Martha’s Virginia Cake

The General had a special fondness for this cake. The family referred to
it as “Virginia whiskey cake,” but the only recipes that I could find used
red wine and brandy…not whiskey. This recipe came from the hand of Mrs.
Washington’s granddaughter and it did not mention whiskey at all. I expect
that Ms. Curtis, the step-granddaughter of General Washington, was not too
keen on the fact that the old boy had a large rye whiskey still and traded
whiskey in the West Indies for special food products that he loved to eat
at Mount Vernon, products such as bananas and coconut. He also drank the
rye whiskey. So, in a fit of questionable historical research, I have
restored the whiskey to this cake. I believe that the father of our land
would approve.

This is an unusual type of fruit cake and it keeps for a good time, thus
offering Mrs. Washington another course for those unexpected visitors who
constantly appeared at her front door. It should have lasted; her recipe
calls for 40 eggs, 4 pounds of butter, 5 pounds of flour, and an equal
amount of fruit.

Cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Mix in the yolks.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and spices together. Stir the flour mixture
into the egg/sugar mixture. Mix in the port and the brandy. Stir in the
dried fruit.

Whip the egg whites until they form very soft peaks. Stir in about a
quarter of them to lighten the batter. Fold in the remaining egg whites
very gently.

Bake in a preheated 325? oven in 2 loaf pans for 1 hour, or until a
toothpick stuck into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cakes and pour half of the whiskey over each. Cover each pan
with aluminum foil and allow to sit for a day before serving.