Tea for the rich and starved

Cake and Wine

Raphaelle Peale (1774-1825)

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I've missed my Saturday rendez-vous with Gutenberg the last month. A couple of days ago I took a quick peek to check if they had put up any interesting books lately. They certainly had! Books like "Literary Tours in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland", "The Young Lady's Equestrian Manual",

"Camping with President Roosevelt"

THE PRESIDENT WITH MR. BURROUGHS AND

SECRETARY LOEBJUST BEFORE ENTERING THE PARK.
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and "The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory; In Which will Be Found a Large Collection of Original Receipts". 3rd ed. by Charlotte Campbell Bury. This cookery book from 1844 has some recipes that I find interesting even if I wouldn't dream of trying them. What do you think of this cake?

A very rich Cake.
Two pounds and a half of fresh butter, twenty-four eggs, three-pounds of flour, one pound and a half of sugar, one ounce of mixed spice, four pounds of currants, half a jar of raisins, half of sweet almonds, a quarter of a pound of citron, three quarters of orange and lemon, one gill of brandy, and one nutmeg. First work the butter to a cream; then beat the sugar well in; whisk the eggs half an hour; mix them with the butter and sugar; put in the spice and flour; and, when the oven is ready, mix in the brandy, fruit, and sweetmeats. It will take one hour and a half beating. Let it bake three hours.

And a caraway cake with two pounds of caraway seeds - I'm very fond of caraway seeds, but this sounds like a lot of seeds!

Caraway Cake. No. 1.
Melt two pounds of fresh butter in tin or silver; let it stand twenty-four hours; then rub into it four pounds of fine flour, dried. Mix in eight eggs, and whip the whites to a froth, a pint of the best yest, and a pint of sack, or any fine strong sweet wine. Put in two pounds of caraway seeds. Mix all these ingredients thoroughly; put the paste into a buttered pan, and bake for two hours and a half. You may mix with it half an ounce of cloves and cinnamon.

And finally a recipe that sounds a bit more "normal" for us modern bakers - and eaters:

Dry Tea Cakes.
Boil two ounces of butter in a pint of skimmed milk; let it stand till it is as cold as new milk; then put to it a spoonful of light yest, a little salt, and as much flour as will make it a stiff paste. Work it as much, or more, than you would do brown bread; let it lie half an hour to rise; then roll it into thin cakes; prick them very well quite through, to prevent their blistering, and bake them on tin plates in a quick oven. To keep crisp, they must be hung up in the kitchen, or where there is a constant fire.