Today in American history…Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in Hodgenville, Kentucky.

In honor of President Lincoln’s birthday, we made one of his favorite desserts: Mary Todd Lincoln’s White Cake. Read here to learn more about the history behind the cake and about family life in Springfield, Illinois.

Mary Todd Lincoln’s White Cake

Ingredients

1 cup blanched almonds, chopped in a food processor until they resemble a coarse flour
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
6 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
confectionary sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan.

Cream butter and sugar. Sift flour and baking powder 3 times. Add to creamed butter and sugar, alternating with milk. Stir in almonds and beat well.

Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter. Stir in vanilla extract.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Turn out on a wire rack and cool. When cool, sift confectionary sugar over top

A basic white frosting sprinkled with almonds was also popular.