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    Home » Recipes » Cake Recipes

    Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com · 2 Comments

    Old Fashioned Raisin Cake

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    Pin image with text of a slice of raisin cake on a glass plate.

    Spiced old-fashioned raisin cake is a delicious vintage dessert that features juicy boiled raisins and a simple brown sugar frosting! It makes a wonderfully tasty dessert during the fall due to the blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, but is equally enjoyable year-round!

    Vintage Boiled Raisin Cake Recipe

    This old-fashioned boiled raisin cake is a vintage recipe that has been around forever. It consists of a delightfully moist spiced cake that is chock full of sweet boiled raisins, and in this case, coated with a simple brown sugar frosting (though it is still tasty without it)!

    Also known as the 'poor man's cake' due to the lack of butter, milk, and eggs, this cake was born of necessity during the depression era. If you are fortunate to have any family that was around in the 1930s-1940s, it will surely bring back fond memories!

    Square image of a slice of raisin cake on a glass plate.
    A moist spiced cake made with raisins that are boiled until plump and juicy!
    Jump to:
    • Vintage Boiled Raisin Cake Recipe
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
    • 💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
    • 🍰 More Tasty 9x13 Cakes!
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🥘 Ingredients

    There aren't too many ingredients in this cake. If you bake frequently, you likely have most of these ingredients in your fridge or pantry!

    Old Fashioned Raisin Cake Ingredients

    Overhead photo showing ingredients needed for the raisin cake.
    • 1 ½ cups Raisins - This cake is traditionally made with purple raisins but gold would also work.
    • 1 ½ cups Water - Divided into 2 portions, 1 cup hot water and ½ cup cold water.
    • ¼ cup Shortening - Shortening is ideal but you could try a shortening substitute if need be.
    • 1 cup Sugar - Granulated white sugar.
    • Warm Baking Spices - ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, and ½ tsp ground allspice.
    • ½ teaspoon Salt - Just a bit of salt to make all of the flavors 'pop'.
    • 2 teaspoons Baking Soda - Dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water before adding to the batter.
    • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour - You could use cake flour or bread flour in a pinch, but it will change the consistency a bit.

    Brown Sugar Frosting Ingredients (optional)

    Overhead photo showing ingredients needed for the brown sugar frosting.
    • 1 ½ cups Light Brown Sugar - Dark brown sugar has a more potent molasses taste, so light brown is preferred.
    • ¼ cup Butter - Salted.
    • 3 tablespoons Milk - I prefer whole milk, but you could use 2% or skim milk if that's all you have.
    • 2 cups Confectioners' Sugar - Also referred to as powdered sugar.

    *Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*

    🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions

    The brown sugar frosting may be optional, but I highly recommend it! You will need a 9x13 cake pan, a saucepan, a mixing bowl, and a rubber spatula.

    Making The Old Fashioned Raisin Cake

    1. Prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly butter, grease, or spray your 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
    2. Boil raisins. Place 1 cup of hot water and 1 ½ cups of raisins into a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
    3. Cream. Cream together ¼ cup shortening and 1 cup sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Then, stir in the cooked raisins with the water they were boiled in. Then, mix in ½ a cup of cold water, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons of baking soda.
    4. Bake. Add 2 cups of all-purpose flour and mix until smooth. Transfer the batter into your prepared 9x13 pan. Bake in the center of your oven's middle rack at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
    5. Cool. Serve as-is, or allow the cake to cool before making the optional frosting.

    Making The Brown Sugar Frosting (Optional)

    1. Cook sugar mixture. In a medium saucepan combine 1 ½ cups of light brown sugar, ¼ cup of butter, and 3 tablespoons of milk. Cook over medium heat until the brown sugar has fully dissolved, whisking frequently as it cooks. Then remove it from heat and set it aside so it can cool completely.
    2. Mix. Once the sugar mixture is cooled, transfer it into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and mix in 2 cups of confectioners' sugar. Add milk in small 1 tablespoon portions, if desired, to thin out the frosting.
    3. Frost and serve. Spread the brown sugar frosting over your old fashioned raisin cake using an offset spatula, cut, and serve.

    Enjoy a slice of old-fashioned raisin cake with a cup of coffee or tea, or eat it as an after-dinner dessert! Without the frosting, it's delicious at breakfast time. Enjoy!

    💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes

    • ¼ cup of butter is 4 tablespoons or ½ the standard stick of butter (in the states).
    • This cake has many names. It is also commonly called poor man's cake, depression era cake, or war cake.
    • Storing: This cake is best when stored at room temperature and enjoyed within the first 1-3 days. Without the frosting, the cake can be wrapped tightly in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil, and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
    Tall image of a slice of raisin cake on a glass plate.

    🍰 More Tasty 9x13 Cakes!

    • Mandarin Orange Cake
    • Cherry Blueberry Dump Cake
    • Chocolate Banana Cake
    • Irish Oatmeal Cake
    • Banana Pudding Poke Cake
    • Vanilla Tray Bake

    Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
    Stay in touch with me through social media @ Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! Subscribe to the newsletter today (no spam, I promise)! Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!

    📋 Recipe

    Close up square image of old fashioned raisin cake.
    Print Recipe Leave A Comment
    Love This Recipe?Click On A Star To Rate It!
    4.90 from 29 reviews

    Old Fashioned Raisin Cake (Vintage Boiled Cake Recipe)

    Spiced old-fashioned raisin cake is a delicious vintage dessert that features juicy boiled raisins and a simple brown sugar frosting! It makes a wonderfully tasty dessert during the fall due to the blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, but is equally enjoyable year-round!
    Author | Angela
    Servings: 16 servings
    Calories: 338kcal
    Prep 10 minutes minutes
    Cooking 40 minutes minutes
    Cooling Time 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
    Pin Recipe Share on Facebook

    Ingredients
     

    Old Fashioned Raisin Cake

    • 1 ½ cups raisins
    • 1 ½ cups water (2 portions - 1 cup hot water, ½ cup cold water)
    • ¼ cup shortening
    • 1 cup sugar
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoon baking soda (dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water)
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour

    Brown Sugar Frosting (optional)

    • 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
    • ¼ cup butter (salted)
    • 3 tablespoon milk
    • 2 cups confectioners' sugar
    Help Us Out!If you love a recipe, be sure to come back and share your ratings. This helps future users, and allows me to continue sharing free recipes! Angela

    Instructions

    Old Fashioned Raisin Cake

    • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly butter, grease, or spray your 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
    • Bring a saucepan with the first 1 cup hot water and 1 ½ cups raisins to a boil then reduce heat and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Remove from heat when done.
      1 ½ cups raisins, 1 ½ cups water
    • In a large mixing bowl cream together the shortening and granulated sugar until smooth. Stir in the cooked raisins (with the water) then add the ½ cup cold water and warm baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice), salt, and the dissolved baking soda.
      1 ½ cups water, ¼ cup shortening, 1 cup sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon baking soda
    • Add the all-purpose flour and mix until smooth, then transfer into your prepared 9x13 pan. Bake in the center of your oven's middle rack at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
      2 cups all-purpose flour
    • Allow the cake to cool before mixing the (optional) frosting.

    Brown Sugar Frosting

    • In a saucepan, combine the light brown sugar, butter, and milk and cook over medium heat until the brown sugar is fully dissolved. Whisk frequently while cooking, then remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
      1 ½ cups light brown sugar, ¼ cup butter, 3 tablespoon milk
    • Once the sugar mixture is cooled, transfer it into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and combine with confectioners' sugar. Add milk in small 1 tablespoon portions if desired to thin out the frosting.
      2 cups confectioners' sugar
    • Spread over your old fashioned raisin cake using an offset spatula, cut, and serve.

    Equipment You May Need

    Sauce Pan
    Mixing Bowl
    9x13 baking pan

    Notes

    Nutrition is calculated with the optional frosting.
    • ¼ cup butter is 4 tablespoons or ½ the standard stick of butter (in the states).
    • This cake is also commonly called poor man's cake, depression era cake, or war cake.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 338kcal (17%) | Carbohydrates: 71g (24%) | Protein: 2g (4%) | Fat: 6g (9%) | Saturated Fat: 3g (19%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg (3%) | Sodium: 245mg (11%) | Potassium: 163mg (5%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 47g (52%) | Vitamin A: 94IU (2%) | Vitamin C: 1mg (1%) | Calcium: 30mg (3%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
    Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can’t wait to see your results! Mention @bake_it_with_love or tag #bake_it_with_love!
    9x13 cakes, boiled raisin, Depression, Old Fashioned Raisin Cake, Poor Mans Cake, vintage recipe, War Cake
    Course 9x13 Cakes, cake, Dessert Recipes
    Cuisine American
    author profile photo
    Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com

    Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!

    bakeitwithlove.com/about/
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    Comments

    1. Amber says

      April 19, 2023 at 9:52 am

      3 stars
      Made exactly as directed and the cake came out salty. I would decrease the salt by half or omit it completely if I make again. Also, I guess I was supposed to cool raisin mixture completely? It doesn't say that in the recipe.

      Reply
      • Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says

        April 19, 2023 at 10:52 am

        I'm sorry you felt it was salty; I have never made one I would call salty.
        As for the raisins, I only set them aside while going through my steps to make the batter. I've never cooled them more than just a few minutes during the instructions. Thanks for sharing!

        Reply

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    Hi there, I'm Angela! I'm an avid vintage cookbook collector, recipe creator, animal lover, and total foodie. I love sharing new, fun, and creative recipes as well as great classic recipes, just like my Grandma used to make! Every recipe on BIWL is tested to make sure that cooks of any experience level can be successful. Enjoy!

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