Election Cake-A New England Tradition

Election Cake is a New England tradition from the 1700s. Women baked this delicious fruit and nut cake to encourage voter turnout. The cake recipe originally came from England with the early colonists. This yeasted cake is similar to fruit cakes, they could weigh as much as 12 pounds! This version is trimmed down in size but still draws a crowd.

Makes 1 Bundt cake or two 8 1/2 -by-4 ½-inch loaf pans
 
2/3 cup warm water
2 packages (4 ½ teaspoons) active dry yeast
3 2/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing pan
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups brown sugar (light or dark), firmly packed
1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup whole milk w/1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I like Everland vanilla and buy it at HomeGoods. You can also purchase online)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups raisins or chopped dried dates (dried cranberries, cherries, apricot, or figs, or combination)
1 cup pecans, chopped or walnuts or almonds

1. Pour the warm water into a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Stir, then let stand for 5 minutes to dissolve. You should see some bubbles on top.
2. Add 1 cup of the flour to the yeast and mix until blended. You can use a mixer if you like. If so, use the paddle attachment.
3. Add the butter and mix until smooth. Add the remaining flour (except 1 tablespoon), eggs, brown sugar, butter milk, vanilla extract, baking soda, spices, and salt. Beat for 3 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, toss the raisins and pecans with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour until coated, then stir them into the batter until evenly distributed.
5. Using pastry brush, evenly coat the Bundt pan with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Pour the batter into the pan. Cover with a towel and let rest for 1 ½ hours. The batter will rise slightly
6. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pan in the middle of the oven and bake the until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and up to 1 hour 15 minutes.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Optional Glaze: 
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice (or bourbon if you like that!)
Lemon zest
Chopped nuts

1. Whisk together the confectioner's sugar and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth.
2. Let your cake cool completely then drizzle on your glaze. Let sit for 5 minutes then top with zest and chopped nuts. ​

Optional Sweetened Sour Cream Topping
16 oz Sour Cream (full fat)
2-3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I like Everland vanilla and buy it at HomeGoods. You can also purchase online)

1. Combine the sour cream, sugar to taste, and vanilla in a bowl and stir to blend. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Notes:
Dried fruit: use any dried fruit you like. Dried cranberries, blueberries, cherries, dates, figs, apricot. If using dried cherries, dates, figs, or apricots, chop to the size of raisins. 
Nuts: use pecans, walnuts, almonds, or pistachios. Chop before adding.
Zest: add 1-2 teaspoons lemon or orange zest to the batter.