The Great Cake is one of the recipes enjoyed by the Washington Family at Mount Vernon. Many of the ingredients could be found here, but some of them came from all over the world. Look for the Youth Programs team in the Ford Orientation Center to learn more about the ingredients, one of the people who made the cake, and how the recipe was passed on. While you are here, be sure to pick up a recipe to try at home.
All ages welcome.
Meet the Chef: Doll
Doll was an enslaved woman who worked as a cook in Mount Vernon's kitchens for many years.
The Great Cake
This is one of the few surviving recipes directly associated with Martha Washington. Great cake likely would have been served as part of a grand Christmas dinner or Twelfth Night party.
A Family Recipe
The Great Cake recipe was recorded by Martha Washington's granddaughter, Martha Parke Custis. She wrote the recipe down and passed it down in her family.