I had to makeWorld War 2 Cakefor my school homework, so I chose to bake this easy, so called “boiled cake” that was popular during the war, when milk, butter, egg and sugar were rationed. Instead of these ingredients they had to bake cakes with water, oil/margarine, dried fruits and nuts (if available). So this basic recipe for a typical war cake is vegan – dairy-free & egg free – and can be nut-free too if you leave out the walnuts .

You’ll need :

• 1 ½ cups of flour
• ½ tsp baking soda  ( bicarbonate of soda)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½  cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup raisins
• ½ tsp of grand cloves
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ a cup of walnuts (optional)

This is how to make the cake:

1. Sift the flour, baking powder and soda into a bowl. Put the rest of the ingredients in a pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn of the heat and let it cool. Add the mixture to the flour and fold in the nuts if used.
2. Oil a 20 x 20 cm baking tin and add the batter. Bake in a preheated oven, at 180°C, for 25 minutes. Check with a skewer if it’s cooked through (push it in the middle – if it comes out clean it’s ready)
3. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire-rack. Let it cool completely, before slicing it into squares.

Tips

• You can make an icing glaze and pour over the warm cake or dust it with icing sugar just before serving.
• This is cake is best eaten fresh because it turns hard very quickly.