Recipe: Hartford Election Cake with Sugar Crackle Topping (yeast loaves)

HARTFORD ELECTION CAKE WITH SUGAR CRACKLE TOPPING

"In the early Republic, Election Day in New England used to be a time for celebrating and feasting. Voters gathered in towns like Hartford and Salem, both associated with this cake, and stayed with family and friends for up to a week, particularly when they had to travel some distance to exercise their democratic rights. Cooks made the yeasted cake in huge loaves that would provide a generous slice to anyone who stopped by for a visit. Despite the patriotic overtones, the cake came from the vanquished British, being one of the surviving great cakes of the colonial era. In light of its distinguished heritage and the time involved in the preparation, we make a double loaf, freezing one for later if we're not feeding a crowd. The cake continues to delight because of its moist richness, still worthy of a vote in Hartford or anywhere else."

1 cup raisins, preferably half light and half dark
3 tablespoons dark rum
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided use
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon orange-flower water (see Ingredient Tip)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon minced orange or lemon zest
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

FOR THE SUGAR CRACKLE TOPPING:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 tablespoons sugar

Butter and flour two (8x4-inch) loaf pans. Combine the raisins and rum in a small bowl.

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer, beat in the brown sugar, 1 3/4 cups of the flour, and then the butter, eggs, and orange-flower water. When combined, mix in the remaining 1 3/4 cups of flour and beat for 3 minutes. Cover the bowl with a clean dishtowel and set it in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. The batter will be sticky, with the consistency of a soft, moist dough.

When doubled in size, stir down the batter. Mix into it the spices and salt, followed by the zest, walnuts, and raisins with any remaining rum. Divide the batter between the two pans, smoothing it so that it is mounded on the top. Cover the pans and let the batter rest again in a warm, draft-free spot until risen to the top of the pans, about 1 additional hour.

Near the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Top the cakes with the sugar crackle. Pour the butter evenly over the dough and sprinkle it thickly with sugar.

Bake the cakes in the center of the oven. Cook for 50 to 55 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then unmold and cool for at least 15 additional minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers can be toasted and slathered with sweet butter.

INGREDIENT TIP:
Our common use of vanilla extract to flavor baked goods is largely a twentieth-century development. Before then, cooks scented their dishes with lemon and perfumy distillations of orange and rose blossoms. Look for fragrant rose water and orange-flower water in large grocery stores and Middle Eastern or Asian markets. In election cake, orange-flower water gives a lighter, more flowery complexity than vanilla.

Make 2 (8-inch) loaves, 12 servings
Source: American Home Cooking by Bill and Cheryl Jamison