Last updated on February 19th, 2025

History of Lincoln’s Cake
Ingredients
Dietary Substitutions
Equipment
Storage
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History of Lincoln’s Cake

Lincoln’s Favorite Cake is a rich, white cake with egg whites and finely ground almonds, frosted with an old-fashioned creamy boiled white frosting, and topped with slivered almonds. This historical cake dates back to the mid-19th century and was commonly served in honor of Lincoln’s Birthday on February 12th. It is sometimes called a ‘Mary Todd Lincoln Cake’ because she apparently baked a version of it for Mr. Lincoln while they were courting.

To this day, it remains known as Abraham Lincoln’s Favorite Cake, perfect alongside my Historic Washington Cake, both of which can easily be made to celebrate Presidents’ Day.

My vintage inspiration.

My vintage inspiration for this cake is from my “Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook” (1950, 1998). The recipe is based on the “Rich White Cake” and calls for the addition of slivered almonds and Tutti-Frutti Frosting between the layers and top. The frosting is a “Fluffy White Frosting” base with chopped nuts, candied cherries, date and raisins. However, I wanted to keep this cake closer to other historic Lincoln cake recipes by using just a simple white frosting.

How I baked it modern.

Because the recipe calls for cake flour, I used less all-purpose flour and added Instant ClearJel for a light, tender texture in the cake
Used of combination of baking powder and baking soda because, when combined with the acid in the buttermilk, it helps the cake rise well.
Added a little bit of almond extract to the cake to enhance almond flavor
Substituted butter for the shortening and added a bit of canola oil to compensate for the lower fat content in butter.
Used buttermilk vs. just “weak milk” in the original recipe to add tenderness

Ingredients

Flour: Use all-purpose unbleached flour with 10-12% protein, such as King Arthur or Sir Galahad Artisan Flour (its bulk-purchased name) which has 11.7% protein. Avoid bread flour, as its higher protein content (11-14%), develops more gluten, which results in dense baked goods.

Butter: Use a good quality butter such as Land O’ Lakes or Challenge brands. Another option is European butter, which is a bit more tangy as it is churned longer and produces a higher percentage of fat (82%-85%) vs. American butter which is regulated by the USDA to have a minimum of 80% fat. European butter has more flavor and less water, so it is high quality, but can be rather expensive.

Oil: Canola oil has a neutral and light flavor and is great for baked goods. Extra Light Olive Oil is another option. If your cake recipe calls for butter, you can substitute using all oil or if you still want to get flavor from butter use a combination of oil and butter together.

sugar: Sugar is derived from sugarcane and is a key ingredient in baking that provides sweetness, texture, and moisture to baked goods. The most common type being granulated white sugar. For a more natural option, use cane sugar which is less processed and has a slight golden color and hint of molasses. It does have a slightly courser texture, so be sure to incorporate a bit longer when mixing into recipes.

Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds a tangy flavor and yields tender baked goods. When purchasing buttermilk, look for simple, natural ingredients such as “cultured milk”. If you don’t have any on-hand, Its simple to make your own: Place 1 T. vinegar or lemon juice into a liquid measuring cup and add cream or whole milk until it reaches the 1 c. measure line and let it sit for a few minutes.

Almonds: Blanched almonds are ideal for baking because the skins have been removed, giving them a pale appearance and milder flavor compared to raw almonds with skins. For this recipe you can use ground blanched almonds, almond meal, or almond flour in the cake.

ClearJel: I add Instant ClearJel to almost all of my baked goods to give them a light and tender texture. If ClearJel is hard to find in your area, you can use cornstarch. To substitute: If the recipe calls for 1 T. cornstarch, use 1 1/2 T. ClearJel. If the recipe calls for 2 T. flour or tapioca, use 1 T. ClearJel. You can find it online here or in Amish or health food stores areas.

vanilla extract: Vanilla provides hints of caramel and spice, enhancing the depth of flavor to baked goods. Always use a high-quality, all-natural brand made from real vanilla beans containing at least 35% alcohol. MAKE YOUR OWN! Purchase Grade B vanilla beans (also called extract-grade), which have less moisture and a more concentrated flavor. Place 8 oz. of bourbon (or vodka) in glass bottle or jar. Split 5-7 vanilla beans down the middle and add to bottle. Let it sit for 3-6 months in a cool, dark place. As you use it, continue to replace the bourbon and add more beans as it keeps for many years.

Almond Extract: All-natural almond extract is made from bitter almonds or pits of stone fruits (like apricots) soaked in alcohol. Avoid using artificial almond extract, as it tastes bitter and lacks the depth of natural almond flavor.

Baker’s Tips

Be sure to grind the blanched almonds to a very fine chop. The texture should almost resemble a crumbly flour. I was able to find almond meal so I used that.
Use almond extract sparingly as it is very strong.
Beat egg whites separately: Set out the eggs before you start to come to room temperature. Beat the egg whites first before mixing up the rest of the batter, since they need to be made in a clean, non-greasy bowl to help them “whip” up. Gently fold by hand into the batter to help keep the cake light.
Lock-in moisture: After you pull your cake from the oven, cover the cake pan with a baking sheet and let cool for about 5 minutes. If your pan was well-greased, run a knife around the edges and turn the cake out onto a piece of parchment paper. Then wrap right away in saran wrap to seal in moisture.
Keep decorating simple and natural. Use natural ingredients that complement the flavor profile of the cake.

Dietary Substitutions

For the past 12+ years, I have owned an all-natural specialty bakery converting conventional recipes to gluten-free, vegan, keto, low-sugar, etc. These are proven tips I use to convert conventional recipes into delicious, specialty baked goods. Read more about it here.

TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE:

My number one tip is to let the batter rest as hydrating gluten-free flour will help eliminate grittiness. Even letting the batter sit 15 minutes will yield a light and tender baked good. You can let batter sit in the fridge overnight, and up to 3 days.
I recommend using a high-quality brand such as King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour.
Add 1-2 tablespoons additional buttermilk to help hydrate the flour.
It is best to bake gluten-free baked goods low and slow, so that you don’t burn them. Reduce the oven temperature by at least 25° from the directions.
Gluten-free baked goods do not have the same shelf-life as conventional baked goods. Store in airtight container on counter 1-2 days, refrigerate 3-5 days, or seal in plastic and place in freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. If frozen, allow to come to room temperature before opening the container.

TO MAKE VEGAN/DAIRY FREE:

Swap out the butter with vegan butter. Use Violife Plant Butter OR Country Crock Olive Oil Sticks since they have a subtle flavor. Also choose an unsalted version as many vegan butters are too salty.
To replace the egg, place 1 tsp. of baking soda into your baked good and pour 1 T. white vinegar on top of the baking soda.

Equipment

Recommended tools: (affiliate links)

stand mixer
whisk
mixing bowl
liquid measuring cup
measuring cups and spoons
Nordic Ware bundt pan (any classic style will work)

Storage

If Baked: Cover in air-tight container and leave on counter up to 3 days. To freeze, cover in saran wrap and place in freezer-safe container up to 6 months. Thaw on counter in the container for 1/2 hour before opening up the container.

Unbaked Batter: Prepare batter and place in a sealed container up to 3-5 days in refrigerator.

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