The History of Election Cake

Election Cake, also known as Hartford Election Day Cake, is actually more of a lightly spiced bread that's made with yeast and studded with fruits such as dried currants. When the Colonists arrived from Europe, they brought with them a tradition of open-air, community-wide celebrations for various milestones throughout the year; these included harvests, barn-raisings, and weddings. Massive fruited, spiced breads known as “Great Cakes” were a key part of these celebrations and the Colonists carried on the tradition by baking similar treats for celebrations in America. At the time, election day was usually in the spring and was marked by town-wide feasts celebrating the important expression of freedom that voting represents. The version of Great Cake that was most often baked for these election day celebrations eventually became known, fittingly, as Election Cake. There were many versions of the recipe, one of which appeared in the second edition of the country’s first cookbook, Amelia Simmons’ American Cookery. However, it was a version out of Hartford that became especially popular, hence the alternative names for the treat, Hartford Election Day Cake and Hartford Election Cake. The earliest mention of Hartford Election Cake dates back to a recipe published by Catherine Beecher of Connecticut in 1857. Historians suspect that particular version of the recipe was likely shared widely, probably by a newspaper food writer, and then spread rapidly. While Election Cake is no longer as popular as it once was, it is still baked today, although cooks typically use scaled-down recipes, since the originals were usually meant to feed whole communities. While some modern versions are more similar to pull-apart Bundt cakes than breads, recipes that are truer to vintage Election Cake also exist and remain a great way to celebrate our right to vote!