American Cake - Cake #35: Mary Lincoln's White Almond Cake

 Time Period: 1870 - 1899

In absolutely none of my American History education was I told that Mary Todd Lincoln was an avid baker. I suppose that fact doesn't have much to do with things like, oh say, the Civil War, but would have certainly made me more interested in her as a person. Evidently, the wealthy Todd family first had this almond cake at a catered event, and requested the recipe from the caterer. Mary proceeded to make it regularly, including while she and Abraham Lincoln were dating, as well as in the White House. Apparently, she made it so much that it became a symbol of the Lincoln family, and was found on important governmental event menus as late as the 1870s,

So, how was it? Pretty good! One serving suggestion mentioned that Mary Lincoln may have iced the cake and topped it with additional nuts or sugared fruit, but I opted to just give it a dusting of powdered sugar. I was expecting the almond flavor to pack a punch, but it was actually quite subtle. And unlike the other egg white cakes I've prepared, this one was better about holding its shape. It may not be as top tier a recipe as Lincoln was a president, but it was solidly enjoyable, and frankly, those are the types of cakes I've been preferring lately.

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The American Cake Project

The American Plate Project continues, but even as I explore the wide range of the foods the contributed to modern American cuisine, certain subsets draw me into their gravitational pull. Cake is mentioned twice on the American Plate Project list, and that's no accident. Americans love their sweets, and have been baking cakes since we first set foot on these shores.

It's common knowledge among my friends and loved ones that baking is a particular hobby of mine, so when I received American Cake (by Anne Byrn) for Hanukkah, it was "gently" suggested that I expand my food project by examining the history within. Of course, there's no better way to examine cake history than by baking the recipes in the cake history book.

Much like The American Plate, this book is split into different eras of time:

1) 1650-1799: Baking Cakes in Early America
2) 1800-1869: New Cakes & New Directions
3) 1870-1899: A Scientific Approach: Baking Powder & Fannie Farmer
4) 1900-1916: Birth of the American Layer Cake
5) 1917-1945: Baking in the Good Times & the Bad Times
6) 1946-1962: Tupperware, Bake-Offs, & a New Domesticity
7) 1963-1979: American Cake Times Are a-Changin'
8) 1980-1999: Cakes Born in the USA
9) 2000 to the Present: The Cakes of the New Millennium

Some of these chapters may have overly cutesy names, but this looks like a pretty natural breakdown of history, both food-related and otherwise. The rules for the American Cake project are similar to its cousin:

#1: No need to work from beginning to end. I can tackle these in whatever order is most convenient.

#2: I have to do my best to make these cakes in the spirit in which they were intended. If the people of that time period just couldn't enjoy a cake without walnuts in it, then the cake gets walnuts, even if they're not my favorite addition.

#3: There are some cakes that I can tell from the outset I won't enjoy. Simple solution: Find someone who will. Cakes make great gifts, after all.

#4: I'll do my best to use any specialized ingredients or equipment, but in some cases, it may be impossible. In those instances, I'll either get as close as I can, or will substitute something that isn't in the book, but that I personally feel is an important American cake.

Time to get cracking! I sense a lot of flour purchases in my immediate future.

Cakes Accomplished

Cake #1: American Gingerbread
Cake #2: Chocolate Stout
Cake #3: Martha Washington Great Cake
Cake #4: Classic Pound Cake
Cake #5: Shoofly Pie
Cake #6: Strawberry Shortcake
Cake #7: Lemon and Molasses Spice Marble Cake
Cake #8: Granny Kellet's Jam Cake
Cake #9: Scripture Cake
Cake #10: Chez Panisse Almond Torte
Cake #11: 1-2-3-4 Cake

Cake #12: Wacky Cake

Cake #13: Angel Food Cake

Cake #14: Fraunces Tavern Carrot Tea Cake

Cake #15: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Cake #16: 1917 Applesauce Cake

Cake #17: Cowboy Cake
Cake #18: Ocracoke Fig Cake

Cake #19: New Orleans King Cake

Cake #20: George Washington Carver's Peanut Cake

Cake #21: Mary's Cherry Upside-Down Cake

Cake #22: Hershey Bar Cake

Cake #23: Moosewood Cardamom Coffee Cake

Cake #24: Malinda Russell's Washington Cake
Cake #25: Cinnamon Flop
Cake #26: Bangor Brownies
Cake #27: Louisiana Syrup Cake
Cake #28: 17th-Century Cheesecake

Cake #29: Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake

Cake #30: Julia Child's Queen of Sheba Cake

Cake #31: Beet Red Velvet Cake

Cake #32: Lois's Original Plum Torte
Cake #33: Alaska Rhubarb Cake
Cake #34: Cold Oven Pound Cake

Cake #35: Mary Lincoln's White Almond Cake

Cake Ranking

#1: American Gingerbread

#2: Martha Washington Great Cake

#3: Alaska Rhubarb Cake

#4: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

#5: Chez Panisse Almond Torte

#6: Louisiana Syrup Cake

#7: Lois's Original Plum Torte

#8: Ocracoke Fig Cake

#9: Mary's Cherry Upside-Down Cake

#10: Strawberry Shortcake

#11: 17th-Century Cheesecake

#12: Shoofly Pie

#13: Moosewood Cardamom Coffee Cake

#14: 1917 Applesauce Cake

#15: Fraunces Tavern Carrot Tea Cake

#16: George Washington Carver's Peanut Cake

#17: Beet Red Velvet Cake

#18: Julia Child's Queen of Sheba Cake

#19: Chocolate Stout

#20: Mary Lincoln's White Almond Cake

#21: Bangor Brownies

#22: Hershey Bar Cake

#23: Lemon and Molasses Spice Marble Cake
#24: Cold Oven Pound Cake

#25: New Orleans King Cake

#26: Wacky Cake

#27: Granny Kellet's Jam Cake

#28: Cinnamon Flop

#29: Cowboy Cake

#30: Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake

#31: Malinda Russell's Washington Cake

#32: Classic Pound Cake

#33: 1-2-3-4 Cake

#34: Scripture Cake

#35: Angel Food Cake

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American Plate - Bite #24: Oxtail Stew

When you think about the days of yore (at least the American ones), you tend to picture horses and donkeys being the main drivers of farm work; the colloquial term is "workhorse" for a reason. However, in colonial America, the real beasts of burden were oxen. They were far more inexpensive than owning and caring for horses, and bonus, when the animal reached the end of its use in the field, it headed for the kitchen.

Ox meat can be very tough, but early cooks discovered that simmering the tail released the meat from the bones effectively, and it made for a hearty, cost-effective stew. Nowadays, oxtail stew is a perennial favorite in soul food cuisine, becoming an important milestone in the African American experience. After all, let's not kid ourselves about who was being tasked with the cooking in the southern colonies.

For most of the Bites in this project, I either eat/drink them in a restaurant, or prepare them myself. This was a fun exception, as I was hanging out with some friends of mine, and was invited to dinner at their place, where oxtail stew was already simmering on the stove. It was served over a heaping mound of polenta, and was delicious. It's certainly not hard to understand why this dish has endured for hundreds of years.

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American Cake - Cake #34: Cold Oven Pound Cake

Time Period: 1917 - 1945

Modern Americans are used to preheating their ovens before baking anything, but it wasn't also so. It used to be common wisdom to not turn on gas ovens until you were ready to start baking, not only because it was cheaper to use less gas, but because people thought putting a cake into an already-hot oven would adversely affect the texture and the rise. 

Obviously, attitudes shifted, as this recipe is now one of a grand total of two that I've used a cold oven for. This cake starts at zero, and once the oven is lit, is increased in temperature partway through the process. Doing this preserves the moist center while providing a nice crust on the exterior.

One thing I've noticed along the way with this project is the challenge of getting cakes out of a tube pan (however nice it is) without the exterior looking raggedy. Am I over-buttering? Under-buttering? Not letting it rest long enough once out of the oven? Resting it for too long? How on Earth does one get a smooth exterior out of these things?

That said, I made this one for a friend's birthday, and was heartened by his reaction. Despite its...humble appearance, there were no complaints, flavor-wise. I'm not sure if this'll be a repeat recipe or not, but it was definitely a solid dessert (in more ways than one).

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American Cake - Cake #33: Alaska Rhubarb Cake

Time Period: 2000 - The Present

Rhubarb does well in cooler climates, which may explain why this cake is identified with Alaska. Though its leaves are poisonous, the stalks are often combined with sweeter fruits and added to pies and cakes. Benjamin Franklin first introduced to America as a medicinal plant, which isn't surprising, given its flavor. It wasn't until we started copying Britain's tendency to use it for jams, sauces, and baked goods that the States began turning out the sweets it's most associated with today.

I have a checkered history with rhubarb. I've never liked cherries or cherry-flavored anything, but I try them every few years to see if that's still the case (and wow, as of this writing, is it ever.) I'm not sure why I didn't extend the same opportunity to rhubarb. When I first tried it, I found it bitter and unappealing. Maybe that's just because it wasn't balanced well with the other flavors in whatever it was in, because this cake was outstanding. It didn't even need a balancing factor like strawberries - the sugar and cinnamons was all that was required to give this cake a moist sweetness with a slight tang from the rhubarb.

I shared this cake at a party, and it was remarkable to see people take a tiny sliver, try a tentative bite, and then immediately come back to carve off a bigger wedge. Thanks to this recipe, rhubarb's reputation has been rehabilitated in my mind, and I'm already thinking about what I've been missing out on.

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The American Plate Project

Over at the Slice of Lime, I have something called the Pop Culture Homework Project. Its purpose is to fill in cultural gaps, and to finally experience the movies, books, television, and other works of entertainment that everyone else has already embraced. That's an ongoing goal for me, but the world of entertainment is not the only sphere that benefits from a good project.

Recently, I read (and very much enjoyed) a book called The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites, by Libby H. O'Connell. It charts the foods important to American history, from the days before the New World explorers arrived to the time I'm writing this sentence. As I read the fascinating stories of how certain foods and drinks wove themselves into the American experience, it occurred to me that I had an exciting opportunity on my hands.

Why not eat my way through this remarkable book? Why not try and enjoy all of what America has to offer, not only today, but from its very beginnings? It's tough to see a downside. I can learn more about these remarkable foods, and pass along nuggets of information from the book and from my encounters. I can explore foods and techniques I've never had before. And since eating and cooking can be such a social experience, I can use this project to invite others to participate in the journey as well.

Every project needs rules and guidelines, and although some will have to be defined and refined along the way, there are a few I can set up front:

#1: No need to work from beginning to end. I can tackle these in whatever order is most convenient, and even wipe out multiple entries in a single meal.

#2: I have to do my best to eat these foods in the spirit in which they were intended. For instance, it would be beyond simple to grab a pack of Oscar Mayer lunchmeat at Shop 'n Save and be all "Done with turkey! BAM!", but that's not what turkey has come to mean to the American experience. It's cheating. Some of these foods are simple on purpose, and in those cases, it's fine. But otherwise, no cutting corners.

#3: Some of these bites are easier to eat by myself, and some are even specifically designed to be a solitary experience. That's acceptable, but for a lot of these entries, I should make an effort to share the experience with other people.

#4: I'll do my best to track down the rarer bites, but in some cases, it may be impossible to find a source. For example, I don't hold out much hope that the corner store is well-stocked with beaver tail. In those instances, I have a few options open to me. I can pull from the extra bites listed below in the "America Today" section. I can attempt to do something that mimics the original bite as closely as possible. I can substitute a bite that I personally feel is intrinsic to American eating but that isn't covered in the book. I can substitute something that is important to local eaters, but that may not apply to the country as a whole. This is one of those things that might just need to be decided along the way.

That's all I can think of for now! As each bite is eaten, I'll write a post about it, and link it back to the list below. Wish me luck! And if you live in St. Louis and would like to join me for any of these foods so essential to our national identity, leave a comment or drop me an email. I'd be happy to have you.

America Before Columbus

1) Maize
2) Beans
3) Squash
4) Venison
5) American Bison
6) Blueberries
7) Maple Syrup
8) Wild Rice
9) Red Peppers
10) Salmon

The Old World Meets the New

11) Jamaican Pepper or Allspice
12) Atlantic Cod
13) Pork
14) Beaver Tail
15) Sassafras
16) English Garden Herbs and Vegetables
17) Cow's Butter
18) Eel
19) Perry
20) Turkey

From Colonies to Independence

21) Corn (Again)
22) Doughnuts, Waffles, and Cookies
23) Wheat Flour
24) Oxtail Stew
25) Sugar
26) Syllabub
27) Pie
28) Rum and Whiskey
29) Tea and Coffee
30) Green Peas

The Rise of America

31) Oysters
32) Roast Turtles
33) Ice Cream
34) Brunswick Stew
35) Cake and the Era of Andrew Jackson
36) Spanish California Rabbit Stew
37) Hangtown Fry
38) Irish Potatoes
39) Mint Juleps
40) Chitlins

From the Civil War to the Factory Age (1860-1875)

41) Lincoln's Favorite Cake
42) Soldiers' Rations
43) Fried Catfish
44) The Rise of Thanksgiving
45) Railroad Workers and Chop Suey
46) Borden's Canned Condensed Milk
47) Beer and Pretzels
48) Pasta with Red Sauce
49) Lunch Pails
50) Rhubarb

The Gilded Age to the Turn of the Century (1870-1900)

51) Baked Alaska
52) Oysters Rockefeller
53) Beef Tenderloin
54) Cold Cereal
55) Cracker Jack
56) Chicken Paprikash
57) Scrapple
58) Bagels and Bialys
59) Celery
60) Barbecue

The Progressive Era, World War I, and Prohibition (1900-1928)

61) Hot Dogs
62) Bananas
63) Commercial Canning
64) Peanut Butter
65) Home Canning and Food Conservation
66) Doughboy Rations during World War I
67) Lace Cookies and Oreos
68) Cocktails and the Roaring Twenties
69) Canapes
70) Tostadas

The Great Depression and World War II

71) Mulatto Rice
72) WPA Soup
73) Lamb's Quarters
74) Eleanor Roosevelt's Scrambled Eggs
75) SPAM
76) Meatloaf
77) Hershey Bars
78) Peach Cobbler
79) Navajo Fry Bread
80) Frozen Food

Post-War into Cold War

81) Jell-O
82) Iceberg Lettuce
83) Coca-Cola
84) Pizza
85) TV Dinners
86) Cuban American Food
87) Jack Kennedy's Fish Chowder
88) Crème Caramel
89) McDonald's

From Childhood to a New Millenium (1969-2000)

90) Southern Fried Chicken
91) Microwave Popcorn
92) Wonder Bread
93) Granola
94) Mesclun Greens
95) Ginger Carrot Soup
96) Quiche
97) California Vintage Wine
98) American Cheese
99) Salsa
100) Sushi

America Today

101) Chili Con Carne
102) Super Foods and Diets
103) Molecularly-Modified Foods

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American Cake - Cake #32: Lois's Original Plum Torte

Time Period: 1980-1999

Although the time period this cake was assigned to is in the '80s, the recipe itself dates back to 1960. Lois Levine and Marian Burros put it into their Elegant But Easy Cookbook, and 20 years later, Burros shared it even more publicly via the New York Times. It became one of the paper's most requested recipes, and was eventually re-published annually. Plum tortes used to be made with crushed zwieback (sweetened toast) back in Depression-era America, but evolved into buttery cake batter in the 60s.

I can see why this recipe became so popular; it was really delicious. The plum size and placement can be a challenge, because crowding the cake pan turns this recipe almost into a cobbler, while spacing the plums out makes it feel too sparse. However, when it works out, you have a perfect late-summer, early-autumn dessert that tastes fresh yet comforting all at the same time.

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