Martha Washingtons Cake Recipes

WASHINGTON CAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan, 9-inch springform pan, 9-inch (9-cup) tube or Bundt pan, or four 5- by 3-inch (2-cup) loaf pans, line the bottom and sides with parchment paper, and grease again.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter on low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium, gradually add the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
• Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Total time for beating in the eggs is about 4 minutes.
• Add the cream, brandy, and vanilla.
• In 3 additions, fold in the flour mixture.
• Stir in the raisins and currants.
• Pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1¼ hours for a large loaf pan or springform pan; 1 hour and 5 minutes for a tube pan; or 40 minutes for the small loaf pans.
• Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the cake to a wire rack and let cool completely, at least 1½ hours. Wrap tightly in plastic, then foil. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Use a serrated knife to cut the cake into slices.

MARTHA WASHINGTON'S CAKE

Steps:

• Place raisins and currants in a bowl, and add enough water to just cover them. Soak overnight.
• Chop orange and lemon peel quite fine; do the same with the citron, angelica, and both types of cherries. Pour 1/2 cup brandy over fruit, and allow to stand overnight.
• Sift together flour, mace, and nutmeg.
• Beat egg yolks until thick and light, then beat in 1 cup of sugar a little at a time. Stir in lemon juice. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter, and then add 1 cup sugar a little at a time; beat until smooth. Combine yolk mixture with creamed mixture. Add flour and 1/3 cup sherry alternately to the creamed mixture. Stir in all the fruit, and fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour batter into a well greased and floured 10 inch mold or tube pan. This cake can also be made in 2 large loaf pans.
• Place a pan of hot water in the bottom of a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven. Place cake pans in oven, and bake about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C); continue baking 100 minutes for large cake, or 40 minutes for loaf cakes. Cakes are done when a toothpick comes out dry. Turn cake(s) out on rack to cool.
• Wrap cake(s) in cheesecloth soaked in sherry, and store in airtight container for a month or more. If the cheesecloth dries out in the mellowing period soak it again with the same spirits, and rewrap the cake.

MARTHA WASHINGTON'S GREAT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Soak raisins and currants in water in small bowl overnight.
• Combine orange peel, lemon peel, citron and cherries in mediumsize bowl, sprinkle with brandy; let stand overnight.
• Grease two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch pans.
• Beat egg whites in medium-size bowl with electric mixer until foamy white. Beat in 1/4 cup of the sugar slowly until meringue forms stiff peaks; reserve.
• Beat butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks and lemon juice in large bowl with electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, about five minutes.
• Sift flour, mace and nutmeg onto wax paper. Stir into batter alternately with sherry, blending well.
• Drain raisins and currants. Add to batter with candied fruits and brandy, mixing well.
• Fold in reserved meringue until no streaks of white remain. Pour batter into pans. Place in a roasting pan on lowest rack of oven. Fill halfway with boiling water. Place cakes on middle rack of oven.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Lower heat to 325 degrees and bake 55 minutes longer until centers spring back when lightly touched with fingertip. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.
• To store: wrap in sherry- or brandy-soaked cheesecloth; place in tightly covered containers for a month or longer. Pour more sherry or brandy over cake when cheesecloth dries out.
• Garnish with candied cherries, if you wish.

OLD-FASHIONED POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan with vegetable shortening. (I used cooking spray)
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, (or beat by hand in a large bowl), cream the butter until light and fluffy.Add the sugar gradually while continuing to beat.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in each one thoroughly before adding the next.
• Sift the flour with the nutmeg, and gradually add to the butter and sugar, mixing in each addition thoroughly before adding more.
• Add the lemon zest and brandy, mixing until well-combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

MARTHA WASHINGTON CREME CAKE

Steps:

• Beat 3 egg yolks, sugar and water until creamy.
• In another bowl beat 3 egg whites to soft peak.
• Sift flours, BP and salt. Stir with whisk to mix thoroughly.
• Add egg whites and flour mixture to egg yolk mixture alternating each and folding until batter is just incorporated.
• Batter will have some traces of flour exposed. Do not stir and do not over mix for best results.
• Grease 2 9" cake pans. Line bottom of each with waxed paper or parchment. Grease paper and dust bottoms and sides with flour.
• Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes. Test for doneness with toothpick.
• For ease in slicing the layers in 2, place cake layers in pans in freezer. To remove from pan when ready to assemble, turn stove burner to med and slide bottom of cake pan around until the heat releases cake; test by using a butter knife pulling the sides up until cake comes free from bottom.This happens within seconds. Slice frozen layers in two and spread filling between layers leaving top of cake bare.
• Filling:.
• Cream egg yolks.
• Mix cornstarch with a small amount of the milk and then add to saucepan with balance of milk, creamed egg yolks and sugar. Cook until it comes to a boil.
• Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla.
• Cool.
• Can use leftover egg whites to frost sides of cake with 7 minute frosting.

MARTHA WASHINGTON'S FAN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, dry milk, yeast and salt. Add butter and water; beat on low for 2 minutes. Add eggs; beat on high for 2 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into thirds. Roll one portion into a 20x6-in. rectangle, with a short side facing you. Brush top two-thirds of dough with 1 tablespoon melted butter. In a bowl, combine the coconut, pecans and brown sugar; blend in 3 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle a third of the mixture over buttered portion of dough. Starting at the plain short side, fold dough over half of filling; fold over again. Pinch edges and end to seal., Place on a greased baking sheet with folded edge facing away from you. With scissors, cut into eight strips to within 1 in. from folded edge. Separate strips slightly; twist to allow filling to show. Pinch ends into points. Repeat with remaining dough and filling to make two more fans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. , Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over fans.

MARTHA WASHINGTON CANDIES

Steps:

• Line 2 cookie sheets with wax paper. Set aside.
• Mix margarine, sugar and sweetened condensed milk in large mixing bowl. Add coconut, pecans, and vanilla; mix well, using a sturdy large spoon. Chill until firm enough to handle.
• Form into small balls and place on prepared cookie sheets . Chill until very firm.
• Melt chocolate chips in top pot of double boiler over simmering water. Using a toothpick, dip balls into melted chocolate. Let cool on wax paper.

MARTHA WASHINGTON'S GREAT CAKE

Steps:

• WRITTEN AS PER MARTHA WASHINGTON'S DIRECTIONS.
• Take forty eggs and divide the whites from the yolks, and beat them (whites) to a froth.
• Then work the butter to a cream, and put the whites of the eggs to it, a cup at a time, until well-worked.
• Then add sugar (finely powdered) to it in the same manner (one cup at a time).
• Then put the egg yolks and flour and fruit to it.
• Add to it mace, nutmeg, wine and brandy.
• Two hours will bake it. (350 degrees).
• In the TV program: Martha Stewart baked this in a 16x16x3-inch square pan (it was HUGE!). I suppose you could divide the batter between two 13x9 pans, too.
• She frosted it with a meringue (whipped egg white & sugar) that was lightly baked to give it a crunch -- and claimed that it would keep for weeks if the cake wasn't cut.
• She's got a smaller version on her website.

MARTHA WASHINGTON'S GREAT CAKE

Steps:

• In making the great cake, Mount Vernon's curatorial staff followed Mrs. Washington's recipe almost exactly. Where the recipe called for 5 pounds of fruit, without specifying which ones, 2 pounds of raisins, 1 pound of currants, and 2 pounds of apples were used. The wine used was cream sherry. Since no pan large enough was available to hold all the batter, two 14 layers were made and stacked (note: the original was one single tall layer). The layers were baked in a 350 degree oven for 1.5 hours. Should be iced with a very stiff egg-white based icing, flavored with rosewater or orange-flower water.