Abraham Lincoln
Corn pone & buttery cabbage
Fine cornmeal binds more readily than coarse polenta; the dough should be soft enough to shape with damp hands.
The sixteenth president led the country through the Civil War.
Family or White House tradition
Almond cake belongs to the Mary Lincoln family tradition. This whole-egg home version makes a simpler cake than the elaborate white-cake recipes associated with that story.
The president & the table
White House accounts of cook Cornelia Mitchell connect Lincoln with corn pone and cabbage. National Park Service research also traces his enthusiasm for gingerbread and ginger crackers. These simple foods offer a more personal route to his table than the elaborate menus served on state occasions.
Behind this story
White House Historical Association on Cornelia Mitchell; National Park Service on Lincoln’s gingerbread; Lincoln family cake tradition.
