan. Allow cake to cool completely before cutting.

Recipe Notes

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