Depression dining, Part 5: Poverty cake

Frugal yet flamboyant

I used to make key lime tarts and croissants on a daily basis when I worked as a pastry chef in DC. And now here I stand in my kitchen using easily available pantry staples to make “poverty cake”. Yikes, my master French chefs would be disappointed in me. Or would they not?

After I took my first bite, I think not. In fact, some of them come from the days of the Great Depression and might even be proud, as my flamboyant cooking has an added ingredient: frugality. I’m not asking for a Michelin Star here, I am just asking that you try this Depression dessert.

Now, this cake is no flambé where people “ooh and ahh” over the flaming display. But the dessert does make an outward show upon exit from the oven with smells of cinnamon and cloves emanating through the air.

And Mary Rigsby’s family sure thought so too. Her mama invented this recipe during the Depression to cheer her children when breadlines were aplenty but sugar and eggs were scarce. Mary had this recipe published in one of my favorite cookbooks, “The Secret to Tender Pie” and has continued making the dessert for her family all these years.

Back in the ‘20s cholesterol was not as much of a concern as during today’s obesity epidemic, so I have adapted Mary’s recipe. Instead of using lard, I have substituted Crisco, with the blue label that stands for vegetable shortening. And, even more pleasing, no cholesterol from eggs or dairy is in this one pot stovetop creation. No mixers or sifters required either.

So instead of eating cold leftover rice sprinkled with sugar, like many families did back then for dessert, I will share a cake recipe that even a spendthrift will find sweet. How much did this moist cake cost me to make? Three thrifty dollars!

Poverty Cake:
1-cup water
1-cup brown sugar
2 cups raisins
1/3 cup lard (I prefer Crisco)
¼ tsp cloves
½ tsp salt
1-tsp cinnamon
1-tsp nutmeg
2-½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1-cup water
1-tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Mix water, brown sugar, raisins, Crisco, cloves, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium saucepan and boil for three minutes. Remove from heat.
When the mixture is cool, stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda in water, and vanilla.
Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan and pour the batter into it. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes.