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    Some receipts from this era attempted to give medicinal advice. Many dangerous, and in some cases, deadly, "cures" were given, reflecting the primitive knowledge of that time period. Don't assume everything you read here is safe to try! Recipes and Receipts posted here are for Historic Research Purposes, enjoy them, learn from them, discuss them!

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Sweet Baked Goods Seed-Cake

common seed-cake
(from The Book of Household Management, edited by Isabella Beeton, 1861)
1775.

Ingredients:

1/2 quartern of dough​
1/4 lb. of good dripping​
6 oz. of moist sugar​
1/2 oz. of caraway seeds​
1 egg​
Instructions:
Mode: If the dough is sent in from the baker's, put it in a basin covered with a cloth, and set it in a warm place to rise. Then with a wooden spoon beat the dripping to a liquid; add it, with the other ingredients, to the dough, and beat it until everything is very thoroughly mixed. Put it into a buttered tin, and bake the cake for rather more than 2 hours.​
Time. - Rather more than 2 hours. Average cost, 8d.​
Seasonable at any time.​


a very good seed-cake
(from The Book of Household Management, edited by Isabella Beeton, 1861)
1776.

Ingredients:

1 lb. of butter​
6 eggs​
3/4 lb. of sifted sugar​
pounded mace & grated nutmeg to taste​
1 lb. of flour​
3/4 oz. of caraway seeds​
1 wineglassful of brandy​

Instructions:

Mode: Beat the butter to a cream; dredge in the flour; add the sugar, mace, nutmeg, and caraway seeds, and mix these ingredients well together. Whisk the eggs, stir to them the brandy, and beat the cake again for 10 minutes. Put it into a tin lined with buttered paper, and bake it from 1-1/2 to 2 hours. This cake would be equally nice made with currants, and omitting the caraway seeds.​
Time. - 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Average cost, 2s. 6d.​
Seasonable at any time.​



catalogues-de-semences-vintage-4.jpg

(Pubic Domain image)

Seed-Cakes, flavored with caraway, were popular fare throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, but faded from glory in the early 1900s. If you don't want to make a cake from scratch, you can just add a tablespoon of caraway seeds to a store-bought sponge or butter cake mix!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
What would sifted sugar be? Confectionery sugar?
 
What would sifted sugar be? Confectionery sugar?ugar absorbs moisture from the air, forming hardened lumps that can affect the texture of your baking projects. Sifting removes these lumps and makes the sugar fluffier by adding air. Any fine mesh can be used for sifting, most commonly a kitchen strainer

Sifted sugar has been sifted through a kitchen strainer. This makes the sugar fluffier by adding air.
 
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