Great Depression Cake

"This cake has many names and many variations. It is rumored to have come about during the Great Depression. In spite of the fact that it has no eggs it is nice and moist."
 
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photo by CulinaryQueen photo by CulinaryQueen
photo by CulinaryQueen
Ready In:
50mins
Ingredients:
12
Serves:
12
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ingredients

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directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Lightly greased and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking pan, set aside.
  • Bring the first five ingredients to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionslly.
  • Cool 10 minutes.
  • Blend the dry ingredients together and stir into the boiled mixture.
  • Pour batter into pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

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Reviews

  1. I used 1/4 cup vegetable oil in place of shorting after reading other reviews that the cake was too oily. Instead of 1 tsp. allspice I use 1 tsp. ground ginger. You can also use 1 cup wheat flour with 1 cup flour. I make this all the time. My husband loves this cake!
     
  2. Loved it! Super cheap way to keep the household happy. I used dates instead of raisins, omitted the nuts because I didnt have any, and substituted wholemeal flour. It made a dense, sticky, moist cake which was very much enjoyed with a cup of tea. Thanks!
     
  3. I didn't had any success with this cake, maybe I did something wrong but I follow the instructions exactly. The batter was very dry after I blended the flour. The coffe mixture was still hot after 10 minutes that I let it cool, is that my mistake, I don't know. T used espresso coffee and 1/2 cup raisins. I really wanted to like this cake because I love coffe cake. I'll give it a try one more time. Sorry for the low rating and thanks for posting!
     
  4. Even though a 'spice' cake such as this is not one of my favorites, this was good. I cut the sugar down to 1 1/4 cups and the shortening (veggie oil) down to about 3 oz. due to the previous review. I also used a mix of currants and saltanas. I had no allspice so used mixed spice instead. Definitely a moist cake. Served it to my MIL who stopped by for tea...she ate two pieces of it! Thanks Paula. :)
     
  5. Definitely a moist cake! Nice to use up what I have left before we move. I used whole wheat pastry flour and sliced almonds instead of the walnuts. Mostly I used mixed raisins, but I finished up with some currants, and I used a gala apple. Boiling the fruit in the liquid really plumps the fruit up. Not a heavy coffee taste at all. Very moist and tasty. The only issue I had was that it was a little oily. I think next time I'll use less shortening. Thanks, Paula, for a great recipe using pantry staples.
     
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Tweaks

  1. I used 1/4 cup vegetable oil in place of shorting after reading other reviews that the cake was too oily. Instead of 1 tsp. allspice I use 1 tsp. ground ginger. You can also use 1 cup wheat flour with 1 cup flour. I make this all the time. My husband loves this cake!
     
  2. Loved it! Super cheap way to keep the household happy. I used dates instead of raisins, omitted the nuts because I didnt have any, and substituted wholemeal flour. It made a dense, sticky, moist cake which was very much enjoyed with a cup of tea. Thanks!
     
  3. Even though a 'spice' cake such as this is not one of my favorites, this was good. I cut the sugar down to 1 1/4 cups and the shortening (veggie oil) down to about 3 oz. due to the previous review. I also used a mix of currants and saltanas. I had no allspice so used mixed spice instead. Definitely a moist cake. Served it to my MIL who stopped by for tea...she ate two pieces of it! Thanks Paula. :)
     
  4. Definitely a moist cake! Nice to use up what I have left before we move. I used whole wheat pastry flour and sliced almonds instead of the walnuts. Mostly I used mixed raisins, but I finished up with some currants, and I used a gala apple. Boiling the fruit in the liquid really plumps the fruit up. Not a heavy coffee taste at all. Very moist and tasty. The only issue I had was that it was a little oily. I think next time I'll use less shortening. Thanks, Paula, for a great recipe using pantry staples.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I came to this site in March of 2004. It was then called Recipezaar. This site was the first on-line site that I ever joined. I first popped in 2003 while searching for a Peach Cobbler Recipe. In March of 2004, DH was having shoulder surgery and I was looking for a Split Pea Soup. Once again I found myself on Zaar as it came to be called. Over the years I hung out and learned from some of the best home cooks in the country, I posted over 700 recipes on the site, reviewed over 3500 recipes and posted over 3000 food photos. Over the next 10 years the site made many changes and in 2010 it was sold to to Food Network and became Food.com. Until last year we played games, talked and shared with one another. As a result of the community and the relationships I built I got to meet some wonderful people from all over the country. I also have a great number of friends that I have never meet face to face. Some of us still hang out at various places across the net. Zaar was more than a cooking community. It was an internet community of friendship. Life is an adventure ever changing.
 
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