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BAKING

Election Day cake recipe from Connecticut

Election Day cake belongs to the history of Connecticut. A recipe for a crowd size Election Cake appeared in Amelia Simmons cookbook, probably the first USA cookbook, printed around 1796. For many years, colonial women would boast about the quality of their cakes, later, the reputation of housewives as excellent hostesses would be based on the excellence of their cakes. Election Days have lost their festive appeal, but this cake has not. It has to be for a special day, though, as it takes long to prepare.

Election Day cake recipe

In colonial days, election days were very much celebrated. Celebration included speeches, parades, and festive food -of course, celebration is synonym of good food. One of the most characterisitc foods was a cake full of raisins and candied citrus peel, very much in the British tradition of fruit cakes.

Ingredients

USA Imperial   ½ cup    milk   ½ cup    warm water   2   packages active dry yeast   1½ cups    sifted whole wheat flour   ½ tsp    ground nutmeg   ½ tsp    ground cloves   ½ cup    margarine   ¾ cup    sugar   3   large eggs, beaten   1 cup    chopped dried fruit   ½ cup    raisins   ½ cup    candied citrus peel   ¼ cup    slivered almonds   1 Tbs    butter   2 cups    sifted all-purpose flour   1 tsp    salt   2 tsp    cinnamon   ½ tsp    mace

Metric   125 ml     milk   125 ml     warm water   2   packages active dry yeast   175 g    sifted whole wheat flour   ½ tsp    ground nutmeg   ½ tsp    ground cloves   125 g     margarine   200 g     sugar   3   large eggs, beaten   150 g     chopped dried fruit   150 g     raisins   150 g    candied citrus peel   50 g     slivered almonds   25 g     butter   225 g   sifted all-purpose flour   1 tsp    salt   2 tsp    cinnamon   ½ tsp    mace

Procedure

1. Heat the milk until close to boiling point. You can stop when steam comes from the pan. Pour the milk into a large bowl.
2. Put the warm water into the measuring cup and sprinkle in the yeast; no need to stir. Let stand until foam comes out, about 5 minutes. Add to the milk.
3. Add whole wheat flour to the milk mixture. Mix until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it stand in a warm place for about 1 hour, the batter will rise and bubbles will appear.
4. Grease a cake pan with butter.
5. Sift all-purpose flour, salt, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and cloves. Reserve for later.
6. In another large bowl, cream the margarine and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly. Stir in now the batter previously let to rise.
7. Add the dry ingredients gradually, mixing every time until well blended and smooth. You should get a thick batter.
8. Stir in the dried fruit pieces, raisins, candied peel, and almond slivers.
9. Turn the mixture into the greased pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for about 2 hours in a warm place.
10. When the dough is almost ready, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake in the middle self for 50-55 minutes. Allow it to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before taking the cake out. Let it cool completely before serving.
    

Servings: 12 Preparation time: 1 hour and 10 minutes + 2 hours rising Cooking time: 55 minutes Ready in: 5 hours   Nutrition facts Serving size: 1 serving Percent daily values based on a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving       Calories   337.07   Calories From Fat (32%)   108.59       % Daily Value Total Fat 12.32g   19%   Saturated Fat 4.10g   21%   Cholesterol 73.02mg   24%   Sodium 306.15mg   13%   Potassium 209.75mg   6%   Carbohydrates 50.54g   17%   Dietary Fiber 2.83g   11%   Sugar 18.95g       Sugar Alcohols 0.00g       Net Carbohydrates 47.71g       Protein 7.55g   15%

Cooking Tips

• A wooden spoon works best to mix the batter and dough.
• You can use margerine or vegetable shortening instead of butter to grease the pan, or, the quickest way to do it, cooking oil spray.
• The inside of the microwave can be a good spot to let the cake dough rise. No drafts there!
• For this size, use a 10-inch cake pan. The cake dough will be ready for baking when it almost reaches the top of the pan.
• Use your favorite dried fruits for the filling: prunes, apricots, cranberries, blueberries, whatever you like.

 

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