A vintage recipe for sour cream and raisin pie with warm spices, pecans (or walnuts) and whipped cream topping. Perfect for Thanksgiving!
Husband has often talked about a cake his mom used to make called Boiled Raisin Cake. I asked her about it once while we were up for a visit and she told me it was a bit of this and a pinch of that and you cook it till it looks just so. And since I was in another country, had half a bottle of wine in me and was on vacation mode, I didn't retain much of the conversation.
So I decided to look through a bunch of my old cookbooks to see what I could find. I love any excuse to pull out my collection. I have a box of old community and church cookbooks from all over with yellowed pages and missing covers. I love looking at recipes with ingredients like oleo and sweet milk. You can’t find that kind of nostalgia on the internet.
I didn't find what I was looking for but I did find something called a Sour Cream Raisin Pie. I kept trying to ignore the pie because I was after a cake but I couldn't get it out of my mind.
The sour cream cooks up almost like a caramel and the raisins plump up and get all lovely and the whole thing is wrapped in a warm blanket of cinnamon and nutmeg.
I had to try it.
I found several recipes and while they all had the same basic ingredients, the amounts varied greatly. And so did the cooking method. Some cooked on the stove and some baked in the oven. I hashed out the one below and went for it. And I’m so glad I did because this pie is amazing! And I love what happens to the sour cream when you cook it with sugar on the stove. I see more of that combo in my future fo sho!
If you want to make something different for Thanksgiving or Christmas, definitely give this vintage pie a try. It has all the warm notes of a pumpkin or apple pie so it’ll feel like the holidays but it won’t be the same-ol’, same-ol’!
I saw recipes with meringue and without and decided to just top mine with cool whip. And before you get all preachy at me about cool whip, here’s my 2-cents on the topic… real whipped cream doesn't stay whipped forever so if I know something I’m making is going to spend a few days in the fridge before we’ll eat it all, I use cool whip. If I’m serving guests, I’ll usually use real whipped cream since it will all be eaten immediately.

Sour Cream Raisin Pie
Yield: 2 Pies
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 15 Mtotal time: 25 M
A vintage recipe for sour cream and raisin pie with warm spices, pecans (or walnuts) and whipped cream topping. Perfect for Thanksgiving!
ingredients:
- 2 pie pastries
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups sour cream
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 12-oz. box raisins, (approx. 2 cups)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
- 1 8-oz carton cool whip
- Additional cinnamon for dusting
instructions:
How to cook Sour Cream Raisin Pie
- Line 2 9-inch deep dish pie plates with pie pastries then cook per recipe instructions or package instructions. Set aside.
- Combine sugar, sour cream, eggs, flour, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large saucepan and stir well until combined and smooth.
- Add raisins then stir until combined. Heat and stir over medium heat until slightly boiling. Once slightly boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until mixture has thickened.
- Stir in nuts then divide filling evenly into pie shells. Cool for 20 minutes then refrigerate, uncovered, until cold. Once cold, top each pie evenly with cool whip then dust with cinnamon.
- Cover and refrigerate to store.
NOTES:
I usually just use the ready-made refrigerated pie pastry crusts!
3 regular pie pastries can be used instead of 2 deep-dish.
3 regular pie pastries can be used instead of 2 deep-dish.
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This looks really good, thanks for sharing. BTW.... I googled Boiled Raisin cake and found several recipes for it. One from allrecipes.com looked easy and tasty, so I think I'll give it a try.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my all-time favorite pies! =)
ReplyDeleteI love this Mandy! This is an old southern pie my grandmother used to make! Thank you for reminding us! I am going to make your version this weekend! Love your recipes!!!
ReplyDeleteIs this the same as a Mincemeat pie? My hubby loves mincemeat. I have never made one from scratch. Just buy the ready m/meat in a jar at the grocery store ... Thanks DebBDan
ReplyDeleteNo, this isn't the same as a Mincemeat pie.
DeleteI am so happy to have this ! A lovely lady whom I still love very much used to make these and I love them. Thank you Mandy ! I am such a fan !
ReplyDeleteOd fashion Pie ....I LOVE IT, and you love to can too....my favorite thing to do too !! Great site and I'm sooo glad you have Zip List to save your recipes ! Thanks
ReplyDeleteThis recipe is absolutely yummy! Great for breakfast with a cup of good coffee. My husband liked it better than pecan pie! Just thought I would share a TIP I learned about stabilizing whipped cream. Whip the cream to soft peak stage, then add in 1 tab of superfine sugar, mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of instant clear gel. Then beat the cream till stiff (the instant clear gel works almost immediately). You will never go back to cool whip again. I also added a tablespoon of dark rum into the cream (rum raisin pie ?). I love your site and your book. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI love this pie! I make mine with a brown sugar meringue. I don't get to make it anymore because the people who shared my love for it have all passed away and it's probably inappropriate for me to eat the whole thing by myself :(
ReplyDeleteI always thought raisin pie went into a raw shell and baked??? NO?
ReplyDeleteLooks great! Could you possibly substitute DATES for the raisins??Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother always made what she called "Boiled Cake". Started with water and raisins boiled together on the stove top. Later found out it was originally called "War Cake" due to rationing in WWII. I have my grandmother's recipe which I make often and whole family loves. It is tried and true. I would be glad to share with you. If you reply with a way for me to get it to you, I will send it to you (mail, email- I don't do Facebook). Don't know how else to do it.} And, yes, I will make your pie. It has the same appeal as the raisin cake. Donna Ann
ReplyDeleteDonna, I just saw this, and would love to get your grandmother's recipe for War Cake, if you are still offering. My email is saileach1@gmail.com and my name is Nancy. Thank you!
DeleteIs it too late to get the recipe? yes it's been 3 years, but I just seen your comment as well. lasquintasbarb@yahoo.com Thank you
DeleteDonna.....I would also love the "War Cake" recipe. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeletesnakemelon@gmail.com
Google War Cake Recipe. Alot there!
ReplyDelete