Martha Washington's Great Cake

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Ingredients

  • Icing (optional):
  • 10 eggs, separated
  • 2 cups (4 sticks) butter, room temperature
  • 2 1/4 cups (1 pound) sugar
  • 4 1/4 cups (20 ounces) flour
  • 20 ounces assorted chopped fruits and nuts (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon ground mace
  • 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 ounces (1/4 cup) cooking wine or sherry
  • 2 ounces (1/4 cup) brandy
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon orange-flower water or rose water

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites to a soft peak. In another large bowl, cream butter, then carefully mix in beaten egg whites, one large spoonful at a time. Gradually add sugar, one spoonful at a time. Add egg yolks and blend, then gradually add flour and blend well. Add fruits and nuts, mace, nutmeg,

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near center of pan comes out clean. Cool in pan about 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. If you plan to ice the cake, wait until it’s almost

When ready to ice cake, if using icing, preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Beat egg whites to a froth, then add 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and continue mixing. Gradually add remaining sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time.

Add lemon zest and

orange-flower or rose water. Beat several minutes, until icing is stiff enough to separate when a knife is pulled through. Smooth icing over entire cake. Place it in preheated oven 1 hour to let it dry and harden