Martha Washingtons Great Cake Recipes

MARTHA WASHINGTON'S GREAT CAKE

Steps:

• Soak the raisins and currants overnight in water in a small bowl. Combine the orange peel, lemon peel, citron and cherries in a medium-size bowl; sprinkle with brandy and marinate overnight.
• Beat the butter, three-quarters of a cup of the sugar, egg yolks and lemon juice at high speed in electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, about five minutes.
• Sift the flour, mace and nutmeg on wax paper. Stir into the batter alternately with the Sherry, blending well.
• Drain the raisins and currants. Add them to the batter with the candied fruits and brandy, mixing well.
• Beat the egg whites until they are foamy. Beat in the remaining one-quarter cup of sugar slowly until stiff peaks form. Fold into the batter.
• Grease two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch pans. Spoon the batter into the pans. Place a large pan filled halfway up with boiling water on the lowest oven rack. Place the cakes on the middle oven rack.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes; reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake 55 minutes longer or until the cake centers spring back when lightly touched. Cool the cakes on wire racks for 15 minutes. Remove from pans.
• Wrap the cooled cakes in Sherry- or brandy-soaked cheesecloth. Place in tightly covered containers or wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Check the cheesecloth occasionally. If it dries out, add more Sherry or brandy.
• Garnish the cakes with candied cherries, if desired.

A GREAT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10-inch round springform cake pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper and spray parchment with cooking spray; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt on high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Transfer egg whites to a medium bowl.
• Clean mixer bowl and return to mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add butter to bowl and beat on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides as necessary.
• Reduce mixer speed to medium and with the mixer running add egg whites to butter, 1 cup at a time, mixing until combined. Slowly add sugar, mixing until well combined. Add egg yolks and mix until combined.
• In a large bowl, sift together flour, mace, and nutmeg. With the mixer running add flour mixture to butter mixture, 1 cup at a time. Mix until well combined. Add raisins and almonds.
• Place apples and pears in a large bowl and cover with wine and brandy. Add apple mixture to mixer. Increase speed to high, mixing until well combined, about 15 seconds.
• Transfer cake batter to prepared pan, spreading evenly with a spatula. Transfer cake to oven and bake, rotating pan once halfway through baking, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Remove cake from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Remove side of pan and transfer cake onto a baking sheet.
• Spread frosting all over top and sides of cake. Transfer cake to oven and bake until frosting is dry and brittle, about 1 hour. Frosting should shatter when cake is cut.

MARTHA WASHINGTON'S GREAT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Soak raisins and currants in water in small bowl overnight.
• Combine orange peel, lemon peel, citron and cherries in mediumsize bowl, sprinkle with brandy; let stand overnight.
• Grease two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch pans.
• Beat egg whites in medium-size bowl with electric mixer until foamy white. Beat in 1/4 cup of the sugar slowly until meringue forms stiff peaks; reserve.
• Beat butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks and lemon juice in large bowl with electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, about five minutes.
• Sift flour, mace and nutmeg onto wax paper. Stir into batter alternately with sherry, blending well.
• Drain raisins and currants. Add to batter with candied fruits and brandy, mixing well.
• Fold in reserved meringue until no streaks of white remain. Pour batter into pans. Place in a roasting pan on lowest rack of oven. Fill halfway with boiling water. Place cakes on middle rack of oven.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Lower heat to 325 degrees and bake 55 minutes longer until centers spring back when lightly touched with fingertip. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.
• To store: wrap in sherry- or brandy-soaked cheesecloth; place in tightly covered containers for a month or longer. Pour more sherry or brandy over cake when cheesecloth dries out.
• Garnish with candied cherries, if you wish.

MARTHA WASHINGTON'S GREAT CAKE

Steps:

• In making the great cake, Mount Vernon's curatorial staff followed Mrs. Washington's recipe almost exactly. Where the recipe called for 5 pounds of fruit, without specifying which ones, 2 pounds of raisins, 1 pound of currants, and 2 pounds of apples were used. The wine used was cream sherry. Since no pan large enough was available to hold all the batter, two 14 layers were made and stacked (note: the original was one single tall layer). The layers were baked in a 350 degree oven for 1.5 hours. Should be iced with a very stiff egg-white based icing, flavored with rosewater or orange-flower water.