Grammie's Raisin Cake • Food Folks and Fun (2024)

This old-fashioned Raisin Cake recipe is straight from my grandma’s recipe tin. It’s a slightly spiced bundt cake that’s tender and perfect for dessert or breakfast.

This cake costs approximately $8.50 to make. The recipe makes 12 servings for about $0.71 per serving.

A bundt cake makes a beautiful and delicious addition to any dinner party. For more bundt cake recipes, check out my Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake, Red Velvet Bundt Cake, and Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Glaze.

Grammie's Raisin Cake • Food Folks and Fun (1)

Vintage family recipes are some of my favorites to make. They bring back all your favorite childhood memories, and you can always count on them being delicious.

Grammie’s Raisin Cake is no exception. This is a moist spiced cake full of classic Fall flavors like cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Add in the juicy boiled raisins, and this cake is irresistible. I may even enjoy the leftovers for breakfast with a cold glass of milk.

Table of Contents

Ingredients and Estimated Cost

Per Serving Cost: $0.71

Recipe Cost: $8.50

2 cups granulated sugar – $0.34
2 cups raisins – $2.36
2 cups water – $0.00
1 cup vegetable shortening – $1.28
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon – $0.08
1 teaspoon ground cloves – $0.14
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg – $0.32
2 large eggs – $0.46
3 cups all-purpose flour – $0.57
2 teaspoons baking soda – $0.02
1 teaspoon salt – $0.01
2 teaspoons vanilla extract – $1.36
1 cup walnuts – $1.56

NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have.

How To Make Raisin Cake

First, whisk together the granulated sugar, raisins, water, vegetable shortening, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a saucepan and bring it to a boil for ten minutes.
After ten minutes, remove the pot from the heat, whisk the mixture, and let it cool for ten minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, grease, and flour a bundt pan.
Next, whisk in the beaten eggs. Then, sift in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Mix the ingredients together with a rubber scraper until combined.
Stir in the vanilla and walnuts.
Pour the batter into the cake pan.
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, remove it from the pan, and cool it on a wire rack.
Dust the cake with powdered sugar before slicing and serving.

***For complete recipe instructions, see the recipe card below.

Recipe Variations

Instead of baking this cake in a bundt cake pan, you can bake it in two 8×4-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes.
Instead of walnuts, you can use pecans or leave the nuts out altogether.

Storage Tips

SERVE:Serve the cake plain or with a dusting of powdered sugar.

STORE:Cover the cake and store at room temperature for 3-4 days.

FREEZE: Wrap the cake in two layers of plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for 2-3 months.

DEFROST: Defrost at room temperature for 3-4 hours.

Recipe FAQs

Should you wash raisins before baking?

There is no need to wash the raisins before baking them. Instead, they’ll be boiled before adding them to the dry mixture.

How long should you beat cake batter?

It will take a couple of minutes to mix the batter. You will start by whisking the ingredients together and end with a rubber scraper to combine everything. Just be sure not to overmix the batter, as that can result in a dense cake.

Does refrigerating cake dry it out?

It depends on the type of cake. For example, a sponge cake will dry out if you store it in the refrigerator.

Grammie's Raisin Cake • Food Folks and Fun (5)

More Cakes

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Strawberry Cream Cake
Grandma’s Crushed Pineapple Cake
Cinnamon Crumb Cake
Easy Carrot Cake
Pound Cake Recipe
Chocolate Wacky Cake
Apple Dump Cake
Easy Carrot Cake Loaf

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4.80 from 10 votes

Grammie’s Raisin Cake

Author Jillian – a Food Folks and Fun original!

Recipe Cost $ $8.50

Serving Cost $ $0.71

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

12 people

This old-fashioned Raisin Cake recipe is straight from my grandma's recipe tin. It's a slightly spiced bundt cake that's tender and perfect for dessert or breakfast.

Equipment

measuring cups and spoons
whisk
rubber scraper
Bundt pan
medium saucepan

Ingredients

BOILED RAISIN MIXTURE:

▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
▢ 2 cups raisins
▢ 2 cups water
▢ 1 cup vegetable shortening Crisco
▢ 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
▢ 1 teaspoon ground cloves
▢ 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

FOR THE CAKE:

▢ 2 large eggs beaten
▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour
▢ 2 teaspoons baking soda
▢ 1 teaspoon salt
▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
▢ 1 cup chopped walnuts optional

FOR SERVING:

▢ Powdered sugar sifted

Instructions

MAKE BOILED RAISIN MIXTURE:

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar, raisins, water, vegetable shortening, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.
After the 10 minutes, remove the pot from the heat, give the mixture a good whisk, and cool for 10 minutes.

PREP OVEN AND CAKE PAN:

Move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour a bundt pan.

MAKE CAKE BATTER:

Whisk in the beaten eggs.
Sift in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Mix with a rubber scraper until combined and no flour pockets remain, be careful not to over-mix.
Stir in vanilla and walnuts if using.

BAKE CAKE:

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth it into an even layer.
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

COOL AND FINISH:

Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan and cooling it completely on a wire rack. It will take about 2-3 hours to cool completely.
Dust the cake with powdered sugar.
Slice and serve.

Nutrition

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Jillian

I’m Jillian, the creator behind Food Folks and Fun. I have over 30 years of experience cooking for others. There’s nothing I love more than cooking for my family. Food is love, and cooking isn’t just putting a meal on a plate: It’s putting a little part of myself into that meal.