What’s That Good Smell?
I’ve been thinking about the good old days when I was a child and everything we ate was made from scratch by Mom or Grandma. I remember how wonderful it smelled to enter either of their homes and calling out, “What’s that good smell?” We didn’t have the option of a quick burger at McDonald’s or a Big Gulp from 7-Eleven, our treats were mostly fresh or bottled fruit, and delicious but still healthy cookies and cakes such as “Poor Man?s Cake”, which was moist and delicious and … healthy. It was called Poor Man’s Cake because it didn’t call for eggs or have frosting. I thought it was called that because everyone was poor. Since we had our own cow we sometimes topped it with sweet mounds of fresh whipped cream.
I used to cook like Mom did when our kids were young. Lynn and I rarely went out to eat and the only thing that we didn’t make from scratch was packages of flavored rice we could get 10 for $1.00. I loved to cook and bake then but after a few years of working full time I began finding the quickest means of throwing meals together. I tried for good nutrition but prepared foods crept into the house and gradually I got away from a lot of baking. Now that I am retired I am excited to go back to the good old days. I want my house to smell like a Grandma’s house should so when my children and grand kids come in the door they’ll call out, “What is that good smell?”
Poor Man’s Cake:
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups raisins
1 cup water
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
(Sometimes Mom would add chopped walnuts)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch pan.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In a saucepan, combine raisins and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cold water and 1/4 cup shortening.
5. In a 2nd large bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in raisin mixture until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Let cool (It is delicious warm or cold) Grandma used to pour a lemon sauce over it when it was warm. Mom would ad a dallop of fresh whipped cream.
Another recipe for this cake is similar but calls for brown sugar and allspice. This recipe claims it can be kept for weeks … in fact, it suggests you save it at least one week before you serve it.
Poor Man?s Cake #2:
Ingredients:
2 cups raisins
1 cup cold water
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Lightly grease one 9 x 13 inch pan.
3. Place cold water, brown sugar, raisins, shortening, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and let simmer for a full 6 minutes, then allow mixture to cool to lukewarm and set aside.
4. In a 2nd large mixing bowl, combine flour and soda. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the cooled mixture. Add vanilla, and blend into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 90 to 120 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool. Store for at least a week before cutting. This cake will remain moist for weeks.
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