Pantry Cakes

Time, money, energy - three things that always need to be kept in balance.  Not an easy thing to do at any stage of life.  Anything that helps to save on all three levels is a real treasure. 

When I was a young mom we had one car like most people did back then.  Mr. Bill was in sales and used that car all week - in fact, he was often traveling out of town.  It was a mile walk to the nearest store, which we enjoyed in good weather. But let's face it, good weather is in short supply in our area most of the year.  So, I learned to keep a pantry.


NOT my pantry - but I wish it were!

I converted a hall closet off the kitchen and kept plenty of baking stuff in it.  We didn't have the big plastic storage containers of today, so I used two small metal garbage cans with handles that clamped shut to store 20 pounds of flour and 20 pounds of sugar.  The shelves were filled with basic baking supplies - baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, brown and 10x sugar, powdered and canned milk, oil, etc.

I was always cautious about using up fresh milk and eggs too soon in the week, so I turned to OLD, tried and true, 'everyday' cake recipes.  These two take just a few minutes to mix, use a minimum of equipment, and are GOOD.  They were family favorites then and still are now. Both recipes can be doubled for a 9 x 13 pan.

COCKEYED CAKE  (This one mixes right in the pan and is a rich, dark, and moist cake).
1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp cocoa
1 tsp. soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

• Sift the above ingredients into a greased 9" sq. pan - if you have a sifter. ( I did for years until Mr. Bill broke it, so now I spoon the flour lightly into the measuring cups, dump it into the pan and add the other dry ingredients and stir them up).
• Next you make 3 grooves or holes in the dry ingredients. 
• In the first groove you put: 5 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• In the second: 1 Tbsp vinegar.
• In the third: 1 tsp vanilla.

Now comes the fun:  Pour 1 cup cold water over it all and mix with a spoon until nearly smooth and you can't see the flour. (I use a fork). Kind of like making mud pies.  Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour.
We usually serve it sprinkled with powdered sugar.

JOHNNY APPLESEED CAKE (This one mixes in a saucepan)
1/2 cup butter (stick margarine works just fine in this recipe)
1 3/4 cups applesauce  (They used to sell applesauce in 1 lb cans which was perfect amount)
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup raisins or chopped nuts if you want.
Grease bottom only of 9" sq or 11 x 7" pan.  In a large saucepan, melt margarine with applesauce. Remove from heat and blend in the remaining ingredients, stirring until well combined.  Bake at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes.
We usually serve this one with a glaze:  1 cup powdered sugar mixed with enough water to make a thin glaze.

A note about frosting:  Everyday cakes in the past were heavy and moist and didn't really need frosting.  (Think pound cake).  Birthday cakes were light and fluffy and had rich icings and were really only made for the special occasion.  That made them a real treat.