The Forgotten Cake That Was Created To Sway Voters

If you have ever thought that boxed cake mix could use a boozy ingredient to liven it up a bit, you are in good company. During America's early years, Election Day was considered a holiday on par with Christmas, with food and drink as major parts of the celebration. However, in those post-Revolutionary War times, women had not yet gained the right to vote. Instead of going to the polls, they began making a confection known originally as muster cake, meant to encourage participation ... and perhaps sway the men who could vote to consider checking a name that aligned with their interests.

Unlike the non-musical origins of opera cake, these sweets were aptly called election cakes because of their ties to Election Day. Also known as Hartford cakes, as they gained notoriety in Hartford, Connecticut, they more closely resembled heavy bread than today's light, airy, frosted desserts. It also boasts a similarity to fruit cake, with dried fruit soaked in liquor being a staple element.

Alcohol, typically a fortified wine like brandy or something stronger like whiskey, also had a place on top of the cake. After the fruits soak up an adequate amount of the spirit, the mixture is drained and set aside to make a boozy glaze. While it does have notes of sweetness, the taste of alcohol is perhaps more noticeable as it pairs with spices reminiscent of autumn like nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon.

When it was first making its rounds on voting day, an election cake could weigh as much as 12 pounds. One classic recipe calls for using 14 pounds of sugar and 10 pounds of butter, along with a hefty portion of flour and other ingredients to construct it. Yet, today, more modest measurements are generally used to recreate this historical dessert, presumably on a much smaller scale.

If you are interested in creating this old-timey confection at home, there are many different ways to make it your own. It also takes less time and effort these days, considering folks can use electric mixers instead of blending all the components by hand. You still need to avoid the common mistakes that can occur when baking any cake, but the ingredients used to create an election cake allow for plenty of individuality.

Some people use wheat flour for the dense sponge, while others go with rye. The spices can include traditional nutmeg and cinnamon, but you can switch things up a bit and add coriander, white pepper, and orange zest to augment the flavor. Bourbon is commonly used to give the cake its boozy character, but other types of alcohol, like wine, can take its place. Certain recipes forgo alcohol altogether, although this strays from the traditional origins where election cake was a spirited way to motivate people to vote.