The Albany Muskrat pointed this out today, and given the interest in the early 19th century "Albany Cake" recipe last fall, we figured you might be curious: This is said to be the recipe for the cake served at the 1780 wedding of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany.

The recipe is from a document dated 1941 from the NYS Archives, and posted online by the What America Ate project. The document -- which, somewhat oddly has the title "Schuyler Wedding Cake 1690" -- attributes the recipe to a Mrs. Richard Schuyler of Ballson Spa, "for many years mistress of the ancestral home, The Flatts." (The Schuyler Flatts property is in what's now Menands.)

Anyway, check out the recipe:

12 pounds brown sugar

12 pounds butter

12 pounds of browned flour

12 dozen eggs

46 pounds raisins

24 pounds citron

Molasses [handwritten] - 1 gallon

3 quarts Brandy

1 quart Jamaica Rum

12 ounces each of cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg, pounded fine in a mortar.

10 teaspoons salt

12 teaspoons pearl ash

mix in large oaken tub. and bake 16 hours.

This is obviously for a very large batch, but... yeah, three quarts of brandy and one quart of rum.

Pearl ash? As historian Sarah Evenson explained to us last year, "Pearl ash is potassium carbonate, a leavening agent used before baking powder or baking soda. You don't see much mention of this until the late 18th/early 19th century. Prior to that, yeast and whipped egg whites were the chief leavening agents."

The recipe documented appears to be from some sort of almanac, and is attributed to J.A. DeHollander. We mostly came up empty of a few quick searches today, though. Maybe you know more about this person? Update: Pamela provides the backstory in the comments.

Update: Pastry chef Greg Kern tried out the recipe and the cake was... not good.

Earlier on AOA:

+ Baking that Albany Cake

+ What did Albany eat in the 18th century?

+ "You maintain your empire in spite of all my efforts..."

image via What America Ate / NYS Archives