[Sca-cooks] Random food-related questions....

[Elaine Koogler]

Yup...that's the one.  Here's my version of it.  To be honest, it's been a
while since I made this, but it turned out pretty well.  I used it as a base
for marzipan sotolties...and once as a wedding cake.  So I've never made the
icing described in the recipe.

Enjoy!

Kiri

4 Cups flour
3/4 pound butter
1 1/4 pounds currants
1 Tablespoon cloves, mace, nutmeg
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon saffron
1/4 cup dry sack
1/2 cup ale barm
ICING MIXTURE
2 Tablespoons rosewater
1 each egg white
sugar to taste

1.    Mix spices with flour, reserving a small amount to flour currants.

2.    Add melted butter, barm and rosewater.

3.    Four currants with reserved flour/spice mixture and fold into dough.

4.    Turn into a greased cake pan and bake in a 350 oven for 1 hour, 30
minutes
        or until done through the middle.

Yield: 1 cake

Notes: To a peck of fine flour, take 6 pounds of fresh butter, which must be
tenderly melted,
ten pounds of Currants, of Cloves and mace, half an ounce each, an ounce of
Cinnamon, half an
ounce of Nutmegs, four ounces of Sugar, one pint of Sack, mixed with a quart
at least of thick
barm of Ale (as soon as it is settled, to have the thick fall to the bottom,
which will be when
it is about two days old) half a pint of Rosewater, half a quarter of an
ounce of Saffron.
then make your paste, strewing the spices, finely beaten uon the flower;
Then put the melted
butter (but even just melted) to it; then the barm, and other liquors; and
put it into the
oven well heated presently.  For better baking of it, put it in a hoop and
let it stand in theoven one hour and a half.  You Ice the Cake with the
whites of two Eggs, a small qauanty of Rosewater and some Sugar.

Cuisine: Period English

Categories: Period desserts

Source: The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Opened--redacted by E. Koogler
Copyright: 1997, Totnes, Devon, Great Britain





On 11/14/06, Sue Clemenger <mooncat at in-tch.com> wrote:
>
> I think that's the one I was actually thinking of--is it the one with all
> the currants in it?
> --Maire
>
>