Grandmas Poor Mans Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
• In a saucepan mix brown sugar, raisins, water and shortening. Bring to a boil and boil 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. When raisin mixture is cool, add to dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 or 40 minutes. Do not over bake or it will be too dry. Test after 30 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of cake should come out clean.

Steps:

• Bring to a boil the fruit, nuts, extract, salt, sugar, shortening and coffee.
• Continue to cook until raisins swell and liquid becomes syrupy; cool completely.
• Stir together the flour, baking soda and baking powder.
• Add to fruit mixture and combine thoroughly.
• Pour into a greased 10-inch tube pan and bake at 325° about an hour (if heavy with fruit). Check with tester to be sure cake is done.
• Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
• At this point I soak a clean piece of cheesecloth in liquor; brandy, rum, even wine.
• Wrap the cake with the cloth and in foil--store in COLD place--check often, resoak as needed.
• There are no exact measurements for the fruit in this recipe--the original recipe stated "fruits, nuts & peels-whatever you have on hand".
• This was done because it was wartime and things for fancy baking were not always available.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. Grease and flour an 8 x8 square cake pan(s). For layer cakes, double the recipe, and line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. Then grease and flour it.
• 3. Sift the flour sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together.
• 4. Next, add the oil, water, and vinegar.
• 5. Mix together well with either an electric hand mixer (beaters) or a standing mixer, stopping occasionally to scrape the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be thin.
• 6. Add the vanilla, and mix well until it is all incorporated into the batter.
• 7. Pour the batter into the greased and floured pan(s). Tapping the pans lightly to release the air bubbles.
• 8. Bake until done, about 40-45 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. If leaving it in the pan to frost, cool the cake completely. For layer cakes, cool completely, then turn out the layers onto a rack to drizzle icing over it.
• 9. When cake has completely cooled, ice with the Poor Man's Cake Icing.
• 10. For the icing, mix the sugar, milk, shortening, and cocoa powder together in a small saucepan.
• 11. Heat over low heat to incorporate the ingredients, and melt the shortening.
• 12. Once the shortening starts melting, use a spatula or a small whisk and constantly stir to avoid burning, until the mixture is liquid and all the ingredients are incorporated.
• 13. When the edges of the saucepan start to bubble slightly, take the saucepan off the heat to a cool burner, and then add the vanilla. Mix together quickly, making sure the vanilla is evenly distributed. Icing will be thing and liquid.
• 14. Pour the icing onto the cake in the pan to cover cake completely. Let icing cool, completely, and it will set. Then cut and serve. This cake goes well with vanilla ice cream.
• 15. If frosting layers, dab a small amount of shortening on the cake rack so the cake will eventually slide off onto a platter. Place the cake rack over a jelly roll pan to catch the extra frosting. Cut off the top of the bottom layer if it domed slightly during baking, so that it is flat and even.
• 16. Pour a small amount of icing sparingly onto the middle of the bottom layer first and using a knife, spread it evenly. Let it set for about 1 minute, then place the top layer on.
• 17. Pour the rest of the icing over the top of the cake, using a knife to spread down the sides. Excess frosting will drip through the rack or jelly roll pan. Transfer cake immediately from the rack to a platter by sliding it carefully. Let frosting cool and set before slicing and serving.

Steps:

• In a saucepan melt butter or margarine; stir in brown sugar.
• Add water and vanilla.
• Bring to a boil.
• Meanwhile, make the dough.
• Cream butter or margarine; add sugar.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
• Add to butter mixture alternately with milk.
• Pour syrup into a 9 X 13 baking dish.
• Drop dough by teaspoons over syrup.
• Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Steps:

• 1. In a large sauce pan boil 1 cup water, add first 6 ingredients, boil together until luke warm, stir. Remove from burner
• 2. In large mixing bowl add all dry ingredients, mix together with fork. Sift into the sauce pan. Mix well.
• 3. Grease or spray a 9x9 baking dish. Pour mixture in dish, and spread evenly.
• 4. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Watch it towards end so it doesn't get too dark. Enjoy! (You might be able to make this gluten free by using a gluten free flour, haven't tried it, but it might work.)