Hartford Election Cake

By the 1840s, when this lithograph of
the Hartford State House was made,
Election Cake had been around
for 100 years. At the time, the Connecticut
capital was a center of political power
in this country.

In early Colonial times, there was a custom called Muster Day: Colonists came from far and wide to their closest designated town to train with the militia. The local citizens took the opportunity to have a celebration, with lots of drink and food, usually including a "great cake." By the late 18th century a similar feast, for Election Day, had become popular, and for some of the same reasons: People had to travel to town to vote, and it was an excuse to celebrate. One of the treats served on Election Day was Election Cake, which was really just the "great cake" of Muster Day renamed.

Election Cake is basically a big yeast-risen coffee cake made with raisins or other dried fruit and sometimes topped with a sweet glaze. Traditional recipes were for massive cakes baked in oversize cake pans: A typical ingredient list might have started with 5 pounds of flour, 2 pounds of butter, and 2 pounds of sugar. Our recipe is a scaled-down version of a recipe called "Old Hartford Election Cake (100 years old)," from Miss Beecher's Domestic Receipt-Book, published in 1850.

Hartford Election Cake

Makes 24 servings
Catherine Esther Beecher, whose Election Cake inspired our recipe, was the sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin.

2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm
5 cups plus 2 tablespoons sifted flour
2 sticks (8 ounces) butter, cut into chunks
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons white wine
Slivered zest of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dark raisins
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1. In a medium bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the milk. Stir in 1 cup of the flour. Cover and set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar. Beat in the egg, 1/4 cup of the wine, the lemon zest, nutmeg, and salt.
3. Add the yeast mixture and gradually beat in 4 cups of the flour. Beat for 5 minutes. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 2 hours or until almost doubled.
4. Toss the raisins with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour. Grease a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan.
5. Spoon less than one-fourth of the batter into the pan. Sprinkle with one-third of the raisins. Push any raisins that touch the side of the pan into the batter. Repeat the layering, making two more layers of fruit and ending with batter. Cover and let rise until puffy, about 45 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
8. In a small bowl, stir the powdered sugar with the remaining 4 teaspoons wine together. Spoon the glaze over the cooled coffee cake, letting it drip down the sides.

Apricot-Walnut Election Cake: Omit the nutmeg. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla when you bet in the wine. Use chopped dried apricots and chopped toasted walnuts instead of the raisins.

[This article first appeared in the November 2008 issue of Hallmark Magazine.]