Make Mildred Pitcher's Moist War Cake

My maternal grandmother, Mildred Pitcher, used to bake the most amazing and delicious dark cake with raisins. She called it War Cake and used to make it for my birthday many times. She was an awesome baker and usually baked everything without looking at a recipe. I was fortunate enough one day to ask her for the recipe and she wrote it down for me so I decided to share it with you.

During World War II, when she was a young housewife, my grandmother made this often for her husband and four children. During the war, food was rationed. This meant that luxuries, like eggs, milk, and butter were in short supply so new recipes had to be created to please everyone. That is why this cake is called War Cake.

Grease and flour a 13"x9" pan. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Boil two cups of raisins in 4 cups of water for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Add 1 cup of white sugar to the raisin mixture and stir in.

In a large bowl, sift together:

3 cups white flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

a dash of nutmeg (about 1/8 teaspoon)

Add the cooled raisin mixture to the dry ingredients, along with 3 tablespoons of oil.

Mix the batter well and pour into the greased and floured pan.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on your oven. Do not overbake. This cake should be moist and delicious.

Back in the War days, they would eat this cake plain or dusted with powdered sugar if it was available.

When I was a little girl, Gran would frost it with homemade cream cheese frosting and it was so incredibly delicious, so I will give you the recipe for the cream cheese frosting.

Here is the recipe that my grandmother, Mildred Pitcher, used to make and put on her War Cake.

You will need:

3 ounce package of cream cheese, softened

5 ounces butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

a dash of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon salt)

3 cups sifted confectioners sugar

Cream together the softened cream cheese, butter, vanilla and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners sugar one cup at a time while mixing the frosting. Once all of the sugar is in the bowl, beat on high until fluffy and spread on the cooled War Cake.

This cake is wonderful for any occasion, fancy enough for a dinner party, yummy enough for a birthday or a wedding reception or shower. My grandmother never baked anything that was not delicious!