Election Day Cake

©CIA/Tea Mamut

Several years ago, I wrote a grad school food history paper about food and love, and focused on Victorian era courting cakes. Young women baked them for their paramours, in a loving gesture that was no small undertaking before modern baking powder was introduced in about 1850. Because they were expensive, including precious spices may have signaled a lady's seriousness about the relationship, or her devotion to her intended. When I presented the paper, I served a nutmeg-laced strawberry and cream courting cake. An Englishwoman in my class told me that it tasted very British, and noted that the nutmeg gave it a "very old-fashioned" flavor. But courting cakes were popular on this side of the pond too -- and strangely enough, they tend to make me think of the American presidency. That's because I learned Mary Todd Lincoln was famous for the vanilla-scented almond cake she served Honest Abe during their on-again, off-again courtship, and the recipe became a staple of her entertaining repertoire.

Yesterday, I came across several articles about Election Day cakes, another early American cake phenomenon. Colonial era voters often had to travel long distances to cast their ballots. Only men were afforded the privilege of rocking the vote, so women in the hosting towns baked cakes to serve to the voters. Some fruit and spice-enhanced election day cakes weighed up to 10 pounds, so it's no surprise that they were yeast-risen. Want to keep occupied while you wait for the returns come in tonight? Visit Gourmet Food guide Brett Moore's site for an updated Election Day Cake recipe. Developed by students at the Culinary Institute of America, the cake is flavored with nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon, and is studded with patriotically colored dried blueberries, cranberries, and golden raisins.