Raisin cake grapes." Some recipes in the United States circa the early 1900s utilized lard as an ingredient, which could be used instead of butter. Boiled raisin cake is a type of raisin cake whereby various ingredients are first boiled, after which the batter is placed in cake pans then baked. It is sometimes prepared with the omission of some standard cake ingredients, such as butter, eggs or milk. Boiled raisin cake may have a moist consistency. The cake dates back to the time of the American Civil War (1861–1865), when it was prepared in frontier areas using the Dutch oven. Basic
Vegetable oil the margarine does not melt in warm rooms, yet it needs to be completely liquid at 37 °C (98 °F), so that it doesn't leave a "lardy" taste in the mouth. Hardening vegetable oil is done by raising a blend of vegetable oil and a catalyst in near-vacuum to very high temperatures, and introducing hydrogen. This causes the carbon atoms of the oil to break double-bonds with other carbons, each carbon forming a new single-bond with a hydrogen atom. Adding these hydrogen atoms to the oil makes it more solid, raises the smoke point, and makes the oil more stable.