FOOD GIRL: Election Day Cake for the best day ever

Editor’s Note: This column was first posted on Nov. 5, 2024.

Election Day is a heady brew of fear, anxiety and anticipation mixed with the funk of exhausted campaign workers, stale coffee and cold pizza. It tastes like tears and always holds the promise of euphoria and downright disappointment — not unlike my college years.

I love Election Day!

I loved it more when I was working for a daily paper, but it was even fun when I worked for the weekly because, well, thanks to the Internet, even weekly papers are dailies.

Election Day was our Super Bowl. We’d analyze stats, talk to all the players and the coaches — or candidates and campaign managers if you will. Chat up fans/voters, hell we’d even tailgate — sort of.

There was no dragging a grill into the parking lot and cooking up some brats or whatever you do at tailgate parties (please, I’m happy watching football from my cozy couch) but there was food — isn’t there always food?

Just like the lead in to an NFL game, there is a lot of hurry up and wait when it comes to Election Day. Lots of talking heads and people standing around making vague predictions.

As reporters, we’d roll into the office around 3, double check where all the candidates were going to be that night and make sure we had the phone numbers we needed to reach the unreachable. We’d talk to the election chief of whatever community you were covering to see how things were going at the polls then we’d get down to business — dinner.

There was always a big discussion over Chinese food versus pizza, but Chinese food almost always won. Then once fortunes were read and 8 p.m., the golden hour when polls closed, rolled around we’d roll out to get numbers and talk to the victors and track down the dejected then race back to the office, bang out a story on deadline while eating now cold Chinese food and reading out precinct numbers to the edit desk.

Good times!

Those days are gone at the moment (hey, you never know when, as a freelancer, I might get called off the bench), but I still get a jolt of adrenaline the morning of.

How can you not — the whole world could change dramatically by day’s end (or now it seems more likely it will be by week’s end) all because of a couple of pieces of paper cast into a box. Crazy isn’t it?

Wait — you did go cast your ballot into a box right? What??? Go! Now, while there is still time!

Of course, if an incumbent wins then change is unlikely to be drastic. I suppose one could argue that the 2024 Democratic choice is incumbent-like but really, this year the choices are quite extraordinary. We could elect our first woman president or give the country’s most controversial president ever a comeback tour that will undoubtedly go down in infamy.

Whatever happens — it’s going to be big! And messy! And possibly challenged in court.

So you better hunker down and get ready to ride out whatever crap-storm is coming our way (and I think it will come no matter who is elected). And for that we’re going to need snacks!

What makes a good Election Day snack — well, like any good snack, something salty, something sweet, something with a little bite — something really anything you like.

You could go with the obvious, red, white and blue theme. Make a red, white and blue fruit salad (blueberries, strawberries and pineapple cut in star shapes), dab crackers with a little strawberry jam and top it with a smattering of blue cheese.

You could get funky and make red and blue cocktails or margin-of-error margaritas. I like what they’re doing at Adrift, a bar in Denver. Show them your “I Voted” sticker and you get a mystery shot! That could be really fun — but only if you have designated drivers — please drink and vote responsibly (and you should probably vote before you drink).

Or, if anxiety levels are high, this might be a night for comfort food. If you have friends coming, think a pot of chili or a taco bar (you could do blue taco shells, red salsa and white cheese to keep it on theme), a big chicken pot pie or a pan of lasagna and garlic rolls.

You might want to just go for munchies like popcorn, chips and dip (make beet-based hummus and onion dip served with blue corn chips — and again you’re on theme) or a huge pan of nachos.

Finally, if you need something sweet to eat away your pain with, or celebrate a victory, go with the tried and true Election Cake.

Actually, I don’t know if it’s tried and true, I’ve never made the recipe, but I stumbled on the concept of the Election Cake years ago. It dates back to the 1700s and depending on which history lesson you read has two possible origins.

One story says it was made as a hardy snack for people traveling to the polls, which could be far for some. Another version (and I kind of like this one) is that it was used as a lure to get people out to vote and in some cases, perhaps to sway men to vote a certain way — since women weren’t allowed to vote in the 1700s.

Whatever the story, the recipe has endured. It is essentially part cake, part bread and although it has fruit and nuts in it, it’s not really a fruitcake. It also includes a half cup of whiskey which has got to take out the sting or lift some spirits on some level. See it’s a cake for all people!

However, your particular election turns out just remember — the world isn’t going to stop turning. We’ll all get through the next four years together, then we can do this madness all over again. It is, after all, the American way.

RECIPE: Election Cake

From The CIA — but not that CIA — The Culinary Institute of America

Baking and Pastry students were asked to create their own version of the Election Cake and this one is also on theme with blueberries, cranberries and golden raisins.

I say go for it — baking is a great distraction and you get something yummy in the end!

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups dried fruit, including cranberries, golden raisins, and blueberries

1/2 cup American whisky (it’s our election after all)

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup milk

1 package (3/4 ounce) rapid-rise yeast

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour, sifted

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground clove

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1/4 pound (1 stick) soft unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3 eggs

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

DIRECTIONS

Combine 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar with the water in a small saucepan.

Simmer over medium-high heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place the dried fruit in a large bowl. Add the sugar mixture and whisky; stir and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine warm water and milk.

Combine yeast with 1 cup of whole-wheat flour and combine it with the milk mixture. Sprinkle the remaining whole-wheat flour on top. Set aside to allow the yeast to ferment until the yeast breaks through the surface of the flour, approximately 30 minutes.

Lightly spray and flour an 8-inch tube pan.

Sift together the remaining dry ingredients and set aside.

Drain the fruit mixture; reserve the syrup for later use as a glaze.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and the remaining 1 cup of granulated sugar until light in texture (a hand mixer is fine if you don’t have a stand mixer). Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the sponge (flour and yeast mixture); mix until fully combined. Add the remaining sifted dry ingredients. The batter will be stiff. Stir in the drained fruit.

Place the batter in the pan, cover, and set in a warm area to allow the cake to rise, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 Tbsp of the syrup reserved from the drained fruit. Stir until smooth and set aside.

Bake cake in a preheated 350- degree oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool.

When cool, lightly brush with reserved syrup, and top with glaze.

And serve — with more American whiskey — or coffee or tea or whatever, it’s your party.

Chris Stevens is an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years of experience. She wrote a popular weekly food and dining column for the Lynn Item and was a food reporter for Gannett Media. Read her Food Girl column here at Gotta Know Medford.