War Cake -- Culinary Rationing as Patriotic Duty

We've been studying World War Two and the sacrifices made by all Americans so that the boys across the sea could have what they needed to prevail.  Ration books have intrigued us so we excited to discuss them with our cousins recently.  They explained how families would trade ration stamps so they could get what they needed to survive.  It was most interesting hearing how excited my great-grandfather was when he was up for new tires.  He drove quite a few miles when it was time to get the new rubber.

As part of our hands-on learning, the kids mixed up a War Cake today.  This recipe was developed to use what was on-hand or easily obtainable.  There are no eggs and no white sugar required.  No milk or butter either.  Hmmm . . . Weird, huh?  

We even had to tweak the recipe a bit more since we had no raisins or nutmeg at home.  We decided this gave us an even more authentic recipe as I imagine there were lots if times that basic staples were hard to find.

Can you imagine waking up to this for your birthday celebration? 

After baking for almost an hour, the War Cake has our house smelling yummy.  A very compact cake, Boy Scout said it looks like Bean Dip.  Not terribly sweet, we agreed the raisins would have enhanced the flavor and added some moisture, but we like it.  It's easy to see (and taste) how much of a treat the cake would be in the midst of sacrifice.  And I think a dollop of whipped cream would be delightfully special, too.  

Pin It Now!