Historic Cooking-18th C Pound Cake
Our fiber group was meeting this past weekend for our monthly fiber play day. I try to make some kind of snack for everyone to enjoy. Since I had not made this in a long time, I decided on the 18th C Pound Cake.
Similar to today’s pound cake recipes ingredients, but the flavor profile is distinctly different.
I originally found this recipe in “The Williamsburg Art of Cookery” and its credited to Wicomico Church c-1754
Here it is as written in the cookbook.
1C butter
1 1/3C sugar
1t Mace
5 whole eggs
2C flour sifted (there is a difference in measure between flour sifted and sifted flour, so make sure you check your recipes for this distinction)
Cream your butter before adding your sugar to make it nice and light. Add sugar and beat well.
Add your mace and beat again.
Add your eggs one at a time
Add your flour
Turn your batter into a greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and test for doneness. If you double this it takes about 1 1/2 hours to bake.
If you note this recipe does not call for any kind of extract. I have made it without any, with vanilla, with rose water, or with orange blossom water. All have tasted great. For this one I did use rose water. It lends a very delicate floral note to the cake which I enjoy. I added about 3-ish tablespoons at the same time I added the mace.
I did pair this with real whipped cream, also with a touch of rose water in it.
Enjoy!
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Farm updates on previous posts:
The county came and took the drug dealers car out of my side yard after a week. The druggies were not too worried about getting it back since, I found out, that the car was a rental. Two of the druggies have been in the store I work at, and neither one recognized me LOL! Unfortunately, they are all still running around free selling their crap.
Lucy-She is still residing in the barn recovering from her midnight misadventure. We did wrap one ankle. I don’t suspect anything is broken; I did not feel any crepitus nor displaced bones. Her hips line up and the one is not dislocated. I think between banging it and breaking the toes it was just too bruised and tender for her to walk on comfortable. She is putting weight on it now when she walks, and maybe a few more days of R&R will have her back out with the flock.
Tally-He is now in the barn with Lucy, but in a different pen since he is still a ramly one. It looks like he got some hay in one eye and it created a minor infection that we are dealing with. Twice daily eye flushes, vetricyn gel and antibiotic cream have it clearing up nicely. He opens it now, and there is no more discharge. He is totally enjoying all the hay he can eat and the company of a lovely lady.
Blessed Be!
Oh, I have so much reading to catch up on!! The pound cake looks delish! I made pound cake with Mace as a teenager. I don't remember if it had other flavorings.
Sounds like even something I could bake. People run for the hills when they hear me say, "I think I'll bake". I am HORRIBLE at baking, really because I don't like to do it. Ask me to make dessert or Thanksgiving for 12+ Thanksgiving it is! Good grief, what in God's name is an eighth of a tsp? Now I know that a tablespoon of garlic really means a fourth of a cup.
And how in God's name did those people know about mace? It is from Jamaca! Rum trade?
Have a fun day!