Civil War Wedding Cake/Patriotic Cake Recipe

VAN HON, LINCOLN, WRIGHT

Posted By: Pat Ryan White (email)
Date: 8/24/2015 at 07:33:58

Ida Van Hon has written an interesting letter to Sally Sue and we are taking the liberty of printing it together with the "receipt" which she says was proper at that time instead of our "recipe" ----

"For several years I have searched for these cake receipts -- cakes famous for size and wonderful shape --- always made for weddings and great occasions -- The soldiers of the Civil War held reunions in Mt. Pleasant -- The 4th Cavalry and the 25th Infantry were recruited in Henry and nearby counties. -- The citizens of the town gave a big dinner in the park for all the soldiers. -- Everyone giving towards the dinner. -- I remember in the crowd, bands, barrels of hard tack. -- Mrs. Robert Lincoln always sent a baked ham decorated with cloves. ---

"Mrs. Jacob Wright, whose husband belonged to the 4th Iowa Cavalry, baked one of the big watermelon cakes, or else a patriotic cake, covering a large tray -- baked in a watermelon-shaped mold. -- Often, I heard her say she used four pounds of butter and six dozen eggs, and it took the entire family to beat the batter. -- This cake following the same receipt was baked for weddings. -- Alas, I could not find the receipt by many inquiries -- But a neighbor found both receipts in a cook book of 1838 ---

RED, WHITE and BLUE, or WEDDING CAKE

3 cups sugar; 4 lbs. butter; 3 lbs. flour; 1 cup cornstarch; 3 lbs. raisins, 6 lbs. currants; 1 lb. citron, 6 dozen eggs; 2 heaping teaspoons baking powder; 1 ounce mace; 1 ounce cinnamon; 1 ounce nutmeg; 1/2 ounce cloves; 1/2 pint brandy, [written in ink - whatever that is?]

To Mix -- Stir butter with your hand to a cream, then add and beat sugar into butter, add yolks of eggs well beaten, then the whites beaten to a froth. Mix fruit, spice and flour together, then add gradually, beating all the time. Add brandy last. Five or 6 hours baking will answer for a large loaf -- very hot oven not needed, but a steady heat. ---"

["Around the Town with Sally Sue," Mt. Pleasant News, May 17, 1941]