Last updated on February 21st, 2025
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What is Washington Cake?
The Historic Washington Cake is a rich, tender pound cake that combines natural ingredients like currants soaked in brandy, and warm spices like nutmeg and cloves. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, this cake was traditionally served in honor of Washington’s Birthday on February 22nd. This cake was considered an everyday cake, similar to a Composition Cake, which is basic adaptable recipe. It predates the naming of cakes like “sponge cake” or “pound cake”, etc. Try baking up this historic vintage dessert to celebrate the upcoming President’s Day.
Washington Cake should not be mistaken for other famous desserts like Martha Washington’s Great Cake, a rich fruitcake made at Mt. Vernon for Epiphany on January 6th. Sometimes, it can also be mistaken for Martha Washington’s Pie, which is actually a cake with a delicate sponge cake with a fruit jam served with tea.
Recipe Research
I found original recipes for the cake from “The Ladies’ New Book of Cookery” by Sarah Josepha Buell originally published in 1852.
Beat together 1 1/2 lb. of sugar, and three quarters of pound of butter; add 4 eggs well beaten, half pint of sour milk, and 1 tea-spoonful of saleratus, dissolved in a little hot water. Stir in gradually 1 3/4 lb. of flour, 1 wine glassful of wine or brandy, and 1 nutmeg grated. Beat all well together. This will make two round cakes. It should be baked in a quick oven, and will take from 15 to 30 minutes, according to the thickness of the cakes.
Here is another Washington cake recipe based on Virginia Campbell’s 1840’s original recipe, in the book “The Guilded Table” by Suzanne Corbett (2015).
1 3/4 lbs. flour, 1 1/2 lbs. sugar, 3/4 lb. butter, 8 eggs, 1 pint warm milk, 1 teaspoonfull of pearl ash dissolved in french brandy, 2 lbs. currants or raisins, or 1 lb. of each, 2 nutmegs, and 6 cloves, 1 teacup brandy.
Baking it Modern
To bake it Modern, I started by taking the original 1800’s recipes and broke them down into American modern measurements and modified it.
1 3/4 lbs. flour= 6 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 lbs. sugar = 3 1/3 c.
3/4 lb. butter = 1 1/2 c. butter (3 sticks)
8 eggs
1 pint warm milk = 2 c.
1 teaspoonfull of pearl ash dissolved in french brandy = 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
NOTE: Pearl Ash was a potassium carbonate chemical leavening agent used in early days.
2 lbs. currants or raisins, or 1 lb. of each, = 5 – 6 c. currants
2 nutmegs = 2 tsp.
6 cloves = 1/2 tsp.
1 teacup brandy = 1/3 c.
Ingredients
- currants: Zante currants are are a small, dried, dark seedless grapes berries. If you don’t have currants on hand, smaller type raisins such as Thompson variety are fine.
- flour: Use all-purpose unbleached flour that contains between 10-12% protein. My favorite is King Arthur or Sir Galahad Artisan Flour (its name when purchased in bulk) which contains 11.7% protein. Do NOT use Bread flour as it contains 11-14% protein, thus producing more gluten and yields dense baked goods.
- butter: American butter is made from cream with 80% butterfat. European butter, churned longer, has a higher fat content (82%-85%), which yields more flavor, but is more expensive.
- sugar: Sugar, derived from sugarcane, is a key ingredient in baking that adds sweetness, texture, and moisture. Granulated sugar is the most common type. For a more natural option, try cane sugar, which has a slightly courser texture and needs to be incorporated a bit longer when mixing into recipes.
- buttermilk: Buttermilk is a cultured dairy product that adds a tangy flavor and creates tenderness in baked goods. When purchasing buttermilk, look for simple, natural ingredients such as “cultured milk”. MAKE YOUR OWN! Add 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 before use.
- eggs: Eggs are important in baking because their protein provides structure, they are a natural leavener trapping air that expands during baking, and they add moisture to baked goods.
- ClearJel: For light and tender baked goods, I add Instant ClearJel to almost all of my baked goods. If ClearJel is hard to find, cornstarch is a good substitute. To swap: 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.
- Brandy: French Brandy, also known as Cognac, is a high-quality 80-proof spirit double distilled from Ugni Blanc grapes in the Cognac region of France. Brandy ranges from 70-100 proof, and can be made worldwide from a blend of fruit juices and grapes.
- nutmeg: Nutmeg is a warm spice that comes from the nutmeg tree in the Spice Islands. It is available as whole nutmeg, grated or pre-ground.
- clove: Cloves are the dried flower buds from clove trees, grown in the Spice Islands. Whole cloves are used to infuse flavor into culinary dishes, while ground cloves add a warm, spicy kick to baked goods.
- Before adding dried fruit to baked goods, soak them in hot water, rum, bourbon or brandy. This will help plump them up and infuse flavor.
- Toss dried fruit into 1 tablespoon of flour and add by hand to the batter. This will prevent them from all sinking to the bottom of the cake.
- For easy release from bundt pans, spray with non-stick spray or “paint” on very soft butter to all the crevices and then dust lightly with flour, shaking off the excess.
- Keep decorating simple and natural. Dust cake with a light coating of powdered sugar or make a simple glaze.
- To help retain moisture in your cakes, after taking them out from the oven, cover with a baking sheet. Let them cool for about 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges and turn the cake out onto a piece of parchment paper. Then wrap right away in saran wrap.
Dietary Substitutions
For the past 12+ years, I 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. Both Violife Plant Butter OR Country Crock Olive Oil Sticks are good choices because 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.
More vintage cakes recipes to try:
Washington Cake
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 3 c. unbleached flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 T. Instant ClearJel
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp. nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. clove
- ¾ tsp. salt
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1 c. butter room temp
- 2 c. sugar
- 6 eggs large
- 1 T. vanilla
- 1 c. buttermilk
- ½ c. brandy
- 8 oz. currants
Instructions
PREP
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour bundt pan.
- Whisk together the flour and spices in a bowl and set aside.
- Pour ½ c. of brandy into a liquid measuring cup. Add the 8 oz. of currants and set aside.
CAKE BATTER
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs in one at a time.
- Add the dry ingredients.
- Add the additional wet ingredients buttermilk and brandy. Mix until just combined.
- Drain the brandy from the currants and pour it into the batter. Toss currants in a bit of flour and stir into the cake batter by hand.
BAKE
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350° for about 50-55 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the cake on a wire rack to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Turn it out of the pan to cool completely before decorating.
ICING
- Dust cake with powdered sugar or make a Brandy glaze using 1 c. confectioner sugar, 1-2 T. brandy, 1 T. milk, 1 tsp. vanilla.
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @vintagebakedmodern on Instagram and hashtag it #vintagebakedmodern
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