World War II was a time of rationing and shortages, which also makes it a goldmine for good vegan recipes. The following are two “war time” vegan cake recipes. These cakes are easily made gluten-free just by using Bob’s Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour one for one as an organic wheat flour replacement. For soy sensitive people, use your own favorite flour mixture as long as it has a wee bit of Xanthum gum in its makeup or the cupcakes will be dense and heavy (but still tasty).  I have updated the recipes a bit (something I encourage everyone to do with mine as well).  In the modern quest for healthier eating, heritage recipes rock.  Just like the war time gardens were organic and local (their own yard), the recipes available from the 1930’s and 40’s are often heavily animal product free, frugal and encourage full use of all parts of a harvest. Do a Google search on “Wartime recipes” and you might be surprised what you can find.

For references when the internet is down, everybody needs more recipe books, but there is more to cooking than just mechanically combining ingredient. Three currently overlooked books about cooking and eating that include great recipes and even better essays are   “The Art of Eating” by M.F.K. Fisher, “Clara’s Kitchen” by Clara Cannucciari, and “How to Pick a Peach” by Russ Parsons. All three books are published pre-2010 and probably available at your local library or used bookstore.

If you just skip to the recipes in these books, you will miss all the nuts and bolts of how to pick the best ingredients, how to use what you already have just lying around and a significantly funny take on cooking in three totally different time periods. Now my essay portion is over and here are today’s recipes.

Tomato Soup Cake

3 T coconut oil or vegan butter sticks (check the label to make sure there is no casein or whey)

1 cup organic sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 can tomato soup

2 cups organic flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1 1/2 cups of raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries or chopped nuts. (I like it best with one cup of one type of dried fruit and 1/2 cup chopped almonds or pecans, but feel free to pick you favorites. Cherries and peanuts are pretty good together.)

Cream sugar and fat choice (coconut oil in solid form or margarine) thoroughly.  Add soda to the soup mix and stir. In separate bowl mix rest of dry ingredients (sift is the original instruction but a wooden spoon work well in these days of fine flour texture.) Now starting with about 1/4 cup of soup mix, alternately add liquids and dry ingredients and stir well. Pour into a greased loaf tin. Bake at 325 degree oven until toothpick comes out clean about 20-30 minutes. The magic of this cake is it does well in an oven with a shared dish. So for scratch cookers like me it means you can only have that oh so kitchen heating oven on for only 30 minutes and have a main dish and dessert ready for dinner or the next day or two depending if you are feeding an army like I used to, or just one or two like I do now.

War Time Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 cups organic flour

3/4 cup organic sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder (Trader Joe’s is my favorite)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or 1.25 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp mint for a mint chocolate cake)

1/3 cup canola or walnut oil

1 T white vinegar (I have substituted cider vinegar as well but white make a lighter cake)

1 cup cold water

Combine all dry ingredients with a wooden spoon in a large mixing bowl and then make a center well. Now add all the rest of the ingredients. Stir just until combined. Pour into greased and floured (or use Safeway’s Organic pan spray) 12 cup cupcake pan or one 8″ layer pan. (for two layer cake just double, I personally love this as cupcakes, the first two are eaten warm and unfrosted with my morning coffee. YUM!) and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (mine are 17 minutes usually, but ovens truly vary)  until toothpick comes out clean.

For frosting mix 1/2 cup non-dairy butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp mint extract with 3 cups organic powdered sugar, 1/3 cup organic unsweetened cocoa, and add enough of 3 T of your favorite non-dairy milk to make speadable. Add first T of liquid then add by teaspoons till right consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes (and have a wee bit left over to thin and warm and pour over strawberries, or spread on toast points or just lick off a spoon)

Sweat dreams.

Your time traveling renaissance cook and loyal servant,

Sally Frye