1650 to 1799 Cake Cake #9

Martha Washington Great Cake

In early America, fruit cakes were called Great Cakes because they were big and full of exotic ingredients. The cakes were filled with imported dried fruits, full of spices, and soaked in alcohol. These cakes used to be associated with the wealthy because one needed to have an oven, a cake mold, and the ability to afford the ingredients. Alcohol was used not only to flavor the cake, but also to preserve it. Fruit cakes tend to last a long time and even taste better days later once the flavors have a chance to soak in.

This cake has a very specific history. In 1797, George Washington refused to serve a third term as president. In celebration of him coming home, his wife Martha planned for a large "great cake" to be made in his honor for the 12 days of Christmas. The cake had a large amount of fruit and spices and was very dense. The recipe can be found in The Martha Washington Cook Book.

The recipe in this book called for just white wine, but they suggested that Martha Washington probably used Brandy as well. I am not a fan of fruit cake so it was hard for me to judge this one. Of course I still tried it and I did not like it at all. The slight wine flavor was odd and dried fruit has such an odd texture to me. My family members were not fans either. It would have been interesting to see if someone who actually likes fruit cake enjoyed this recipe or not, but it is hard to find fruit cake fans these days.