No Depression Cake
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 neighbour. 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 neighbour
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.
By the end of the afternoon, our
son had sold many more of the avocados, and I had a big bowl of beans bubbling
and baking in the oven.
Then the phone rang. It was one of my advertisers asking me to
come over and pick up a big ad and a check.
Next time you're feeling low,
trying counting the good things you have on hand. Do with what you have.
Bake up a positive-thinking No Depression Cake!
Here is the recipe. It is milkless,
eggless and butterless. You can substitute other ingredients for any you
don't have. The one thing this cake is full of, however, is memories of
cheerfully creating with what is at hand and on hand - and never giving
up hope.
** No Depression Cake **
Makes 12 to 15 servings and lots of
smiles!
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 cups firmly packed brown 2 teaspoons
salt
sugar 4 cups flour
2 cups water 2-1/2
teaspoons baking power
1 cup shortening 2
teaspoons baking soda
4 cups seedless raisins
2 cups chopped nuts
(if you have any)
(if you have any)
1 teaspoon cinnamon Powdered
sugar, to decorate
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1. Preheat oven to 350(F. Grease a 13
x 9-inch baking pan.
In a large saucepan, combine sugars, water, shortening,
raisins, spices and salt. Boil together 3 minutes; cool.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder
and baking soda; add
to saucepan, along with nuts. Mix well and pour into
prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes.
3. Remove from oven. Let cool for 10
minutes, then turn onto
a cake plate. When thoroughly cool sprinkle with a little
powdered sugar, or mix lemon juice and grated lemon rind
into powdered sugar for frosting.
By Dottie Walters
from Chicken Soup for the Soul Cookbook
Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark
Victor Hansen &
Diana von Welanetz Wentworth