Eat Like The Great Gatsby—Declare Victory with War Cake!

You’ve experienced a toilet paper shortage in your lifetime!  Imagine butter, white sugar, milk, and eggs being scarce or even unavailable.  Mrs. Williams’ war cake recipe lets a baker do the impossible: cooking up something sweet despite World War II rationing with the art of substitution. 

I’ve modified her recipe slightly to add missing information.

To make this recipe, you’ll need:

- 2 cups of brown sugar*
- 2 cups of hot water*
- 2 tablespoons of lard*
- ½ cup of raisins cut once*
- 1 teaspoon of salt*
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon*
- 1 teaspoon of cloves*
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 3 cups of flour
 
1. Boil all the ingredients on the list marked with an * for 5 minutes until the mixture begins to bubble. 

2. When the mixture is cold, add 1 teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in 1 inch of hot water and 3 cups of flour to it. 
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3. Bake in two loaves in greased bread pans for 45 minutes in a slow oven (325°F).