Let them eat cake

 

     Following the Presidency George and Martha Washington resumed married life at his family's estate at Mount Vernon.  George looked after his business interests related to crop production, including a grist mill and distillery.  Martha oversaw the operation of the home, no small task considering that in one year alone she hosted over 600 guests who came to call.  Colonial cooking was a tedious task which required the time and talents of dozens of servants.  It was primitive by our modern standards, but not without its rewards to the palate.

    One of Martha's favorite and well liked recipes was for Great Cake.   It was a special dessert that was served as the grand finale for a celebration like Christmas dinner or a Twelfth Night party.  She asked her grand daughter, Martha Parke Custis Peter, to copy it down for use by other family members.  It reads as follows:

     "Take 40 eggs & divide the whites from the yolks & beat them to a froth then work 4 pounds of butter to a cream & put the whites of eggs to it a spoon full at a time till it is wellwork'd then put 4 pounds of suger finely powder'd to it in the same manner then put in the Youlks of eggs and 5 pounds of flower and 5 pounds of fruit*.  2 hours will bake it add to it half an ounce of mace and nutmeg half a pint of wine & some fresh brandy."

  

     Wow!  The chickens must have had to work overtime to produce enough eggs for the cake mixture.

     *a modernized version of the Great Cake recipe indicates that the fruit would most likely be currents, candied orange and lemon peel and candied citron, along with slivered almonds.  The wine mentioned in the recipe would probably have been Madeira.