Celebrate November 4 with a traditional cake, rich in
As early as the 1630s, well before our country gained its independence, colonial housewives were making special cakes to celebrate the democratic ideals of their new homeland.
After independence in 1776, the celebrations became more elaborate. Voters elected local officials at town meetings in the fall. The results were certified on Election Day in the following May, which became the highlight of a weeklong celebration filled with sporting competitions, parades, parties, and balls. To prepare for the country dwellers who came to town for the festivities and stayed over, many housewives spent the preceding weeks cleaning their homes and baking cakes.
One of those confections, a yeasted fruitcake with a sugar icing, became closely identified with New England. Connecticut historical records from 1771 indicate that the governor’s office paid £ 5 for that year’s “Hartford Election Cake.”
During the 1800s, Election Day coincided with Commencement Day at Harvard University, adding to the air of festivity and lending the cake yet another name—“Commencement Cake.”
Prior to the American Revolution,
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the cake was sometimes included in cookbooks as “Muster Cake” because ★ it was served to colonial men when they gathered in cities to participate in military training sessions each spring. They spent the days training and the evenings eating, drinking, and socializing.
By any name, the cake required expensive and difficult-to-come-by ingredients such as flour, sugar, spices, butter, and dried fruits—all symbols of colonial independence and personal wealth. (In England, the homeland of many colonists, similar cakes were called “great cakes” and were served only on special occasions such as weddings or at feasts.)
Election Day Cake recipes remained popular up through the 1880s. Eventually, yeasted cakes were replaced by recipes that used baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent.
The recipe shown here has been adapted for modern kitchens and uses familiar and easy-to-find ingredients. Although tabulating election results may continue through the wee hours of the morning, we guarantee that this flavorful cake will be declared a winner after just one bite.
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