Sweet Baked Goods Railroad Cake

railroad cake
(from the Civilian & Telegraph, of Cumberland, Maryland, July 4, 1861)

Ingredients:

1 cup flour​

1 cup sugar​

4 tbsp. sweet milk​

1 tbsp. butter​

2 eggs​

1 tsp. cream of tartar​

1/2 tsp. soda​

Instructions:

Railroad Cake. — 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 4 tablespoonsful sweet milk, 1 tablespoonful butter, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoonful cream of tartar, half teaspoonful soda, beat ten minutes, then put in pan, and bake as usual.​

 

[Gary Morgan]

I'm trying to decide what "sweet milk" is. Cream? Eagle brand? Milk with sugar?

 

[Copperhead-mi]

I'm trying to decide what "sweet milk" is. Cream? Eagle brand? Milk with sugar?

What Is Sweet Milk — And Why Is It In So Many of My Grandma's Recipes?

What Is Sweet Milk - And Why Is It In So Many of My Grandma's Recipes?

Hint: It doesn't have anything to do with sweetened condensed milk.

www.allrecipes.com

 

[Gary Morgan]

What Is Sweet Milk — And Why Is It In So Many of My Grandma's Recipes?

What Is Sweet Milk - And Why Is It In So Many of My Grandma's Recipes?

Hint: It doesn't have anything to do with sweetened condensed milk.

www.allrecipes.com

Thank you. You may have just saved me from making a horrible mistake (although my dog would probably have eaten it, anyway).

 

[donna]

I knew it was whole milk. My Granny referred to whole milk as sweet milk. It is called that in several recipes that have been posted.

 

[CivilWarTalk]

From:

Reference - Glossary of 19th Century Recipe Terms | Receipts of the Blue & Gray

Ardant spirits: alcohol Arrow root: a starch obtained from the rhizomes (rootstock) of several tropical plants. Bitter almonds: a variety of almond with a bitter taste sometimes used as flavoring or in oils. The almond variety sold by the food industry today is the sweet almond. Black butter...

civilwartalk.com

Buttermilk: the liquid left over after churning butter, using cream from fresh milk. Most modern buttermilk is cultured, using pasteurized milk.

Sour milk: fresh whole milk that was left to ferment and sour by keeping it in a warm place for a day, often near a stove. Pasteurized milk may spoil rather than sour.

Sweet milk: whole milk; it was called sweet milk to distinguish it from buttermilk.