MT VERNON RECIPES These recipes were handed out to visitors of Mt. Vernon during a special event in Dec. , 1995. The dining room table in Mt. Vernon was set as if for a Christmas Feast and included a reproduction of the huge YORKSHIRE CHRISTMAS PIE, below, as well as Martha Washington’s GREAT CAKE. Visitors toured in the evening with the whole plantation lit by candlelight and luminaries. Docents and staff were in period dress, a large bonfire was blazing at the foot of the hill with carolers in period dress. Visitors joined in the caroling with a glass of spiced hot cider before touring the mansion. At the entrance of the mansion were a group of musicians playing Christmas carols on flute and recorders. It was certainly a memorable evening for all participants. This was the first year for such an event and I hope they are able to continue to offer such a poignant slice of early American life at Christmas time to the public. TO MAKE A GREAT CAKE Take 40 eggs and divide the whites from the yolks and beat them to a froth then work in 4 pounds of butter to cream & put the whites of eggs to it a Spoon full at a time till it is well work’d then put 4 pounds of sugar finely powdered to it in the same manner than put in the Youlks of eggs & 5 pounds of flower & 5 pounds of fruit. 2 hours will bake it add to it half an ounce of mace & nutmeg half a pint of wine & some frensh brandy. This was wrote by Martha Custis for her Grandmama (Transcribed from the original manuscript in the collections of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association) NOTES ON MAKING MARTHA WASHINGTON’S GREAT CAKE In making the great cake, Mount Vernon’s Curatorial staff followed Martha 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 butter, two 14” layers were made and stacked (note: the original was one single tall layer). They were baked in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. MARTHA WASHINGTON’S GREAT CAKE A scaled down and adapted version of a cake which was made at Mount Vernon and Woodlawn for holidays. Note: This adaptation results in a cake which is quite different in texture from the original. 1 lb white raisins 1 lb. butter 15 oz currants 2 C. white sugar 8 oz. orange peel 10 eggs separated 6 oz lemon peel 2 t. lemon juice 8 oz citron 4 1/2 C. flour, sifted with: 3 oz candied angelica 1 t. mace 3 oz. red cherries 1/2 t. nutmeg 3 oz. green cherries 1/3 C. Sherry 1/2 c. or more brandy Put raisins, currants, and other fruits except cherries in a bowl and cover with brandy. If fruit is very dry, use more than 1/2 C. and soak for 48 hours. Otherwise, cover tightly and soak overnight. Stir occasionally. Soften butter to room temperature. Slowly beat in 1 C. sugar. Beat egg yolks until very light; slowly add remaining 1 C. sugar, beating constantly. Add lemon juice slowly. Combine with butter-sugar mixture. Sift in dry ingredients alternately with Sherry. Add soaked fruit and cherries. Fold in lightly beaten egg whites. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour molds. Bake in 10” earthen or iron Turk’s Head mold filled to within 1 1/2” of top, or 8 1/2” aluminum mold, filled to within 3/4” of top, or 2 large loaf pans. Put a pan of water on oven bottom. Bake cake at 350 for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 300-325 for 40 minutes for small cakes, or 1 hour 40 minutes for a large cake. Test with straw. Cool on racks. Wrap well, moisten with brandy, and store in tine in a cool place. Will keep several months. Makes at least 11 pounds of cake. TO ICE A GREAT CAKE ANOTHER WAY Take two Pound of double refin’d Sugar, beat and sift it very fine, and likewise beat and sift a little Starch and mix with it, then beat, fix Whites of Eggs to Froth, and put to it fome Gum-Water, the Gum must be steep’d in Orange-flower-water, then mix and beat all these together two Hours, and put it on your Cake; when it is baked, set it in the Oven again to harden a quarter of an Hour, take great Care it is not discolour’d. When it is drawn, ice it over the Top and Sides, take two Pound of double refined Sugar beat and sifted, and the Whites of three Eggs beat to a Froth, with three or four Spoonfuls of Orange-flower-water, and three Grains of Musk and Amber-grease together; put all these in a Stone Mortar, and beat these till it is as white as Snow, and with a Brush or Bundle of Feathers, spread it all over the Cake, and put it in the Oven to dry; but take care the Oven does not discolour it. When it is cold paper it, and it will keep good five or six Weeks.