Election Cake

Well, Election Day is upon us. And that means it's time for Election Cake. My old Fannie Farmer cookbook advises me that this is "a Connecticut tradition." Now, I didn't live in Connecticut all my life, I didn't grow up entirely there, and my mother was not a baker. But my dearly beloved lived there until he was nearly 40, his mother was a great baker, and he never heard of Election Cake. Nor did friends I polled who hailed from Connecticut. Nonetheless, I think this is a good Connecticut Tradition. I think the rest of you will like it, too; it will take your minds off the 24/7 news cycles, and give you strength for the start of the 2012 election. Think I'm kidding? I bet they start yammering about it before all the results for 2010 are in.

Fannie Farmer classifies this as a fruit cake, although it is much lighter than a real fruit cake, so I can only surmise that it's because of the raisins. And while the recipe calls for whiskey, I used an equal amount of warm water to soak my raisins, because I can't stand whiskey. Do allow a while to make this, because it's yeast raised, but if you want to speed it up, double the yeast. It won't change the flavor of the cake at all. Plus, since it's only got a glaze on top, it will travel well in the lunch box and play nicely with your other foods.

ELECTION CAKE

1 cup warm water
3 tsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
2-1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp oil

Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let soften. Add the other ingredients, beat together, and set aside to rise for 6 hours or overnight (if doubling the yeast, it will likely take under 3 hours to double in size).

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp lemon rind
1 tbsp lemon juice
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups raisins
1 cup whiskey*

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. Pour the whiskey over the raisins to soften. Cream the butter with the brown sugar, and add the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the lemon rind and juice, then the dry ingredients. Then beat in the yeast mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the whiskey (or warm water, if you're me) and raisins. Turn into 3 greased loaf pans, and let rise for about an hour, then bake 40 to 50 minutes at 350F.

I've made this before, and my dearly beloved loves it. I know you will, too; it's the best part of politics!