Throughout the early and mid-1900s, wartime rationing encouraged culinary creativity. And people rose to the occasion, whipping up savory dishes like “emergency steak” as well as questionably named yet nevertheless tasty desserts like “water pie.” Thanks to modern home cooks recreating some of these thrifty, historical dishes, folks today have a newfound appreciation for them.
Yet there’s one dish that hasn’t quite made its way back into the spotlight.
We’re talking about Canada’s “War Cake,” aptly named because it called for zero eggs, zero butter, zero white sugar, and minimal fat…making it the perfect way to satisfy a sweet tooth while dealing with food shortages during wartime.
However, we haven’t even gotten to this dish’s signature ingredient: boiled raisins.
Technically, it wasn’t just raisins that were boiled. They’d simmer along with cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, salt, and a small amount of lard (likely from leftover bacon grease).
That might sound like an unusual way to make a cake, but the method had a practical purpose.
Boiling the raisins softened them and helped distribute their flavor throughout the mixture. This created a moist, flavorful base without relying on the eggs and butter that appeared in many traditional cake recipes. In essence, you’d end up with something more closely resembling a spiced fruit loaf or a heavy gingerbread than a light, fluffy modern birthday cake.
A recipe well-prepared for hard times
This “conservation delicacy” first became popular during World War I, and again during World War II, and has gone by a few different names, including “Depression Cake,” “Economy Cake,” or “Poor Man’s Cake.” It was well liked not only for its economical ingredients list, but also for its durability and long shelf life. In fact, it was often sent to soldiers on the front lines, earning it the additional nickname of “trench cake.”
And while one preserved recipe, shared by the Maryboro Museum, mentions brown sugar, other recipes called for molasses or other liquid sweeteners. The point was to use what was on hand at the time. As traditional cooking blogger Mary’s Nest pointed out, this often led to using less refined, more nutritious ingredients.
Times might not be quite as hard now, but many, if not most, of us are still looking for ways to save money without skimping on the pleasures life has to offer. This cake is a heartwarming example that it is more than possible to achieve both things.
Curious to try it for yourself? Check out the recipe below:
Canada War Cake recipe from the Maryboro Museum
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 3 cups hot water
- 2 tablespoons lard
- 1 package seedless raisins (about 1.5 to 2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon soda dissolved
Directions
- Boil together sugar, 2 cups water, lard, raisins, cinnamon, cloves and salt for 5 minutes
- Then add flour, soda, and hot water
- Divide into 2 loaves and bake 45 minutes at 325 F
- Allow to cool before slicing
