A Cake We Can Believe In

I looked into the oven and I saw the future rising.

And it is sweet.

There will be raw cane sugar, traded with equity and justice for all. (Yes we can.)

There will be organic flour that respects the earth and restores America's leadership in the world. (Yes we can.)

And there will be tart and never bitter Meyer lemons that unite lemon-lovers and lemon-detractors alike. (Yes we can.)

This, my friends, is a cake we can believe in. Fire up your oven and join the baking revolution.

On Super Tuesday, I invite you to vote with your whisks, as Miss Flora Ziegler of Columbus and Mrs. T. B. of Chicago did in the presidential election of 1876.

Their competing recipes for lemon cake, published in Buckery Cookery and Practical Housekeeping (1877), were named for their chosen candidates, Mr. Hayes and Mr. Tilden. Banned as Flora and Mrs. B were from the voting booth, the cake-as-political-statement has a sort of proto-proto-feminist appeal, wouldn't you agree?

Since first paging through American Food Writing, I've been intrigued and charmed by the concept behind the rival cakes. But until now, I haven't had the proper occasion to make them. And then my man Edwards dropped out, and an opportunity arose.

Invited to an afternoon tea party at the home of a new friend, mere days before 22 states vote in the Democratic primary, I donned my frilly apron and baked two cakes. One had granular sugar, the other powdered; one had effervescent soured milk, the other corn starch; one had fresh-squeezed lemon juice, the other bottled extract.

Substantially, they're not that different (a lemon cake is a lemon cake is a lemon cake), but there's an authenticity and inspiration gap. I see corn starch in a recipe and I feel deflated. I see fresh lemon juice, and I'm thrilled to use Meyer lemons, in season in California and at a co-op/fine food store near you (they're Alice Waters' favorite and my only substitution in either recipe.)

The likes of Michael Pollan and Barbara Kingsolver would argue that all grocery shopping, all cooking, all eating is political. To the extent to which we are so privileged that those decisions are ours, I agree. But this isn't what they had in mind.

Senator Clinton's cake fell in the middle, leaving a large, uncooked, subterranean pool. Disappointing. Left a sour taste in my mouth, too. Now, I'm not sayin'. I'm just sayin'.

As I prepared the icings for the cake, I couldn't resist a little fun. I stirred dark chocolate into Obama's.

And if you are like one politically astute fellow tea-party reveler, you will have just one question: "So which of the cakes is which? Which one is the one that actually won?" (That would be Hayes, our 19th President; I looked this up AFTER I baked the cakes, mind you.)

"Obama," I told him, "Draw your conclusions."


Obama Cake

When Meyer lemons are no longer in season, use regular lemons -- but under no circumstances may you use extract! :) Top with a thin spread of chocolate icing; recipe below.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs beaten well together
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 cup sour milk (or 1/2 cup milk plus 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar. Let stand 15 mins.)
2 scant cups flour
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon
Greased 9 by 9-inch baking pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add beaten eggs and stir to combine. In a small bowl, combine soda and milk. Add to butter and eggs mixture. Add the flour, a little at a time, stirring between each addition. Add Meyer lemon juice. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, until toothpick emerges clean.

Clinton Cake

Not unlike a classic lemon pound cake, but a bit dryer and lighter. Top with a thin spread of vanilla icing; recipe below.

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup milk
3 cups flour
1/2 cup corn starch
4 eggs, gently whisked together
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 scant teaspoons lemon extract
9 by 9-inch greased baking sheet

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add milk and stir to blend. Add flour, about 1 cup at a time, and corn starch, stirring in between additions until smooth. Add eggs, baking powder and lemon extract and stir to blend. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, until toothpick emerges clean. Allow cake to cool before icing.

Quick Icing: Vanilla and Chocolate

Adapted from The Joy of Cooking. This recipe yields about 1/2 cup, enough for a thin layer on both cakes.

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
A chunk of dark chocolate, let's say about 1 ounce

In a medium bow, beat sugar and butter on medium speed. Add milk, vanilla, and salt and correct the seasoning if necessary, adding more powdered sugar or milk. Divide the icing into 2 equal parts. Use one potion to spread a thin layer over the Clinton cake. Allow cake to cool before icing.

To make chocolate icing, melt chocolate in the microwave (stick it in for about 45 seconds, then microwave at about 20 second intervals, stirring in between --- you really don't want to overcook). Stir the chocolate into the reserved portion of icing until well blended. (You may want to use an electric mixer). Spread it over the Obama cake.