I have a scrapbook of Depression era stories, clippings, pictures, etc. I am the 8th child of 12, my parents were married 66 years. Ours was and still is a loving family. Here is Mama’s recipe for Depression era eggless cake:
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup uncooked raisins
Method: Make a batter with above ingredients, pour mixture in an 8 x 8 oiled pan. In a saucepan combine these ingredients; 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, 2 cups of boiling water. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves, then add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour this hot mixture over the cake mixture and bake 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Serve warm.
This cake was served often in our home – Mom would often make one cake for dinner and another one for supper. During World War II days syrup or sorghum was substituted in place of rationed sugar. Still was good.
My mama left her dog-eared, yellowed recipes, collected in an old shoe box tucked away down in the kitchen cabinets, a legacy to her “Memory Hungry” grown children. Of course this recipe was tripled during her cooking days, so I have tried to cut it down to 1992 times.
Mary Lu Beemer Schofield
Lenox, Iowa
Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.