Birthday Cakes

I have the funniest story to share.  My wonderful husband has a January birthday.  His favorite cake in the whole world it the Wartime Cake.  This is a cake I learned to bake when I was a kid at home.  My Dad had a real sweet tooth and he loved when I baked.   He would always say, "Now that was pretty tasty, but I think you need a little more practice."   He said the same thing about my yeast rolls and cinnamon rolls.  I loved to bake!

So anyway, I always made Richard's favorite cake for his birthday.   One year, feeling neglected or something, I complained that he NEVER bakes me a cake on my birthday.  Can you hear the whine?  I'm not sure he even knew what my favorite cake was.  When he ask what cake I wanted for my birthday, I could see a hint of panic in his eyes.  He thought he could get off with something easy, but noooo, my favorite cake of all time is a Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing! 

Not long after sharing this information with him, he ran into his sister and told her about his dilemma.  She said she would gladly bake a carrot cake for him to give me.  It really must have bothered him, this whole idea of having to bake a carrot cake.  So when he ran into my sister a few weeks later, he mentioned to her that he was going to have to bake me a carrot cake, she too could see doubt and panic in his eyes and said she'd gladly bake a carrot cake for him to give me.  

My birthday was fast approaching now and he is still worried about this cake.  Trisha calls her Dad to see if anything is planned for my birthday and he tells her he has to bake a carrot cake and doesn't know how.  She takes pity and says she would happily bring a carrot cake down when they come to visit.

Suddenly, my birthday is here!  Richard brings me my coffee that morning and wishes me Happy Birthday and says he is sorry, he just doesn't know how to bake my favorite cake.  Later that day, my sister arrives, she has the carrot cake she promised back in February.  Then Richard's sister arrives with the carrot cake he'd ask her to bake back in January.  Then Trisha and her family come with a carrot cake for my birthday too! 

Richard had totally forgotten that he'd ask everyone to bake these cakes.  We found that carrot cake freezes nicely.  I celebrated this birthday for months to come!  It is still one of the big family jokes when my birthday rolls around!  And yes, Trisha brought carrot cake down yesterday, when they came to celebrate my birthday. 

Thought I'd share the Wartime Cake recipe with you.   I found this in a very old pamphlet cookbook that was printed during WW II.   It is eggless, butterless and milkless...... all of these items were rationed during the war. 

                                                 Wartime Cake
                     1 cup of raisins                                1 tsp. cinnamon
                     1 cup packed brown sugar              1 tsp. nutmeg
                     1 cup warm water                           1 tsp. cloves
                     1/2 cup shortening
                  combine above ingredients, heat until boiling and simmer 2 minutes
                  Cool one hour

                     2 cups of sifted all-purpose flour
                     1 tsp. soda
                     1/2 tsp. salt
                     1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
                    resift flour with soda and salt.  Stir into raisin mixture, add walnuts if desired.

                  Turn into a greased 9inch square pan and bake in a slow oven.  (300*F) for
                   50 to 60 minutes, or until cake tested done.   Cool and sprinkle with powered sugar.