Victorian recipe of Apricot Cake

Apricot Cake

• Half a tin of apricots
• Quarter pint of apricot juice
• Four ounces of rich short pastry
• Five ounces of sugar
• Whites of three eggs
• A little almond essence

Method; Roll the pastry into a round the size of a dinner plate, roll scraps of pastry into strips to form edging. Wet the edges of the pastry and form a lip with the strips. Place on a flat baking tin, make two or three incisions with a fork in the centre of the round of pastry to keep it flat and bake until a light brown. Whip the eggs to a stiff paste and sweeten with two ounces of sugar and almond essence. Using a force bag add plenty of the stiff paste around the whole circle to produce a high edge then dust with sugar; return to the oven until it is lightly brown. In tandem with the above place a quarter pint of apricot juice with three ounces of sugar into a saucepan; boil gently until it sets, test by dropping a little from a spoon onto a plate. When both the pastry and the syrup had cooled arrange the apricots and pour over the syrup

Recipe of St. Honore Cake

St. Honore Cake

• Choux pastry
• Three ounces of short pasty
• Three ounces of sugar
• Quarter pint of milk
• Half an ounce of flour
• Whites of three eggs and their yolks
• One teaspoonful of lemon juice
• Candied cherries
• Icing

Method; Prepare the short pastry and roll out to the size of a breakfast plate and place on a baking tin.

Make a pate a choux and put into a forcing bag with a plain nozzle, make a ring around the edge of the pastry within a half an inch of the edge, also add some little dots of the mixture onto the baking tin, then bake until brown and set.

Went cold, dip the small pieces in the icing and place around the edge of the pastry, with cherries between. Moisten the flour and sugar with the yolks and milk, add flavouring, then heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, then set aside and allow to cool.

Whip up the egg whites into a very stiff constituency and stir lightly into the custard mixture. Form into egg shapes using two large spoons, a heap in the centre of the gateau.

Recipe of Victorian Apple Cheesecakes

Victorian Apple Cheesecakes

• Eight ounces of apples
• Three cloves
• Three ounces of brown sugar
• Two eggs
• One ounce of butter
• One tablespoonful of castor sugar
• Some scraps of short or puff pastry

Method; Roll out the pastry and cut into rounds, then line some patty tins.

Peel and core the apples then cut into quarters, place in a saucepan with one tablespoonful of water together with the cloves, then stew until soft.

Add the butter and sugar and when dissolve mix with the cooked apples then rub through a fine wire sieve; beat up the eggs and add the apples. Place a little of the apple mixture into each patty tin and bake for fifteen minutes. The cakes may be decorated if so wished.