Lady Cake (THE LADY'S BOOK, 1834)

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ITEM #2232
October, 1834
THE LADY'S BOOK
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Volume IX Page 192


Original.

RECEIPT - BY MISS LESLIE.

<< LADY CAKE>> .

The whites only of sixteen eggs.

Half a pound of fresh butter.

Three quarters of a pound of sifted flour.
One pound of powdered white sugar.

Two ounces of shelled bitter almonds, or peach kernels.

Three wine glasses of rose water.

BLANCH two full ounces of bitter almonds or peach kernels, by scalding them in boiling water. Then throw them into a bowl of cold water, and let them lie a while; afterwards take them out, wipe them in a clean cloth, and pound them (one at a time) in a mortar, pouring on each, as you do them, a little rose-water; which will make them white and prevent them from being oily and heavy, and from sinking to the bottom of the cake. Pound them to a fine smooth paste, scraping it every few minutes out of the mortar, and laying it on a plate. When done, set them in a cold place. It is best to prepare the almonds the day before you make the cake. At all events, let them be ready before any of the other ingredients. Put plenty of rose-water.

Having powdered the sugar, put it into a deep pan, cut the butter into it, and set it where it will soon become warm. Then stir together the butter and sugar till quite light. Next, add to it the pounded almonds, stirring them in very gradually, a little at a time. When all are in, mix the almonds thoroughly with the butter and sugar by stirring very hard - then set the pan in a cool place, while you sift the flour, and beat the whites of the sixteen eggs. It will be found more convenient in beating the eggs to have them in two pans, eight whites in each. Beat them till they stand alone. Then stir them hard into the pan of butter, sugar, and almonds, alternately with the flour. When the white of egg and flour are all in, stir the whole very hard. Have ready a tin pan well buttered, put in the mixture, and set it immediately into the oven; which must be previously made of the proper eat.

Let the oven be rather quick, but not so much so as to burn the cake. Bake it from two hours and a half to three hours, in proportion to its thickness.

When cold, you may ice it with white of egg and powdered loaf sugar, flavoured with rose-water, or oil of lemon. Do not cut it till next day. If well secured from heat and air, it will keep a week.

Remember, particularly, to stir the pounded almonds into the butter and sugar before you add the white of egg and the flour; otherwise they will bake in streaks, and make the cake heavy.

This cake when properly made, and well-baked is beautifully white, and very delicious.

For a large one you must have the whites of two dozen eggs, three quarters of a pound of butter, a pound and a half of sugar, one pound and two ounces of flour, five ounces of bitter almonds, and half a pint of rose-water.