Old time recipes . . . .

Well, Krautrock got me hungry this morning with his posts, especially the Black Forest Cake!! Yum!!

I love cake and the easier I can make it, the better.

My mother and grandmother used these two recipes all the time and passed them down to me. They are both from the depression era, I believe.

Poor Man's Cake

1 cup sugar

1 cup raisins

1 cup water

1/2 cup shortning

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

Cook the above ingredients for 1 minute on medium.

Add:

2 cups flour

1 tsp soda

1 tsp baking powder

Bake in a greased and floured pan for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

 Mayonnaise Cake

2 cups flour

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup water

2 tsp soda

1 cup sugar

6-8 TBL cocoa

pinch of salt

Bake 35-40 minutes in a well greased and floured pan.

Both of these cakes are super easy to make, moist and have wonderful flavor!! I, myself, have always added 2 tsp of Pumpin Pie Spice to the Poor Man's Cake and always use the higher amount of cocoa in the Mayonnaise Cake. I like things that are spicy and things that have a rich, chocolate flavor!!! As with any cake, test with a toothpick to be sure it is done.

The Poor Man's Cake is wonderful with a Caramel Cream Frosting and of course, the Mayonnaise Cake is scrumptious with a Fudge Frosting and vanilla ice cream!

So, make some yummies today!!

(and did you know that if you are making a boxed mix, adding 1-2 TBL of mayonnaise will really moisten the cake??)