Americans have been taught to believe George Washington's birthday is February 22. But did you know he was actually born on February 11, 1731? In 1752, Britain and all its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar which moved Washington's birthday a year and 11 days to February 22, 1732. So, he celebrated his 20th birthday on February 22, which is the date we use today.
In any case, we recognize his birthday in February, so why not mark the occasion with a delicious cake? Washington Cake has been popular up and down the east coast for hundreds of years, in several varieties. In the most traditional sense, "Washington Cake" is a dense, creamy fruit cake with white icing, which first originated when George returned to Mount Vernon in 1797 after refusing to serve a third term as President. Since it was around Christmastime, Martha arranged to have a large fruitcake called a “great cake” baked in his honor and served as dessert for the final of the 12 days of Christmas, also known as Epiphany or Twelfth Night.
According to Mount Vernon historians, the dense cake would have been baked in a large, round mold like an Italian panettone and contained a huge quantity of dried fruit and spices. The brandy serves as a flavoring and a preservative to help keep it from spoiling in the days before refrigeration. "Washington Cake" can also be a spice cake without fruit, more like gingerbread. Many popular versions have featured apples or cherries in some way (in the cake, as icing, decorations, etc. In the 1950s-1970s there was even a George Washington brand cake mix.
The version below is adapted from one of the recipes featured in Lydia Morris' late nineteenth century cookbook (which actually had two recipes for Washington Cake). Lydia and her brother John founded the beautiful site now known as the Morris Arboretum, located just outside Philadelphia. This version is fruity and spicy, a more petite version of Martha’s original “great cake.” Since neither of Lydia's recipes called for icing, I have decided to finish it off with a dusting of confectioners sugar. Like all fruit and spice cakes, the flavors improve several days after baking
Lydia's original recipe:
1 ¾ lbs. of flour, 1 ¾ lbs. of sugar,3/4 lbs. of butter, 1 lb. of raisins,1lb. of currants, 8 eggs,
1 pint of milk & small teaspoonful of TBD, nutmeg or essence of lemon to your taste and
a wine glass of brandy.
Adapted version:
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup dried currants
- 1 cup milk or cream
- ¼ cup brandy
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9- to 10-inch Bundt pan.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until light pale color, about 1–2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, continuing to beat until well mixed, then add lemon extract.
3. Sift the flour with the salt, baking soda and nutmeg in a separate bowl, then stir in the dried fruit. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter, sugar, and egg mixture, alternating with the milk and brandy. Mix until thoroughly combined.
4. Pour batter into the Bundt pan. Place on the oven’s center rack and bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack to cool, about 30 minutes, then place another wire rack over the base of the cake and invert the pan to release the cake. You may need to run a knife along the pan edges and/or tap the sides.
5. When cool, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.
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