When butter was rationed during the war, bakers had to get creative. Find out how their makeshift sweets hold up today.
firstwefeast.com
Thanks for the info. As a follow up. I found this tidbit on Wikipedia:
History[edit]
Depression cake has been referred to as "War Cake" by texts dating back to
World War I. In a pamphlet distributed by the
United States Food Administration in 1918 entitled "War Economy in Food", War Cake is listed under "Recipes for Conservation Sweets". The United States Food Administration stressed the importance of reducing sugar consumption during the war and offered molasses, corn syrup, and raisins in its place.
[3]
When the
Great Depression hit America following the Stock Market Crash of 1929, families were forced to stretch their budgets and "make do" with minimal and cheap ingredients when it came to cooking. Some women were able to feed their families on $5 per week.
[4] Dessert became a luxury for most, and depression cake was a more affordable alternative to other cakes that used milk, eggs, and butter. Affordability was achieved through ingredient substitution. For example, shortening was substituted for butter, water was substituted for milk, and baking powder was substituted for eggs.
[5] Depression cake is just one of many examples of ingredient substitution during the Great Depression, as some women took full advantage of the practice by making mock foods such as mock
apple pie and mock fish.
[6]