Andrew Jackson is one of those larger-than-life presidents. There are so many interesting details about him that it is difficult to choose a starting point. So, let’s just go all the way back to his beginning.

Andrew Jackson started his life under difficult circumstances. His father died before he was even born, leaving him with his mother and two brothers. All three of his remaining family members died by the time Jackson was a teenager.  Perhaps this is what gave him the perspective and compassion to adopt three children and to be the legal guardian to numerous others.

Maybe this rough beginning created the perfect environment for a man to develop a fiery temper. Jackson’s temper was nothing to play with. He was known as a deuler.

He was also known as the Hero of New Orleans were also among his nicknames. He got the name Old Hickory because of his tough personality. The Hero of New Orleans comes from his work during the War of 1812.

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The Battle of New Orleans is what put Andrew Jackson on the national map. Without this, we may have never had a President Jackson. In the Battle of New Orleans, Jackson’s soldiers in battle against the British. Of their 5ooo men, the Americans suffered 71 casualties, a small fraction of the damage that the British faced.

Of the Battle of New Orleans, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote that Jackson was, “…was raised to the Presidency, and has been maintained there, solely by the recollection of a victory which he gained, twenty years ago, under the walls of New Orleans.”

The Cake:

Because the Battle of New Orleans was so essential to Jackson’s political trajectory, I wanted to use some flavors associated with the region in his cupcake. It is topped with cream cheese frosting tinted and flavored by Peychaud’s bitters with a  praline pecan garnish. The cupcake itself contains pecans. Not only are pecans grown in the Louisiana, but they are a species of hickory, perfect for Old Hickory.