Mrs Beetons Baking Recipes Revisited
Rich Bride or Christening Cake
16 Eggs
2.27kg (5lb) Flour
2.27kg (5lb) Currants
1.35kg (3lb) Butter
900g (2lb) Caster Sugar
450g (1lb) Sweet Almonds
225g (8oz) Candied Citron
225g (8oz) Candied Orange
225g (8oz) Lemon Peel
150ml (¼ pint) Wine
150ml (¼ pint) Brandy
7g (¼oz) Ground Mace
2 Nutmegs, grated
Orange Flower Water
Pinch Ground Cloves
Sift the flour as finely as possible.
Whisk the egg whites and yolks separately.
Pound the almonds with a little orange flower water.
Cut the candied peel into neat slices.
Cream the butter, stir in the sugar.
Whisk egg the whites to a solid froth, mix them with the butter and sugar.
Beat the yolks for 10 minutes and add to the flour, nutmegs, mace and cloves.
Continue beating together for 30 minutes or longer.
Lightly mix in the currants, almonds and candied peel with the wine and brandy.
Line a cake tin with buttered paper.
Fill with the mixture.
Bake the cake in a tolerably quick oven, taking care, not to burn it.
To prevent this, the top of it may be covered with a sheet of paper.
To test when the cake is done, plunge a clean knife into the middle of it, withdraw it directly and if the blade is not sticky and looks bright, the cake is baked.
These cakes are usually spread with a thick layer of almond icing and over that another layer of sugar icing and afterwards ornamented.
In baking a large cake like this, great attention must be paid to the heat of the oven, it should not be too fierce, but have a good soaking heat.
Time: 5 to 6 hours.
RICH BRIDE or CHRISTENING CAKE
1753. INGREDIENTS - 5 lbs. of the finest flour, 3 lbs. of fresh butter, 5 lbs. of currants, 2 lbs. of sifted loaf sugar, 2 nutmegs, 1/4 oz. of mace, half 1/4 oz. of cloves, 16 eggs, 1 lb. of sweet almonds, 1/2 lb. of candied citron, 1/2 lb. each of candied orange and lemon peel, 1 gill of wine, 1 gill of brandy.
Mode - Let the flour be as fine as possible, and well dried and sifted; the currants washed, picked, and dried before the fire; the sugar well pounded and sifted; the nutmegs grated, the spices pounded; the eggs thoroughly whisked, whites and yolks separately; the almonds pounded with a little orange-flower water, and the candied peel cut in neat slices. When all these ingredients are prepared, mix them in the following manner. Begin working the butter with the hand till it becomes of a cream-like consistency; stir in the sugar, and when the whites of the eggs are whisked to a solid froth, mix them with the butter and sugar; next, well beat up the yolks for 10 minutes, and, adding them to the flour, nutmegs, mace, and cloves, continue beating the whole together for 1/2 hour or longer, till wanted for the oven. Then mix in lightly the currants, almonds, and candied peel with the wine and brandy; and having lined a hoop with buttered paper, fill it with the mixture, and bake the cake in a tolerably quick oven, taking care, however, not to burn it: to prevent this, the top of it may be covered with a sheet of paper. To ascertain whether the cake is done, plunge a clean knife into the middle of it, withdraw it directly, and if the blade is not sticky, and looks bright, the cake is sufficiently baked. These cakes are usually spread with a thick layer of almond icing, and over that another layer of sugar icing, and afterwards ornamented. In baking a large cake like this, great attention must be paid to the heat of the oven; it should not be too fierce, but have a good soaking heat.
Time - 5 to 6 hours.
Average cost, 2s. per lb.
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