| Excerpted from Donna McCreary’s
book, "Lincoln’s Table: A President’s Journey From
Cabin To Cosmopolitan," the following recipes were among President
Abraham Lincoln’s favorites.
Mary Todd’s Courting Cake
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup hot water
3 egg whites
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.
Place 1/2 cup of sugar in a heavy iron skillet. Heat slowly, stirring
continuously with a wooden spoon until the sugar becomes a very dark
brown. Add hot water and stir until the sugar dissolves and mixture
caramelizes.
Beat egg whites, adding 1/2 cup of sugar a little at a time, until stiff
peaks form. Set aside.
In another bowl, cream butter with remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Sift together
cake flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately add the flour mixture
and caramelized sugar syrup to the butter and sugar mixture. Fold in
the beaten egg whites. Add vanilla. Bake for 45 minutes or until done.
Courting Cake Frosting
1/2 cup butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
2 cups powdered sugar
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the dark brown sugar and cook
over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir constantly. Remove from heat. Add
milk, and bring to a boil. Cool to lukewarm and gradually stir in powdered
sugar. Beat vigorously until mixture is smooth.
Mary Todd’s Vanilla Almond Cake
1 cup chopped blanched almonds
1 cup butter
6 egg whites
2 cups of sugar
3 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1 cup milk
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt or tube cake pan
or two 9-inch cake pans.
Grate almonds until they are almost a fine, flowery texture. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar; sift four and baking powder together three times.
Add to butter and sugar, alternating with milk. Stir in almonds and beat
well.
Beat egg whites with salt until stiff and fold into the cake batter; add
vanilla or almond extract. Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake for
1 hour or until cake tests done. Turn out on a wire rack and cool.
Vanilla Almond Cake Frosting
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 egg whites stiffly beaten with a few grains of salt
1/2 cup diced candied pineapple
1/2 cup crystallized cherries cut in half
1 teaspoon vanilla
Boil the sugar and water until the syrup spins a five-inch thread. Slowly
fold 4 tablespoons of syrup into the well-beaten egg whites a tablespoon
at a time, then add the remaining syrup by slowly pouring it in a thin
stream. Beat hard until all is used and the mixture stands in peaks. Add
vanilla. Fold in pineapple and cherries.
Note: If this mixture is not boiled long enough, it will resemble
marshmallow cream rather than icing.
Mary Todd’s Pecan Cake
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs, separated
1 cup orange juice
3/4 pound pecan kernels, cut, but not chopped
1/2 of a grated nutmeg
1 pound raisins, cut into small pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside. Dredge
nuts and raisins in 1/4 cup of the flour mixture; set aside.
Cream butter well; gradually add sugar. Beat egg yolks until frothy,
then add to the sugar mixture. Alternately add orange juice and flour
mixture. Beat well.
Add pecans and raisins to batter; add nutmeg. Beat egg whites until
stiff. Gently fold into batter.
Pour into well greased and floured pan (tube, fluted or fancy bundt
cake) or into round cake pans. Bake 3 to 4 hours, depending on the size
and shape of the pan.
Note: Since early recipes do not always translate easily to accommodate
modern ovens and bakeware, the cake should be checked frequently. Also
this makes a large quantity of batter. Cutting the batter in half will
shorten the baking time.
Caramel Sauce
Mary Todd’s Pecan Cake is excellent served with
warm caramel sauce.
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a 2 or 3-quart heavy bottomed
saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir slowly. When the sugar has
melted, it will be amber in color. Immediately add the butter and whisk
until melted.
Remove from heat. Count to three, then add the cream and continue to
whisk. The mixture will foam up when the cream is added. Whisk until
it is smooth and all ingredients are well blended.
Let the sauce cool; pour into a glass jar. Cool to room temperature.
This may be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
|
