Eggless Milkless Shorteningless Cake

Eggless Milkless Shorteningless Cake

When I have extra time, I like to randomly pull a recipe from my grandma’s old recipe card boxes and make whatever recipe I pull. I call it Recipe Box Roulette.  This recipe for Eggless Milkless Shorteningless Cake was one of those random recipes.

First, I laughed the name.  It’s a mouthful!  Then, I forgot all about the crazy name when I tasted the cake.  It was delicious, in spite of not having 3 main ingredients found in most cakes.  I must give an allergen disclaimer because even though there are no eggs in the recipe, it calls for mayonnaise which may contain eggs.  Just be aware of your mayo ingredients.

Eggless Milkless Shorteningless Cake is Handy

I may not have  a bunch of exotic ingredients in my pantry or refrigerator all the time, but I am sure to have flour, sugar, cocoa powder, mayonnaise, and WATER.  I can put this cake together any time.  You can see why this would be a popular War Cake or Depression Cake.  We first see this recipe dating back to the Civil War and then again in 1918 during WWI.  Sometimes the frugal cooks would use molasses instead of sugar or even add raisins to add some sweetness if sugar wasn’t available.

Eggless Milkless Shorteningless Cake resurfaced during the Great Depression and then again during WWII.  Today, like then, women know how to economize and still provide for their families. If you keep small jars of mayonnaise on hand, you can make the entire cake straight from the pantry.  I won a contest for cooking with alternative ovens with ingredients from the  pantry, so this recipe would fit right into that style of cooking.

You can kick it up a bit, too.  Imagine the cake with a fluffy white or chocolate frosting. Add some sprinkles and shaved chocolate.  Should I continue?  You can enjoy this delicious cake straight from the pages of history or with a little added oomph.  Either way, this recipe is a keeper.

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