Grandma Joyce's Boiled Raisin Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

This cake (sans frosting) has no butter and no eggs in it--great for when you are raiding the pantry. (The frosting, however, is a different story, but soooo good!) Although the prep time is short, you'll want to have time to let the boiled raisins cool a bit.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 20
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• 3  cups water
• 2  cups raisins
• 2  cups sugar
• 1  cup  oil
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon nutmeg
• 1  teaspoon allspice
• 1  teaspoon clove
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2  teaspoons baking soda
• 1  tablespoon vanilla
• 3 1⁄2 cups flour

• frosting

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 3  cups powdered sugar
• 1  teaspoon  orange extract or 1  teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Boil the sugar, raisins, and water for about a minute until the raisins begin to plump. Set aside to cool.
2. When cool, drain raisins, reserving raisin water. Add oil, spices, and vanilla to raisin water. Mix baking soda with flour and add slowly to the raisin water mixture. Fold in raisins.
3. Pour into 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until tester comes out clean.
4. Frosting: beat together cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar. This makes probably more frosting than than most people like on a 9 x 13 cake, but I say pile it on.