Food - News
The Mary Todd Lincoln Cake Abraham Lincoln Reportedly Said Was The
Best Ever
By MARIA SCINTO
Born into a wealthy family where slaves performed the kitchen duties, the young Mary Todd was the least domestic of her sisters. However, she did have one cake in her repertoire, and Abraham Lincoln supposedly called it the best cake he'd ever eaten when Mary Todd served it to him during their courting days.
The cake in question is a simplified version of a white cake created by Lexington, Kentucky caterer Monsieur Giron. However, we can't say for sure whether Mary Todd baked the vanilla almond cake by herself or had some help from the family cook, as "The True Story of Mary, Wife of Lincoln" notes that Aunt Chaney was also well-versed in this particular recipe.
That said, Lincoln may have uttered the same words — "best cake I ever ate" — after tasting a pecan-raisin cake made by Mary Todd. There may also be a third candidate for Lincoln's favorite cake, as The South Amboy Citizen once published a recipe for "Lincoln's Courting Cake," which they claimed he liked eating when visiting his future bride.