[Sca-cooks] Re: cake documentation?

[Mark.S Harris]

Caointiarn asked:
>     I ran across a recipe for a dense rich cake  {read "pound"} that was
> "borrowed" from colonial Williamsburg.  That lead me to remember a Nun's
> cake shared on this list, supposedly English 15th century.  Both contained
> extracts & baking powder, but there has  gotta be something known about
> larger cakes such as these  {ya know the pound of fair flour, butter & eggs}
> I've been searching my cookbook collection,  hunted the Flori-thingy,
> something found by a friend in Digby I'll see today,  and  I found something
> from Martha WAshington,  but litle else.    Any help with this?

I'm not sure where you've looked in the Florilegium. I think most cake
recipes I have are likely to be in this file in the FOOD-SWEETS section:
desserts-msg     (112K)  1/12/01    Medieval and SCA dessert recipes.
Sweets.

I'm not sure if this one meets your requirements or not, but this one is
from the above file:
> Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2000 18:42:14 -0600
> From: Magdalena <magdlena at earthlink.net>
> Subject: SC - seed cake from Tusser
>
> Seed Cake
>
> Melt 2 lbs of butter and let it stand 24 hours and then rub
> in 4 lbs of fine dried flour.  Mix in 8 eggs, (wip the
> whites to sno') and pt of ale yeast and 1 pt of sack. (any
> white wine). Mix all together lightly and put in 2 lbs
> Carraway comfits.  Put into buttered Hoops and bake 2 hours
> and a half.  You may mix in 1/2 oz of cloves and cinnamon if
> you like.

> - -Magdalena

Stefan li Rous
stefan at texas.net