Reviewed: Apr. 19, 2011

This cake is wicked good! It's a perfect consistency, moist, and delicious. I made a few substitutions to use what I had on hand. After all, I figured that "making do" was half the point of the recipe. I used dried cherries instead of raisins, and was out of cloves, so I used allspice instead. I also added 1/2 tsp. ground ginger. I let the boiled mixture cool a while, but it was still rather warm when I mixed it with the dry ingredients. It actually foamed a little. I have no idea if it was supposed to, since I know very little about baking. The batter was very thick, almost like bread dough. My oven runs a little hot, so I checked it after 20 minutes, and it was done already. The cake was quite moist so I wonder if some folks cooked it too long. Thanks so much for this easy and delicious recipe!

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Reviewer:

Kaosangre

Reviewed: Jan. 4, 2011

I REMEMBER MY MOM MAKING THIS WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL. I LOST THE RECIPE OVER THE YEARS AND COULDN'T FIND IT SINCE MY MOM PASSED ON. IT WAS SO NICE FINDING IT AGAIN. MY MOTHER GREW UP THROUGH THE DEPRSSION SO THIS WAS SOMETHING THEY COULD AFFORD TO MAKE THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THIS ON THE WEB!!!!!!!

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Reviewer:

GLYENDA_THOMAS

Reviewed: Nov. 6, 2010

This recipe is fantastic. I can not say enough about the memories this brought back to me. My grandmother used to make this cake every single week for my grandfather. Both of them are gone now and I haven't had a slice of this cake in over 10 years. Thank you for posting this. The reason I gave it only 4 stars is because I think it was more moist when Nanny made it. Now, I cant add coffee the way everyone else is because it would change the taste and the taste is perfect (though I might try it just to be sure). Thank you so much.

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Reviewer:

Lyssiana

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Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Reviewed: Aug. 22, 2010

I have hunted this recipe for a long time. Mom used to make it only difference is she also added hickory nuts to hers

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Reviewer:

RichE

Reviewed: Oct. 25, 2009

I was looking for a recipe that reminded me of an old family Christmas loaf my folks made for years. While my Mom baked endless cookies for our large family, this was her reward at the end of a long season, a piece of pork cake. Her recipe called for one pound of ground pork fat, so I've been looking for something a little "less threatening" to one's nutritional body. While it was indeed the best thing around, this recipe is similar minus a few ingredients. It was good, a bit too crumbly but I like the use of shortening over the pork fat. I'll play with it a bit. Also perhaps adding spices when you heat on stove might bring out the flavor a bit more, as I like the spice intensity of old bread. I also put in two 9 x 5 pans. I'll add molasses as that was in old recipe and see if that will add a bit more moisture to it.

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Reviewer:

wi_swissmiss

Reviewed: Dec. 11, 2007

Don't know what happened to Grandma's recipe so I tried this one. Although I did add 3/4 cup of coffee (Dunkin Donuts Decaf) because I do remember that from my Grandm (she used instant coffee). It was excellent. The whole house smelled of cloves and I couldn't wait to eat a piece. It was so moist. I was also a little skeptcal because all I had was a glass pyrex dish to bake but it turned out wonderful. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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Reviewer:

Suz

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Sep. 30, 2007

This recipe was delicious.I made one addition that i always do when making a gingerbread or molasses type cake and that was to add around 3/4 to 1 cup of coffee to the batter to make it a little more loose.This made a great moist cake.

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Reviewer:

sally

Reviewed: Aug. 4, 2007

I have made other variations of Poor Mans Cake- this one turned out rather dry - Neither my housband or I were happy with it.If your're looking for a recipe for this cake try one of the others.

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Reviewer:

JUSTPEECHEEE

Reviewed: Mar. 18, 2006

This is delicious! It brought back memories for us. We always had Poor Mans Cake with Cream Cheese Icing when I was little. It is still my Dad's favorite. I was so happy to find the recipe. Thank you!

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Reviewer:

Melanie B.

Reviewed: May 3, 2000

This cake is good, its taste is a lot like gingerbread, with all the spices. It is nice and moist. I added a cup of pecans, which might mean you would call it Poor Man,who owns a pecan tree,CakeIII. I love pecans in everything, and it really made this cake great! Try it with a good cup of coffee...

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21 users found this review helpful