Election Day cake recipe from Connecticut

Summary

Yield
12 Servings
Source

North American traditions

Prep time3 1⁄2 hours
RecipesSnack Dinner Dessert Main meal United States North America New England Connecticut Challenging Bake America

Description

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

1⁄2Cupmilk
1⁄2Cupwater (warm)
2Packageyeast (active dry yeast)
1 1⁄2Cupflour (whole wheat, shifted)
1⁄2Teaspoonnutmeg (ground)
1⁄2Teaspoonclove (ground)
1⁄2Cupmargarine
3⁄4Cupsugar
3 eggs (large, beaten)
1Cupdried fruit (chopped)
1⁄2Cupraisins
1⁄2Cupcandied citrus peel
1⁄4Cupalmonds (slivered)
1Tablespoonbutter
2Cupall purpose flour (shifted)
1Teaspoonsalt
2Teaspooncinnamon
1⁄2Teaspoonmace

Instructions

  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.

Notes

  • 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.
Ingredienst, 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  

Nutrition facts

Serving size: 1/12 of the original recipe
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%