Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2020.
If you’re stressed about the election, an all-day baking project that results in a cake with rich flavor and an even richer backstory might be just what you need right now.
Election cake, a variation on a colonial-era cake called “muster cake,” was made by women in the New England region in the 18th century to encourage voter turnout and sway men on candidates and issues to vote that they supported, since women did not. I have no voting rights at that moment.
According to the New England Historical Society, the first recipe for American election cake appeared in 1796 in the first American cookbook, “American Cookery” by Amelia Simmons. At the time, the pies could weigh as much as 12 pounds. In 1820, people considered the enormous dessert old-fashioned, but now it is back in fashion.
So when Redditor u/princessleiaround shared an election cake recipe from a vintage cookbook with fellow old recipe enthusiasts, I decided to give it a try. Something sweet to take away my election stress.
This particular recipe, which food blog In the Vintage Kitchen traces back to the 1965 “The Fannie Farmer Cookbook,” requires you to let a yeast mixture rise for at least six hours, preferably overnight. The remaining ingredients – including a cup of whiskey and plenty of raisins – are then added and the cakes rise again in loaf pans for an hour. Then, after an hour of baking, your cakes are ready to eat.
Susannah Gebhart, the founder of Old World Levain Bakery in Ashville, North Carolina, went viral during the 2016 election for sharing photos of her own election cakes with the hashtag #MakeAmericaCakeAgain. Gebhart’s enthusiasm for the election cake prompted others to make versions of the cake and share them with the same hashtag.
Before the 2020 election, Gebhart’s bakery dropped the hashtag but continues to make the historic cakes for a good cause.
“What seemed bright in 2016 is much bleaker and no longer fits the divisive 2020 election,” Gebhart explains. “This year we have chosen not to sell an election cake, but it is entirely based on donations. All donations will go to our local chapter of the League of Women Voters.”
It’s a fitting charity, given the pie’s rich history in American politics — something Gebhart has become an expert at since baking the pies.
“I first became aware of election cake from its predecessor, a colonial-era cake called ‘muster cake’ that was made in large community ovens when New England towns were receiving militia training for revolutionary forces,” Gebhart said. “People would come out to watch these for entertainment, and the monster cake would attract or ‘bring in’ participation.”
“This tradition then evolved into ‘election cakes’ during the new republic, when largely women (who did not have the right to vote) baked election cakes to take to the polling stations to both encourage citizens to vote and often also to campaign. for certain candidates,” Gebhart continued. “It is a cake according to British tradition, similar to a pudding, with lots of dried fruit soaked in cognac. Because chemical leavening agents were not available, bakers used sourdough cultures, and later yeast, to make the cakes rise.”
For my Fannie Farmer version of the election cake, I spent the day going through the various steps that were simple but time-consuming: Mix it, let it rise, add more ingredients, let it rise some more.
Finally, after a lot of love and even more rising, my batter was ready and it was time to bake.
As the three bread pans filled with batter baked in my oven, the house smelled of cloves, nutmeg, and whiskey. And when the cakes (which resemble a holiday fruitcake) were ready, I was surprised by the complex flavor and strength of the drink that came out. (Needless to say, it’s perfect for election night.)
The cakes were more like a slightly sweet, dense bread, similar to zucchini or banana bread. I wanted my slice warm with some salted butter, while my husband said he liked it best for breakfast alongside a cup of coffee.
Overall it was a lot of work for a cake that wasn’t mine favorite thing I baked pales in comparison to the rich, Reddit-famous “Nana’s Devil’s Food” cake.
But like baking Irish soda bread on St. Patrick’s Day or any other holiday-specific dish, I see the appeal of making it both for the history behind it and for the sense of comfort it brings, especially on a day full of tension and suspense. to worry.
In a 2016 Instagram post about election cake, Gebhart’s bakery wrote, “For us, it represents a connection to our baking predecessors and the power of food to bring people of all kinds together to participate in social and political life.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
