How to Bake Raisin Cake Drizzled with Butterscotch Sauce

This is a special Grandma cake from my early childhood and I absolutely love it! When I read this recipe, the first thing I had to do was find out what coffee sugar meant. Apparently it is a very dark brown sugar and much more common in the old days than it is now. It was used for gingerbread, cakes, butterscotch and of course, coffee.

The recipe calls for a combination of butter and lard. If you are vegan or have an aversion to using lard, try a good quality coconut oil. It is solid at room temperature and works well in baking. Be prepared for a slight coconut flavour to your cookies and cakes unless you buy a de-scented version which is, of course, processed. You can also use Crisco or just go with all butter.

Original Raisin Cake Recipe

1/2 cup butter & lard

1-1/2 cups coffee sugar

2 eggs

1 cup raisins

1-1/2 cups sweet milk

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

flavour with nutmeg

Explanations and Method

Nutmeg was very popular at one time. In fact, people used nutmeg to ward off plague and all manner of ailments and by the late 1700s, it had found its way into cuisine, particularly beverages, to such an extent that the well-heeled carried their own silver nutmeg grinders. These are now prized antiques, so if you have one in the attic, hang on to it! It's worth quite a bit of money today.

I notice that the spice is featured in many of the fall and winter cakes mentioned in my grandmother's notebook and is probably there for a reason. Nutmeg does have significant antibacterial properties and is shown to be very effective against several strains of streptococcus. However, the flavour is not for everyone. In this recipe, try replacing it with a bit of cinnamon if it's not your cup of tea or just do what I do and add a tablespoon of vanilla and nothing else.

For the coffee sugar, I just use brown sugar and add a scant tablespoon of cooking molasses at the same time.

As for the cream of tartar, you can use lemon juice instead very successfully, measure for measure.

Here's my version of the original:

Preheat oven to 325˚F. Butter and lightly flour a 9 x 13 pan.

1/2 cup butter and lard (or coconut oil)

1-1/2 cups brown sugar

1 scant tablespoon (or less to taste) cooking molasses

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon pure vanilla

2 eggs

pinch of salt

1-1/2 cups sweet milk (just means regular milk)

3 cups flour

1 cup raisins

1-1/2 level teaspoons soda or wing it with a kitchen teaspoon out of the drawer rounded to match the bottom curve. That's what I do.

Cream butter and lard mixture until light. Add sugar slowly while continuing to beat. Add molasses, lemon juice and vanilla and continue to beat until light. You will see a colour change.

Add room temperature eggs, salt and beat until the mixture is very light and fluffy.

Sift flour and soda together and set aside in a bowl. If you are using spices like cinnamon, add them and sift. Note: I don't use any of them in mine. I like the butterscotch flavour of the cake without them.

Measure one cup raisins into a separate bowl and take a tablespoon or so of flour mixture and toss into raisins to help separate them. This also helps them sit well in the batter.

Add one cup of dry ingredients to creamed mixture and blend. Add half the milk (at room temperature) and blend, scraping down sides of mixing bowl as needed. Add another cup of dry ingredients and blend. Add the rest of the milk and mix just until blended. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and blend, scraping down bowl. Blend at medium speed for about 2 minutes. Fold in raisins and pour into prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched in centre or when a wooden toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool in the pan.

Butterscotch Sauce

Stir in a saucepan over medium low heat until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is like thick syrup:

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed and slightly rounded

1/3 cup pure cane syrup (you can use corn syrup but I prefer real cane syrup - Rogers makes one)

2 tablespoons butter

Cool. Add 1/2 cup coffee cream (18%), a splash of vanilla and whisk. Note: If you have only half and half (10%) cream, just add a bit more butter to the saucepan.

If the syrup isn't cool enough, you may end up with bits of soft ball candy in your sauce. Not to worry. Just heat again over low burner and whisk until smooth. Add dashes of cream as you need until you have the consistency you want. Serve warm or cold. Makes about a cup. Just refrigerate any leftovers.

Serve over cake alone or with a side of vanilla ice cream.

Oh, my goodness!

I can't begin to tell you how good this sauce is poured over just about anything. In fact, it calls me from the refrigerator and has a siren's voice. Use it over pound cake, chocolate cake, vanilla cake, or just enjoy it from the spoon! It is not low calorie so you have been warned.

If you are just starting out or know someone who is...

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