Election Cake and Nonpartisan Pie

Last Tuesday, I voted, I ate pie, and I ate cake.  Just doing my part to make a less contentious society.  What a citizen!

 Banana Cream and Apple-Blackberry Pie at Random Order

Since I live in Oregon, I had already cast my ballot (it’s all done by mail here).  I had a nice bike ride up to Random Order with my daughter, where we shared two pieces of pie.  The banana cream, which is ethereal and always makes me feel better (and is second only to their coconut cream), and the apple-blackberry with streusel on top.  Crust, fruit, and crumbly sweet streusel?  Died and gone to heaven.

Back at home I decided to skip the yellow layer cake I'd planned on baking.  Much as I like an honest piece of chocolate iced yellow cake with a tall glass of milk, Election Cake seemed more appropriate.
 

Hartford Election Cake

I followed Kim O’Donnell’s recipe for Hartford Election Cake from a 2006 Washington Post article.  Almost exactly.  It did seem like a good idea to fiddle a bit with the confectioners’ sugar glaze.  Instead of milk and vanilla I used bourbon and vanilla.  I had a feeling the election wasn’t going to be pretty.



But the cake was.  It’s a yeast risen cake, full of raisins and pecans, spiced with cinnamon, mace (a favorite of mine), nutmeg, and cloves.  It’s not really sweet (except for that bourbon laced icing), and if you squint you can almost pretend you're eating a piece of bread.  You can eat it all day long without feeling too guilty. 



Which is exactly what I did.