Hartford Election Cake – Gastro Obscura
"On Election Day, American voters leave polling sites with colorful “I Voted” stickers. But in colonial America, voters received a much more spectacular award: a slice of a gargantuan (and often booze-filled) cake."
"Election cake, or Hartford election cake, is a breadlike pastry that was popular in the 18th century. Unlike a modern cake, it is leavened with yeast instead of baking powder or soda, and it is the direct descendant of the English Great Cake, commonly eaten during holidays. Since the Puritans of New England rejected holidays like Christmas, Easter, and May Day—due to the holidays’ pagan or “Romish” associations—they celebrated secular occasions like elections. And a holiday called for a cake."
