Piece of Americana: Making Election Cake Great Again for the Voters

Yes, there is such a thing as “Election Cake.” As far back as the colonial days, Election Day was an important day. They celebrated the day by serving Election Cakes to the voters waiting for results. Recipe below.

Election Cake for VotersPhoto byModern Day Foodie

What is Election Cake?

Election Day Cake is essentially a classic English fruitcake or plum cake. Did I lose you? Don't leave, I have a yummy recipe below that is not made with all those cherries and currants.

The original Election Cake ingredients included molasses, spice, raisins, currants, and brandy. In New England, Election Day was considered an important holiday. Election Day was considered a holiday. It was a day of gatherings in the community.

Colonial Americans were called to military practice for days of training sessions called mustering. These men would travel days and miles to the nearest assigned town to attend the training sessions. At night they would socialize and enjoy “Muster Cake” prepared by the community.

By 1771, these “Muster Cakes” were baked to celebrate Election Days. Hence becoming “Election Cake.” Historians feel that the recipe for Election Cake was adapted from popular period English yeast bread. This tradition of baking an election cake went on for centuries.

Is Plum Cake the Same?

Plum cake is defined as a cake made with dried fruits such as currants, raisins, sultanas, or prunes, and sometimes with fresh fruits. The meaning of the word “plum” has changed over time. Now we know “plum cake” as a fruitcake. British colonists and missionaries brought the dried fruit variety of cake with them to the Americas. In the Colonies, Plum Cake became associated with elections.

Following the American Revolution women would bake these cakes to motivate the men to attend town meetings and elections. It was traditionally served while people were waiting for election results. It thought that the first published election cake recipe appeared in 1796 in American Cookery.

What is a Sultan? Raisins, sultanas, and currants are all popular types of dried grapes. Packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they’re used in different cuisines worldwide in sweet and savory dishes.

1896 Fannie Farmer Cookbook

After I learned about the existence of Election Cake, I combed my historical cookbook collection. Sure, enough I found it in an 1896 version of “The Original Boston Cooking School Cookbook” by Fannie Merritt Farmer. If you are not familiar with Fannie Farmer, her cookbooks were required in an everyday kitchen. Even in my day. Below is Fannie's version of Election Cake. Below that is another traditional recipe.

Fannie Merritt Farmer (23 March 1857 – 16 January 1915) was an American culinary expert whose “Boston Cooking-School Cook Book” became a widely used culinary text.

Fannie Farmer’s Election Cake Recipe

• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup bread dough (can you figure this out? see recipe below for guidance)
• 1 egg

• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup sour milk
• ½ cup raisins seeded and cut in pieces
• 8 finely chopped figs
• 1½ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon clove
• ¼ teaspoon mace
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1. Work butter into the dough, using the hand.
2. Add well-beaten egg, sugar, milk, and fruit dredged with two tablespoons flour, and flour mixed and sifted with remaining ingredients.
3. Put into a well-buttered bread pan, cover, and let rise one and one-fourth hours. Bake for one hour in a slow oven (I am assuming that is 350F). Cover with frosting.

An Old-fashioned Connecticut Election Cake

1. Put in a bowl 1 cup warm water (not hot)

2. Sprinkle over it 1 package of yeast

3. Add

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon salad oil
• 2 1/2 cups flour

4. Beat thoroughly, cover, and let rise overnight or at least 6 hours.

5. Butter 3 loaf tins. Cream 1 cup butter

6. Cream in 2 cups dark brown sugar

7. Add 4 eggs, well beaten

8. Stir in

• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

9. Sift together

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon mace
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

10. Add to butter mixture. Add

• 2 cups seeded raisins
• 1 cup whiskey

11. Stir into the yeast batter and beat to blend well. Divide the dough in the tins. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Bake for about 1 hour at 350F.

Do you have any suggestions for ingredients? How do you make this recipe? Kindly let us know in the comments.

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References

• Election Cake
• Sultan
• Plum Cake
• Fannie Farmer's Boston Cooking School Cookbook 1897