I had no clue that Election Cake used to be a thing until I saw an article recently about this lost tradition! Recipes for Election Cake are found back to the late 18th century, but apparently the tradition has fallen off in recent years.
This yeasted spiced bundt fruitcake was traditionally prepared prior to Election Day and served to hungry voters.
For years, I was the machine inspector for every general and primary election in my South Philly polling location, so any attention I can bring to voting is super important to me! I am also down for any and all food holidays so let’s bring back Election Cake!
I don’t have a ton of experience using yeast, so I looked up a recipe from NY Times Food. Because of the yeast, there are two proofing times in this recipe, so set aside 4 to 6 hours to make this cake.
Ingredients (serves 10):
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups flour
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 (¼-ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 lemon, divided
- 2 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup brandy, divided
- ⅔ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar