[Sca-cooks] Re: cake documentation?

[Mem Morman]

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"KarenO" <kareno at lewistown.net> wrote:
>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?

At our Dragonsspine cooks guild meeting last thursday i made up
anne-marie's redaction for a digby cake.  it was absolutely wonderful -
especially warm.  here's the recipe (it appeared in the december 2000
issue of Serve It Forth!):

Another very good Cake
Take four quarts of fine flour, two pound and half of Butter, three
quarters of a pound of Sugar, four Nutmegs, a little Mace, a pound of
Almonds finely beaten, half a pint of Sack, a pint of good Ale-yeast, a
pint of boiled Cream, twelve yolks, and four whites of eggs; four pound
of Currans. When you have wrought all these into a very fine paste, let
it be kept warm before the fire half an hour, before you set it into the
Oven. If you please, you may put into it two pound of Raisens of the Sun
stoned and quartered. Let your Oven be of a temperate heat, and let your
Cake stand therein two hours and a half, before you ice it; and
afterwards only to harden the ice. The ice for this Cake is made thus.
Take the whites of three new-laid eggs, and three quarters of a pound of
fine Sugar finely beaten; beat it well together with the whites of the
eggs, and ice The Cake. If you please you may add a little Musk or
Ambergreece.
The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Opened

REDACTION:
The amounts are in proportion from the original, just scaled down.

Ingredients:
 3 1/4 cups flour
 2 sticks butter, softened
 1/3 cup sugar
 2 teaspoons nutmeg
 1/4 teaspoon mace
 1 cup currants
 2/3 cup golden raisins
 3/4 cup ground almonds
 1/2 cup half and half, warmed to body temp.
 1/4 cup sack
  (Dry Sack, available from the liquor store, NOT cooking sherry!)
 1 egg
 2 egg yolks
 1 teaspoon yeast
 1/3 cup beer or warm water
 2 egg whites
 2 cups powdered sugar

Procedure:
· Cut butter and flour together with a fork or your hand until mealy
(no lumps).
· Add sugar, spices, raisins, and almonds and mix well to blend.
· In a separate bowl, beat well together the cream, sack, and eggs.
· Dissolve the yeast in the beer (or warm water) and let it sit on the
stove with the oven on till it's a bit burbly and warmed up.
· Add to beaten egg mixture, and mix well with a fork.
· Now add to the dry ingredients and mix well. It forms a heavy dough,
like cookie dough.
· Butter and flour a ring mold. Spoon the dough into the ring mold, and
cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm place 1/2 hour (it will not rise
appreciably rise).
· Bake in a 350o oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Do not
overbake...check by sticking with a knife. It will come out damp
looking, but not gooey.
· Remove from ring mold onto a cookie sheet. Let cool slightly, until
still warm but not hot.
· Drizzle with icing of 2 egg whites and 2 cups powdered sugar. Return
to oven for a couple minutes to harden icing.
· Serve warm if possible.

NOTES:
Please note that you want to use SACK, not cooking sherry (UGH). If you
substitute port, let me know how it goes.

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