Election Cake was a highlight of the Puritan celebration of Election Day, one of the important colonial holidays along with Commencement Day and Training Day.
The Puritans had no use for Easter or saints’ days, which they viewed as Papist abominations, and they even banned Christmas.
Public notice declaring Christmas illegal in Boston in 1659.
Election Day, however, was a big deal. It usually took place in May, though it could happen anywhere from mid-January to June. In some places, enslaved black servants came along and held their own shadow election.
In Massachusetts, Election Day started with cannon firing followed by a military exercise. Then came a procession of government officials to a local church, where they sat and listened to a long sermon.
Connecticut, unlike most other colonies, elected its own governor. The ballot counting at the end of the day featured a banquet and, of course, the cake, followed by a ball.
The cake recipe came from England with the early colonists, who called them ‘great cakes’ and served them at large gatherings. Similar to fruit cakes, they could weigh as much as 12 pounds.
Amelia Simmons’ American Cookery
The first recipe for American election cake appears in 1796 in the first U.S. cookbook, Amelia Simmons’ American Cookery.
Simmons notably substituted ingredients like maize for English oats. Her recipe called for 30 quarts of flour, 10 pounds of butter, 14 pounds of sugar, 12 pounds of raisins, three dozen eggs, a pint of wine and a quart of brandy — plus spices.
Over time, the cakes shrunk in size. By 1820, people considered the large election cake old-fashioned.
Hartford Election Cake
An election cake with plums.
The cakes got linked with Hartford, Conn., and are sometimes called Hartford election cakes or Hartford cakes.
Why Hartford?
Partly because the Connecticut Colony paid roughly £3 for the first documented election cake in Hartford in 1771.
Catharine Beecher
The Connecticut Historical Society explained that town officials once gathered in Hartford to elect the state’s leaders–and then ate cake.
Towns held elections in early spring, and the town representatives gathered in Hartford in May for the formal counting of the votes. First they counted the votes for governor, then lieutenant governor, then other officials. The counting often went long into the night, and the town representatives stayed overnight in Hartford homes. Women made election cake to serve the out-of-towners.
Another reason may be that prominent Hartford native Catharine Beecher, big sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe, published a cookbook that included a much-copied recipe for election cake.
Fannie Farmer Recipe
Fannie Farmer
Cookbook author Fannie Farmer also published recipes for the cake in her cookbooks. Here’s her Recipe for Election Cake, from the Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, 1911, orig. 1896).
1/2 cup butter
1 cup bread dough
8 finely chopped figs
1 1/4 cups flour
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sour milk
2/3 cup raisins seeded, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon each of clove, mace and nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
Work butter into dough, using the hand. Add egg well beaten, sugar, milk, fruit dredged with two tablespoons flour, and flour mixed and sifted with remaining ingredients. Put into a well-buttered bread pan, cover, and let rise one and one-fourth hours. Then bake one hour in a slow oven. Cover with Boiled Milk Frosting.
The Cooking Channel offers a modern version for today’s bakers. Click here for the recipe.
Available in paperback and as an ebook. Click here to order your copy from Amazon.
Plum cake image by By Frank Vincentz – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3485743. Fannie Farmer By Unknown author – http://ourgrandmotherskitchens.com/?tag=fannie-farmer, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86403164. This story was updated in 2023.
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[…] The first documented election cake was served in Hartford, Conn., at the colony’s expense (roughly £3). The first known recipe appears in Amelia Simmons’ American Cookery in 1796, the first cookbook for an American market. For a recipe for Election Cake, from the Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, (1911, orig. 1896), click here. […]
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[…] on. The delicacy eventually became particularly associated with Hartford, where town representatives provided it to voters who came to the colonial capital from […]
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[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking E book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe begins with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The completed texture falls someplace between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election truffles are stated to have weighed as a lot as 12 kilos, in keeping with the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros introduced the story and recipe to The Instances in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Guide” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe begins with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The completed texture falls someplace between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election desserts are stated to have weighed as a lot as 12 kilos, in line with the New England Historic Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe begins with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The completed texture falls someplace between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election muffins are stated to have weighed as a lot as 12 kilos, in keeping with the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] like Easter and Christmas and celebrated their ability to vote for local officials instead (source). It is thought that they served the cake as they were waiting for the votes to be counted and for […]
[…] from town to town. Mrs. Henry Hudsons was different than the Fannie Farmers’ recipe. The New England Historical Society has a great article that tells the history of election cakes including the original Fanny Farmer […]
[…] accordance with the New England Historical Society, the primary recipe for American election cake appeared in 1796 within the first U.S. cookbook, […]
[…] to the New England Historical Society, the first recipe for American election cake appeared in 1796 in the first U.S. cookbook, Amelia […]
[…] montrent que les premiers repas du jour du scrutin sont des célébrations célébrées avec «Gâteaux électoraux» grouillant de fruits et d’alcool. De nos jours, les événements sont généralement […]
[…] and tradition. History books show the earliest Election Day meals being celebrations fêted with “Election Cakes” teeming with fruit and alcohol. These days, the events are typically hosted by churches and social […]
[…] Historical past books present the earliest Election Day meals being celebrations fêted with “Election Cakes” teeming with fruit and alcohol. Lately, the occasions are sometimes hosted by church buildings and […]
[…] Historical past books present the earliest Election Day meals being celebrations fêted with “Election Cakes” teeming with fruit and alcohol. Today, the occasions are sometimes hosted by church buildings and […]
[…] Although it might have seemed that this US election season was never going to end, voting is finally over after today. In years past, the act of voting may well have been celebrated with an election cake, an all but forgotten American tradition. Election cake dates to the 1700s, when Puritans viewed election day as one of the most important colonial holidays. […]
[…] Many years ago, it was an American tradition that after voting and exiting the polls, each voter would receive a slice of Election Cake. The first recipe for American Election Cake appears in 1796 in the first U.S. cookbook, Amelia Simmons’ American Cookery. You can read more about the history of the cake on the New England Historical Society’s page. […]
[…] and traditions Huh. History books reveal that the first election day food is being celebrated “Election Cake” Filled with fruit and wine. These days, events are usually hosted by churches and social clubs, […]
[…] The reporter Marian Burros brought the story and recipe to The Times in 1988, adapting the cake from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham. The recipe starts with a yeasted dough, studded with raisins and pecans, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The finished texture falls somewhere between a panettone and a dense fruit cake. (The earliest election cakes are said to have weighed as much as 12 pounds, according to the New England Historical Society.) […]
[…] How To Make an Election Cake […]
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