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Gram's Poor Man's Cake (Eggless & Milkless)
 
recipe image
Prep Time: 120 Minutes
Cook Time: 60 Minutes
Ready In: 180 Minutes
Servings: 6
From an old cookbook that belonged to Gram. It had section in it called Depression Era Cooking!
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup cold black coffee
1/2 cup shortening
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (your choice) or 1 teaspoon brandy extract (your choice) or 1 teaspoon cherry extract (your choice)
raisins or currants or pineapple or cherries or nuts or candied peel or cranberries or diced apple
Directions:
1. Bring to a boil the fruit, nuts, extract, salt, sugar, shortening and coffee.
2. Continue to cook until raisins swell and liquid becomes syrupy; cool completely.
3. Stir together the flour, baking soda and baking powder.
4. Add to fruit mixture and combine thoroughly.
5. 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.
6. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
7. At this point I soak a clean piece of cheesecloth in liquor; brandy, rum, even wine.
8. Wrap the cake with the cloth and in foil-store in COLD place-check often, resoak as needed.
9. There are no exact measurements for the fruit in this recipe-the original recipe stated fruits, nuts & peels-whatever you have on hand .
10. This was done because it was wartime and things for fancy baking were not always available.
By RecipeOfHealth.com