Mount Vernon: A Home
Slavery at Mount Vernon
Farm to Table

Dining with the Washingtons
Table Manners
Patriotic Foods
The Cost of Dining

Dessert with the Washingtons

Hover over some of the items to learn more

Cake was for special occasions at Mount Vernon. Mrs. Washington had a famous Great Cake that was made for the Christmas holidays. Why was this cake called the Great Cake? The recipe called for 40 eggs, 4 pounds of butter and 4 pounds of sugar. That is a lot of ingredients! Most cakes today only use about 4 eggs and 1/2 a pound of sugar.

Cake

Fruit

Nuts

Pie

In 1784, the Washingtons purchased a “Cream Machine for Ice” so they could make a summer favorite…ice cream! The ice cream machine was a large bucket with a spinner. Slaves mixed together cream, sugar and strawberries by hand in the machine until they were whipped together. Washington's ice cream would be a lot softer than the ice cream we have today.

Ice Cream

Tarts

What is there to drink?

Did you know?

The Washington's loved ice cream! Freezers didn't exist yet, so the Washington's had ice collected from the river during cold months to chill food, drinks and…ice cream!

We all scream for ice cream!

Christina| HIST 697 | George Mason University | Spring 2013