When our children were young we would make a birthday cake for Jesus and sing Happy Birthday to him on Christmas. Finding these recipes for a Christmas Cake reminded me of those early days.
Christmas Cake.
Ingredients.—1 lb. flour, 1/2 lb. currants, 1/2 lb butter, 1/2 lb. sugar, 2 oz. lemon peel, 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder, 3 eggs, 1/2 pint of milk.
Method.—Mix the baking powder thoroughly in the flour, then rub in the butter, add the sugar, currants, and lemon peel, beat the eggs and mix them with the milk, and after mixing them all thoroughly together bake in a papered tin in a moderate oven.
Source: Tasty Dishes ©1880
Christmas Cake.—Wash one pound and a quarter of butter in water, beat it to a cream; beat ten eggs, yelks and whites separately, half an hour each; have ready a pound and a quarter of flour well dried and kept hot, also three-quarters of a pound of sugar, half an ounce of pounded mixed spice, a pound and a half of currants washed, picked, and dried, a quarter of a pound of almonds, blanched and sliced, and four ounces of candied peel, also sliced. Mix all these, and keep them by the fire. Strain the eggs, and mix them with the butter; add to them a teacupful of sweet wine, and a wineglassful of brandy. Then add the dry ingredients by degrees, and a quarter of a pound of chopped raisins. Beat all together for a full hour. Butter a piece of white paper, and line the moulds with it, and fill them about three parts full. Bake in a quick oven two hours.
Source: Our New Cookbook ©1883
Christmas Cake.—Beat one pound of butter into a cream, and mix with it three eggs well beaten, two pounds of flour, one pound of currants stoned and dried, one pound of sugar, five small tea-spoonfuls of baking powder, and a quarter of a pint of milk. Put the mixture into a buttered dish, and bake it in a moderate oven. This is a very good cake if intended to be used soon, but it soon gets dry, and should not be kept in a damp place. Time to bake, about two hours. Sufficient for a good-sized cake. Probable cost, 2s. 8d.
Christmas Cake (another way).—Take five pounds of flour, mix with it a dessertspoonful of salt, rub in three-quarters of a pound of butter, and one pound of lard. Put in an ounce and a half of German yeast or half a pint of good fresh brewers' yeast, and knead aa for common bread. If there is any difficulty about the yeast, baking powder may be used, allowing a heaped tea-spoonful of ordinary baking powder for every pound of material. If yeast is used, let the dough rise before adding the other ingredients. Mix in three pounds of currants, one pound and a half of moist sugar, a whole nutmeg, a quarter of a pound of candied lemon-peel finely minced, a tablespoonful of brandy, and four eggs well beaten. Butter tho tins, and line them well with buttered paper. Bake in a moderate oven. Time to bake, about two hours. Probable coat. Is. 4d. per cake. Sufficient for four cakes.
Source: Cassell's Dictionary of Cookery ©1883
Lynn A. Coleman is an award winning & best-selling author who makes her home in Keystone Heights, Florida, with her husband of 42 years. Lynn's latest novella available this month. The Rails to Love Romance Collection Her story is titled "Love on the Rails"
We used to do the same thing....baked Jesus a cake and sang Happy Birthday. We took it one step further. There was one lit candle on the cake and each person would hold a candle, light it from the candle on the cake, then make a wish/prayer for the new year...then blow the candle out. I'm thinking about starting it up again with my grandchildren. Thanks for sharing these recipes.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun addition.
DeleteI love old recipes. Thanks for the Christmas Cakes. The second one with the "Wash one pound and a quarter of butter in water... and the ... have ready a pound and a quarter of flour well dried and kept hot,... and the ... Butter a piece of white paper, and line the moulds with it — was very interesting.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I don't fully understand them. I enjoy reading them and learning what other items were used to make items we make today, like cake.
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