War Cake

From: aalanm@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (A Alan Middleton)
(makes two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf cakes)

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup water
1 cup raisins
1/4 c vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3  cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Place the brown sugar, water, raisins, shortening, cinnamon, nutmeg, and
cloves in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring them to a boil.  Cook
gently for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and let cool until the
mixture is comfortably warm to your finger.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two 8 1/2 x 4
1/2-inch loaf pans.
Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and soda.  Add them to the
cooled sugra mixture, beating well until no drifts of flour are visible
and the batter is smooth.  Stir in the walnuts.
Spread evenly in the prepared pans and bake for about 45 minutes, or
until a toothpick or broomstraw inserted in the center of the cake comes
out clean. [Note if you're not a baker:  it can have a crumb or two on
it, the point is that it shouldn't bring up batter.]  Let cool in the
pans for about ten minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.