No Depression Cake

1 c White sugar
2 c Firmly packed brown sugar
2 c Water
1 c Shortening
4 c Seedless raisins ; (if you
-have any)
1 ts Cinnamon
1 ts Nutmeg
1/2 ts Cloves
2 ts Salt
4 c Flour
2 1/2 ts Baking powder
2 ts Baking soda
2 c Chopped nuts; (if you have
-any)
Powdered sugar; to decorate

It was the depths of the Great Depression. Several families on our block
were receiving baskets of food from the welfare people. The grownups kept
talking about it – Depression. Hard times for everyone. But it was my
birthday, and I was just a little girl. My mother said there was no money
for a gift or a cake. I sat forlornly on the front stoop and felt sorry for
myself. Then Mama came out and sat beside me. “Remember, there is always
hope. Come and see. I have a surprise inside for your birthday today!” I
ran in to find inside was the most adorable kitten with huge blue eyes. I
immediately fell in love with it and called it “Fluffy.” Then I noticed a
cake on the table with a candle on the top. “How did you do it Mama?” I
asked, my eyes all aglow. “The kitten came from nice Mrs. Jones down the
street. She gave us the recipe for this No Depression Cake. When you bake
it you can’t be sad! Mrs. Jones said we must think of what we have on hand,
not what we don’t have. We can always create something new and useful if we
think positively. That is why it is called the No Depression Cake!” Mama
was right, I will never forget the happiness of that day. I took a piece of
my birthday cake to Mrs. Jones to thank her. I remembered the No Depression
Cake when my own babies were little and my husband’s dry cleaning business
failed. To help him, I began a tiny advertising business on foot, pushing
our children ahead of me on a broken-down baby stroller in the rural town
of Baldwin Park, California. Because there were no jobs, I asked the weekly
newspaper to sell me space at a wholesale rate. Then I went out and resold
the space in the form of a shopper’s column to merchants. When the rocks in
the road wore out my shoes, I cut cardboard and stuck it in carrying extra
pieces in my purse. Soon I had the house payment covered. Then I spoke to
service club luncheons to promote my advertising column. I had no car or
baby sitter, so I made a deal with my neighbor. I traded baby sitting for
the use of her car. Another helping of No Depression Cake! All of the
business I run today, world-wide, began with that No Depression system. As
the children grew up we had many ups and downs. I especially remember one
time when we had no money for groceries. I sat down with them and said,
“Let’s make a No Depression Cake! Let’s see what we have on hand.” My son
said, “Mom, the avocado tree is full of fruit. I’ll sell them today by the
curb.” “There aren’t enough oranges on our tree to sell,” my daughter said.
“I’ll pick them, keep some for us, and take a bag to our neighbor to see if
they’ll trade for some of their great tasting plums!” We all got busy. With
the first avocado sales, I ran to the grocery store and bought day-old
bread, a big bag of pinto beans, some brown sugar and powdered milk. Then I
baked a No Depression Cake. We had a grand lunch, counting all of our
blessings and thinking of all the good things we could do together.
Yields
1 Servings