Canadian War Cake



           The Canadian War Cake.  It is Thanksgiving and I was looking threw recipes to Blog on and found this 3X5 card of my Grandmother's cake.  When I mentioned that I have not had that cake in like a hundred years, I was told it was because only my

Grandmother and I liked it.  After deciding to make it, I had second thoughts.  Why make it if I'm the only one who likes it.  All my life it was just "War Cake", I didn't even know it was called a Canadian War Cake until I saw the title on the 3X5 card. 

          A couple days went by my Mother and I discussed what we were cooking, the plan was to make a Lain Cake.  The Lain Cake was another cake that was taken to Christmas dinner long time ago.  OK the War Cake is more for a Christmas thing, or the Lain Cake, then a couple days ago Mom said it's going to be War Cake for Thanksgiving.  With that decided, maybe I should look up Canadian War Cake on the Internet.

 

           Did you look it up on the Internet?  No I didn't.  We just will go by the recipe.  Mistake!  My Grandmother is despicable.  I have other family members who say I'm giving away all the family secrets.  I would keep them private, those are the family's, you're not supposed to tell everyone in the world.  I tell them you are just like Grandma, she would never give the right recipe.  She would leave something out to mess you up.  Well she did it to us here, with this recipe too.  It is like she came back from the grave, just to laugh at us, trying to cook her favorite cake. 

           We are lucky, because she didn't mess us up to bad.  She even gave me this great family story to tell y'all, while we cook it.  For one thing, there are times when I think she was just mean.  My Mother tells the story that she loved coconut cake and would always ask her mom to make her one.  My father's mother, made coconut cakes but it was not the same.  Her mother made the best coconut cake ever made.  At least in her eyes, yet she goes to her Mothers house one day.  Her Mom says; I made you a Coconut Cake.  So where is it?  O, I let Jerry and Yvonne, take it home with them, they were here yesterday for a visit.  She never did get it. 

           May she rest in peace, because even Yvonne tells a story that my Grandmother made her an apple pie, and she sat and ate it all her self.  She never missed going to Church, right up till she died.  Yet she would talk about so, and so, who wore a red dress to Church, or some other gossip.  Her house is the memory I have of Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  As the years went by and less, and less showed up.  That house and the family are my

Hallmark Christmas Card memory.  My Father, being in the Air Force, coming home for Christmas was just that.



           The whole thing about the War Cake is that food was rationed.  Ingredients which include butter, milk, and eggs, were expensive, or hard to come by.  You can't tell, but that is 1/2 a stick of margarine, or 4 tablespoons.  When I looked it up on the Internet they used a whole stick.  We are sticking to the card.  To our pan we will add 2 cups of water and 2 cups of brown sugar.  Getting out our measuring spoons we need 1 teaspoon each of nutmeg, all spice, and cinnamon.  You can see in our picture we have apple pie spice instead.  It has the nutmeg in it.

 

          To this we are going to add 2 cups of raisins, one box is what the recipe calls for.  Our container is 4 cups so it would be 1/2 that.  Now when I looked this up on the Internet, I found Depression Cake, and Boiled Raisin Cake.  I found some saying it came from WWII, and the Great Depression.  What I didn't realize is it was WWI.  The more I read, it goes back to the America Civil War.



 

         We bring this up to a boil, just let it boil for a good 5 minutes before turning off to cool.  While this is cooling get out your mixer, baking soda, and flour.  Once again on the Internet they used self-rising flour, we are using all purpose flour.  Most of the time we will use all purpose flour, unless specified.  As this is cooling it will form sugar crystals on the side of the pot.  Keep stirring periodically with a wooden spoon until cooled.





        The all purpose flour needs the baking soda the self-rising doesn't, that is the difference.  In the back ground of this picture we have our baking pans for the cake.  We are going to mix 3 cups of flour and 3 teaspoons of baking powder into our raisins.  Then pour equal parts into the two pans.

 

            Our recipe call for cooking in a pre-heated oven at 300 degrees for 40 minutes.  On the Internet I was surprised that they said 375, for 20-30 minutes.  Most of the time you cook on 350 degrees.  I think with the raisins in the mixture, I like the 300 degrees as the way to go.  Also, I saw a lot of recipes with out the frosting, which would make a great coffee cake.  To me the frosting is the best part.  So, while that is in the oven, go take a break while I chop some nuts.



           Here we have Pecans and Walnuts.  2 cups, a cup of each chopped up fine.  Now here is where things get tricky.  We need 2 cups of brown sugar and 1 cup of white sugar.  Take 2 sticks of margarine, and 3/4 cup of sweet milk.  Back then they called whole milk sweet milk, and then you had butter milk.  We are going to use 3/4 cup of evaporated milk from the can.  Today's milk just isn't the same.

         The  Pecans we are going to set to the side and get out our pot for cooking on top of the stove.  Our sugar, milk, and butter, we will bring to a boil.  We will also have a bowl of cold water.  The mixture will continue to boil for 12 minutes or so.  As you stir let a drip fall into the cold water.  When the frosting drip you drop into water is a small ball, it is ready.  Then turn off burner and let cool.



           This is the part where Grandmother is laughing at us looking down from heave, Ha, Ha, Grandma.  I am showing a lot of pictures on this cake, so we get it right.  But Grandma wrote and I quote, " but in vanilla beat a little, and spread".  The frosting needs to cool completely and thicken.  Add about 1/2 of your chopped nuts and stir in as it cools.  Keep stirring as it thickens.



           While our frosting is cooling, let's get the cake out of the oven.  When the cake comes out will let it cool on our wire racks.  We want the cake completely cool before putting on the frosting.  

  

           As you can see in the next photo, this frosting has not set up enough.  This is where Grandma got us.



          And here after we put the frosting on the cake, we take it back off and put it into the pot and stirred until it thickens.  This is what it should look like.



           As I end this story and I'm sure you got a laugh.  Mom and I are laughing too.  Because not only have we made Grandma's favorite cake for the first time, and shared it with you.  With all the mistakes it is delicious, we had fun, and we will remember it forever.

 

 

          I took the first picture of the cake to post in the Blog and when I got back, my piece of cake was gone.  Have a great Thanksgiving, as always share with your friends and click on the ads.  We thank-you very much.  Cooking is fun.

           Now to re-cap;

     

            2 cups Brown Sugar

            2 cups Hot Water

            4 Tablespoon Butter (Margarine)

            1 teaspoon each; Nutmeg (Apple Pie Spice)

                                        All Spice

                                        Cinnamon

            2 cups Raisins

            3 teaspoons Baking Soda

            3 cups Flour

       Frosting;

            2 cups Brown Sugar

            1 cup White Sugar

            2 sticks Butter (Margarine)

            3/4 cup Evaporated Milk

            1 teaspoon Vanilla 

                  1 cup Pecans

            1 cup Walnuts