You may not know it, but at one time, cake served a vital role on Election Day. Appropriately named election cake, this centuries-old boozy spice cake was once baked in quantities large enough to feed a town. More than a dessert, it honors American culinary heritage and the bond of communities through food. It recalls a time when civic engagement united people in the most delicious way possible.
In colonial America, these cakes were called “muster cakes.” Communities served them at militia gatherings called musters. Men trained in local defense, and the community celebrated with food and festivities. After the American Revolution, mustering gave way to celebrations of democracy in the new republic. Local communities across the new nation held Election Day festivities. With that transformation, the spiced cakes served on muster days became known as election cake. It symbolized the nation’s shift from colonial rule to self-governance, reflecting the importance of civic participation and community spirit.
A Civic Celebration
Families traveled from distant farms to town centers, where they enjoyed a holiday—visiting friends, dancing, drinking, and, for men, voting. In America’s earliest days, elections weren’t only about casting ballots. They were a major social occasion that helped forge community and family connections. While women were not allowed to vote at the time, they organized the festivities and prepared the food, and the baking was often publicly funded.
The effort it took to accommodate the townsfolk and the influx of people from regional farms was nothing short of Herculean. Election cakes were a culinary marvel. Bakers made massive cakes that required ingredients that, at the time, were often scarce and costly, such as sugar and spices. Amelia Simmons’s 1796 cookbook, “American Cookery,” lists a recipe with dozens of eggs, a whopping 12 pounds of raisins, a quart of brandy, 14 pounds of sugar, and copious amounts of butter and flour. The goal was to feed the entire town, and this cake would do it.
The ingredients tell a story of early America. Sugar, especially the refined white variety, was expensive to produce. So, unrefined sugar, similar to rapadura or muscovado, was likely the choice of most bakers. Cinnamon, coriander, and allspice give the cake its distinct flavor. The original cakes were yeast-leavened through barm (a live, foamy yeast available in breweries) or sourdough starter. Like bread, the cake batter rose overnight. The following day, bakers added butter and sugar, which lightened the cake and gave it a sweeter flavor and softer consistency.
From Celebration to Campaign Tool
By the mid-19th century, Election Day faded as a major holiday. The public lost interest in funding the festivities. Election cakes evolved from communal treats to political tools. Political parties took over. They offered slices to voters who elected a specific candidate or voted a straight ticket. The cake’s shift from a communal unifier to a tool of persuasion mirrored broader societal change. Elections were no longer the community celebrations they once were. They now focused on candidates and political parties, many of whom used any tool they had to sway the vote in their favor.
As the 19th century closed, election cakes declined in popularity. The rise of baking powder made quick-baking cakes more appealing. Labor-intensive sourdough-leavened cakes held less appeal in the face of more modern methods. Elections themselves grew more routine and less of a public spectacle or celebration.
Election Cake Today
Today, some bakers have revived the election cake as a November novelty. Baking and sharing these cakes connects us to early Americans who celebrated their civic duties with food and fellowship. Although election cake was nearly forgotten over the past two-and-a-half centuries, its essence remains the same. These cakes remind us of food’s role in uniting people at significant moments. Like all culinary legacies, they help connect us to our heritage and history.
As the next election nears, consider making this cake a tradition in your own home. Share a few slices with friends and neighbors. It honors a time when Election Day wasn’t just a chance to vote, but a celebration of democracy and our republic. In divided and uncertain times, everyone can get behind a good cake shared among friends. It symbolizes unity, community, and the great American experiment.
Election Cake
Amelia Simmons’s original recipe for “Election Cake,” as published in “American Cookery” (1796), calls for massive quantities of ingredients: dozens of eggs, pounds of sugar and flour, and booze by the bottle. While her recipe fed entire townships, most home cooks need only to feed their family and a few friends. This adaptation of the original recipe shrinks the quantities and makes it easier to bake in a modern kitchen.
Election cakes were originally leavened with fresh yeast from breweries or sourdough starters. If you would like to substitute baker’s yeast for the sourdough starter, swap 1 packet of instant yeast for your sourdough starter and add 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons flour to the batter.
Serves about 12
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or whole-wheat pastry flour
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup active sourdough starter
- 4 ounces salted butter
- 1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar, such as rapadura or muscovado
- 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1 tablespoon white wine
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground Ceylon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup dried currants
In the basin of a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook, beat the flour, buttermilk, and sourdough starter together until it forms a ball. Oil a large mixing bowl, plop the dough into the bowl, and cover it tightly. Allow the dough to rise for 8 to 12 hours (or 2 to 4 hours if using instant yeast).
After the dough has doubled in volume, grease a 9-inch Bundt pan.
In the basin of a stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, molasses, brandy, and wine until fluffy, then beat in the egg.
Remove the ball of dough from the bowl, and tear it into 1/2-inch pieces. Drop them into the bowl with the butter. Add the salt, cinnamon, coriander, allspice, and nutmeg. Beat them all together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed until they form a uniform batter. Fold in the currants.
Spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, and cover it tightly. Allow the batter to rise until it reaches 3/4 up the sides of the bowl, about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake the cake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack, and allow them to cool completely before unmolding.
Slice and serve. Store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
