Nov 29, 2010
VEGAN!! and VERY easy to make. Dirties only one pot, a spatula, and the baking pan. Didn't even have to use an egg beater or mixer. This must have been a WWII recipe when women were working long shifts and needed cake w/o much time consuming labor or rationed ingredients. What took the longest was waiting for the boiled spiced sugar syrup to cool down, but you can be preparing dinner during the half hour in the fridge it needs. This is the perfect day-before-payday-and-I-need-something-for-dessert-but-the-cupboard-is-bare recipe. Looking to see what I had available, I made it with no raisins, peanut oil instead of shortening, whole wheat pastry flour instead of white, used double-strenth black tea instead of water, and 1/2 teaspoon allspice and 1 teaspoon powdered ginger for the spices. (The tea helps the baking soda work, as it is a bit acid.) As others have said, it is moist, dense and delicious. I have to laugh when I see other reviewers using expensive and/ or non-vegan substitutions like butter, or serving it w/ ice cream. Kind of misses the point. If you can use that stuff pick another, richer cake recipe; it will taste better. However this is quite amazingly good given the limitations.
—Little Old Lady
