Recipe of Victorian Plum Cake

Plum Cake

• Twelve ounces of butter
• Twelve ounces of flour
• Eight ounces of sugar
• Four ounces of candied cherries
• Four ounces of raisins
• Four ounces of sultanas
• Four ounces of chopped almonds
• Four ounces of mixed candied orange, lemon, and citron peel
• Grated rind of one lemon and one orange
• Half a teaspoonful of mixed spice
• Two eggs
• One glass of brandy
• Dust of salt

Method; Beat the butter and sugar into a cream and add the eggs [well beaten] alternately with the flour [sifted], then add the brandy and beat the mixture for ten minutes in a reasonable sized bowl.. Stone the raisins and chop slightly, also divide the cherries and cut up the peel into rather large pieces. Then add all these ingredients to the cake mix and mix well. Pour into a suitable sized cake tin which has been lined with oil paper and bake in a moderate oven for three to three and a half hours.

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 the Victorian Christmas Plum Pudding

Victorian Christmas Plum Pudding

Recipe of the Victorian Christmas Plum Pudding

Note: You will need an 8 C pudding container i.e. a Round metal bowl,a cover, Steamer basket trivet or Rack and a roomy soup kettle Count on steaming pudding For at least 6 hours

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups Crumbs from good quality White bread lightly packed (about 1/2 loaf)
1 cup Each of raisins,yellow raisins Currants chopped
1 1/3 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Each of mace cinnamom & nutmeg
8 oz Butter melted
4 large Eggs lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon Almond extract
1/2 cup Bitter orange marmelade
FOR SERVING:
1/2 cup Rum or bourbon heated Slighlty before serving
2 cups Zabaione Sauce **
Holly sprigs to garnish (optional)

Toss the crumbs in a large mixing bowl along with the two types of raisins, currants,sugar and spices. Then toss with the melted butter and all remaining ingredients except for the holly,rum/bourbon and zabaione. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed. Pack mixture into the container and cover with roundof wax paper and lid. Set the continer on steaming device and add enough water to come up 1/3 up the sides of puding container. Cover kettle tightly bring to a simmer and let steam for 6 hours,checking water level now and then. Pudding is done when dark walnut brown in color and fairly firm to touch. Let pudding cool and then store in a wine cellar or the fridge. At least two hours before serving resteam the pudding. Unmold onto a hot flameproof serving platter and decorate with the holly. Bring to table along with the warmed booze and pour booze around pudding. Ignite and let flame.Serve with the zabaione.

Here is the recipe for Plum Pudding taken from "The American Domestic Cook Book For 1868"

Plum Pudding - Take half a pound of flour, half a pound of raisins, stoned and chopped, and some currants washed picked and dried; use milk enough to stir easily with a spoon; add half a pound of suet chopped fine, a teaspoonful of salt, and four well beaten eggs; tie it in a floured cloth, and boil four hours. The water must boil when you put it in, and continue boiling until it is done.

Christmas Cake

Christmas Cake

Godey's Lady's Book 1862

Sometimes recipes were in written as verses.

 

Victorian Christmas Cake

 

To two pounds of flour, well sifted, unite

Of loaf-sugar, ounces sixteen;

Two pounds of fresh butter, with eighteen fine eggs,

And four pounds of currants washed and clean;

Eight ounces of almonds well blanched and cut small,

The same weight of citron sliced;

Of orange and lemon-peal candied one pound,

And a gill of pale brandy uniced;

A large nutmeg grated:exact half an ounce

Of allspice, but only a quarter

Of mace, coriander, and ginger well ground,

Or pounded to dust in a mortar,

An important addition is cinnamon, which

Is better increased than diminished;

The fourth of an ounce is sufficient.  Now this

May be baked for good hours till finished.

Makes about 24 lbs.