Here’s a moist, warmly spiced Old-Fashioned Raisin Cake just like grandma used to make — soft, fragrant, and perfect with coffee ☕🍰
🍇 Old-Fashioned Raisin Cake
📝 Ingredients
For the Raisins:
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1½ cups raisins
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1 cup water
Cake Batter:
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½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
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1 cup granulated sugar
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1 large egg
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1½ cups all-purpose flour
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1 teaspoon baking soda
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½ teaspoon salt
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1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
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½ teaspoon ground cloves (optional but traditional)
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½ cup buttermilk (or regular milk + 1½ tsp vinegar)
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
👩🍳 Instructions
1️⃣ Prepare the Raisins
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In a small saucepan, combine raisins and water.
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Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
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Remove from heat and let cool slightly (do not drain — use the liquid).
2️⃣ Make the Batter
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
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Grease and flour an 8×8-inch baking pan.
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Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
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Beat in the egg and vanilla.
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In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
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Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with buttermilk.
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Stir in the raisins along with their cooking liquid.
3️⃣ Bake
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Pour batter into prepared pan.
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Bake 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Cool completely before frosting or serving.
🍰 Optional Old-Fashioned Brown Sugar Frosting
Ingredients:
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½ cup butter
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1 cup brown sugar
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¼ cup milk
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1½ cups powdered sugar
Directions:
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Melt butter in saucepan.
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Add brown sugar and milk; bring to a boil.
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Boil 1–2 minutes, stirring.
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Remove from heat and cool slightly.
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Beat in powdered sugar until spreadable.
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Spread on cooled cake.
🌟 Tips
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Tastes even better the next day.
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Add ½ cup chopped walnuts for extra texture.
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Can be baked in a loaf pan (adjust baking time to 40–50 minutes).
If you’d like, I can also share a Depression-era boiled raisin cake version (no eggs, no milk) or a layer cake version 😊