Victory Walnut Cake From WWII
This recipe for Victory Walnut Cake from WWII came from my great-grandmother’s recipe stash, and likely came from The Cleveland Press or the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
It is from the holidays (likely late November or December, during the second world war in the 1940s (I don’t know the exact year).
The recipe threw me off a bit where it says 1 cup seedless walnut kernels. I understand that walnut kernels are simply shelled walnuts, but the seedless part had me confused until I saw that the next ingredient is seedless raisins, and realized that it was just a typo.
This cake from WWII is a great example of ration recipes of the time, since it uses shortening instead of butter, only 1/3 cup brown sugar, and only one egg.
The cake is moist and flavorful on its own, but with a bit of whipped cream cheese for breakfast? Divine.
PrintVictory Walnut Cake From WW2
This yummy “ration recipe” loaf from WWII is moist and yummy, with cinnamon and cloves
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 Hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 Slices, depending on thickness
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
Ingredients
1-1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 Cup Walnut Pieces
1 Cup Seedless Raisins (I used golden raisins)
1/4 Cup Vegetable Shortening
1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
1 Large Egg
1 Cup Thick Applesauce
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Toss the nuts and raisins in this mixture.
Using your electric mixer, cream the shortening and sugar, then add the egg and beat well.
On low speed, add in the flour mixture alternately with the applesauce.
Pour the mixture into a greased loaf pan (I sprayed mine with Baker’s Joy), and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool and cut into slices to serve.
Notes
You can dust the cake with confectioner’s sugar as I did, or leave it plain. It makes a lovely dessert or coffeecake for breakfast or brunch.
