Connecticut bakers revive 1771 tradition with giant election cakes
A mother-daughter team won the fifth annual bake-off at the Old State House, claiming a 2027 commission for their patriotic design.
By Anthony Foster ·
In the eighteenth century, a single election cake in Connecticut required 30 quarts of flour to feed the crowds.
That specific volume of flour, combined with ten pounds of butter, 14 pounds of sugar, 12 pounds of raisins, three dozen eggs, and over a quart of wine or brandy, formed the base of the original celebration treats. These early confections were not the delicate pastries seen in modern bakeries. They resembled tough fruit cakes that were often soaked in alcohol. The sheer size of these 18th-century desserts meant they could not fit in a standard refrigerator. Bakers created them to sustain large groups of people during community-wide parties and parades.
The tradition of eating cake on election day dates back to 1771 in Hartford. At that time, the United States consisted of 13 original colonies. Connecticut was among the few regions where residents could elect their own officials. Nicole Sousa, the events and outreach manager at Connecticut's Old State House, noted that the colony and later the state felt a strong attachment to this custom. "It was definitely something that Connecticut, as a colony and then later as a state, celebrated and really felt attached to," Sousa said. Early records indicate that these cakes were a staple of the joyous celebrations that marked the day.
Writer Amelia Simmons included a scaled-down version of this traditional recipe in American Cookery. That text is widely recognized as the first American cookbook. The inclusion of the recipe helped preserve the culinary link to the political process for future generations.
On Oct. 26, the Old State House in Hartford hosted the fifth annual Election Cake Bake Off. Professional pastry chefs and bakers competed to create a non-partisan, election-themed dessert. The goal was to produce a cake that inspires voters and celebrates American democracy. "They're in it to win it for sure," Sousa said. "But they're also in it for the love of Election Day, the love of baking and the love of the idea of election cakes."
A panel of judges evaluated the entries based on presentation, creativity, and taste. The winner of the competition is named the official Connecticut Election Cake of 2026. In addition to the title, the winning baker receives a commission to create the birthday cake for the Old State House in 2027.
The 2026 title went to a mother-daughter duo led by Sophia Grestini of Amy's Cakes LLC in Cheshire, Connecticut. Their entry featured four layers of alternating lemon blueberry and traditional spiced sponge. The exterior of the cake displayed red, white, blue, and gold accents. Decorations included an "I voted" pin, a ballot box, and an American flag. Handcrafted fondant figures of a donkey and an elephant sat on the second tier to represent the two major political parties. A bald eagle sculpted entirely from frosting perched on the very top of the structure.
Sousa described the winning cake as delicious and noted that the bakers enjoyed the process. She characterized the event as joyous. "That's what we're trying to do with the election cake contest, we're trying to bring that joy back to Election Day," Sousa said. "It should be fun, it should be a way to show that you're contributing to your country and part of your community."
