Mary Todd Lincoln’s White Almond Cake

Recipe posted on the website of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site which states, “Mary’s main homemaking interest appeared to be cooking, especially making sweets. The cookbooks she purchased after getting married are in the Presidential library in Springfield. Her white almond cake was one of Mr. Lincoln’s favorite desserts. She had brought the recipe from her favorite bakery in Lexington, Kentucky. Mary baked the white cake for Abraham Lincoln when they were courting, as a Springfield housewife, and when she was First Lady. Today, there are many versions of it, including the one listed below.”

This version is from Lincoln’s Table by Donna D. McCreary and was adapted by Janice Cooke Newman.

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Mary Todd Lincoln's White Almond Cake

  • Total time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
  • Servings: 1 Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Blanched Almonds, chopped in a food processor until they resemble a coarse flour
  • 1 Cup Butter
  • 2 Cups Sugar
  • 3 Cups Flour
  • 3 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 Cup Milk
  • 6 Egg Whites
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • Confectionary Sugar

Directions

  • 1)

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan.

  • 2)

    Cream butter and sugar. Sift flour and baking powder 3 times. Add to creamed butter and sugar, alternating with milk. Stir in almonds and beat well.

  • 3)

    Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter. Stir in vanilla extract.

  • 4)

    Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Turn out on a wire rack and cool. When cool, sift confectionary sugar over top.

  • 5)

    A basic white frosting sprinkled with almonds was also popular.

Notes

Source: https://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/liho/printVersion.html (via this Twitter post)