martha washington's cake

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 2 3/4 cups golden raisins
• 2 cups dried currants
• 1 cup orange zest
• 6 ounces candied lemon peel
• 3/4 cup chopped candied citron
• 1/3 cup candied angelica
• 1/3 cup red candied cherries
• 1/3 cup green candied cherries
• 1/2 cup
• 4 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground mace
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 10 eggs, separated
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup
• 1 cup

Recipe

• place raisins and currants in a bowl, and add enough water to just cover them. soak overnight.
• chop orange and lemon peel quite fine; do the same with the citron, angelica, and both types of cherries. pour 1/2 cup over fruit, and allow to stand overnight.
• sift together flour, mace, and nutmeg.
• beat egg yolks until thick and light, then beat in 1 cup of sugar a little at a time. stir in lemon juice. beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• in a large bowl, cream the butter, and then add 1 cup sugar a little at a time; beat until smooth. combine yolk mixture with creamed mixture. add flour and 1/3 cup alternately to the creamed mixture. stir in all the fruit, and fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. pour batter into a well greased and floured 10 inch mold or tube pan. this cake can also be made in 2 large loaf pans.
• place a pan of hot water in the bottom of a preheated 350 degree f (175 degrees c) oven. place cake pans in oven, and bake about 20 minutes. reduce heat to 325 degrees f (165 degrees c); continue baking 100 minutes for large cake, or 40 minutes for loaf cakes. cakes are done when a toothpick comes out dry. turn cake(s) out on rack to cool.
• wrap cake(s) in cheesecloth soaked in , and store in airtight container for a month or more. if the cheesecloth dries out in the mellowing period soak it again with the same , and rewrap the cake.