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Old recipes

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Grandmanorm Thu 07-Jun-12 14:27:23

I found an old cookery book of my mother's whilst clearing out her house four years ago. It was published in 1927 by the Yorkshire Post and has 500 recipes by Yorkshire Women's Institute. In it there is a recipe for a Christmas cake which is over 100 years old. This makes the recipe 185 years old. It is amazing, so I thought I would put it on here.
1lb of flour,1/2 pound of butter,1/2 pound of sifted sugar, 4 eggs, 1lb currants, a little mace and salt.
The instructions are short and to the point:
Method:beat the eggs and put to them 3 ozs of yeast and mix altogether with warm milk, when ready for baking add the currants and beat an hour.

I promise you that I have copied the method exactly. I just thought you all might like to read this and I wonder if anyone else has such interesting recipes.
I also wonder if anyone ever made this. grin + confused

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Annobel Thu 07-Jun-12 15:15:44

Beat an hour? You must be incredibly fit if you did that by hand, Grandmanorm!

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j04 Thu 07-Jun-12 16:25:35

It sounds more like a bun type of cake, or a rich fruit bread. The mixing for an hour, I suppose, would be equivalant to kneading. Thank the lord for food mixers!

Perhaps in 1827 they hadn't started having iced rich fruit cakes like we do now.

I might try that recipe. Bet it's nice (but definitely not Xmas cake! grin)

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j04 Thu 07-Jun-12 16:26:20

that is not how you spell equivalent. that is.

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j04 Thu 07-Jun-12 16:30:10

Oh! It would be bake for an hour. [grin ]

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Grandmanorm Thu 07-Jun-12 21:22:47

I promise you it said beat for an hour, but maybe that was an error. I have not made it, I wouldn't have the energy!!! However I do have a Kitchen Aid, so maybe I should give it a go.
I have phoned the East Yorkshire WI and offered them the little book and they were so happy about that. I shall photocopy some of the recipes first as I have had such a giggle reading some of them with friends.

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j04 Thu 07-Jun-12 21:41:08

Oh right! Yes. That would be like kneading it. smile I'm definitely going to try it.

That recipe book sounds a gem!

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glassortwo Thu 07-Jun-12 21:52:08

jingle try it and report back wink

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j04 Thu 07-Jun-12 22:20:33

Right. Will do. Have to be next week. Grandkids coming tomorrow. smile

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absentgrana Fri 08-Jun-12 13:15:34

Grandmanorm No doubt you copied the recipe accurately, but that looks like a piece of bad proof-reading t me. It cannot possibly be beat for an hour; the phrase "when ready for baking" gives the game away. It must be bake for an hour.

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glammanana Fri 08-Jun-12 13:29:11

The ingredient "mace" was part of a recipe for homemade pate I looked at last week,I tried to get some in the herb section at the supermarket and they had none does it go under another name ?

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Grandmanorm Fri 08-Jun-12 13:36:24

glammanana I think mace is the outer covering of the nutmeg. So maybe a small amount of nutmeg would work. I am sure others will be able to tell you what it is.

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glassortwo Fri 08-Jun-12 13:41:42

glamma I think it is the outside case of nutmeg, but absent will tell you for certain.

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Elegran Fri 08-Jun-12 14:15:42

Should "beat" have read "heat" ?

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absentgrana Fri 08-Jun-12 14:34:04

Mace is, indeed, the outer lacy covering of the nutmeg. It is a reddish orange colour and is usually sold in fragments or blades or ground. It has a similar flavour to nutmeg but is more delicate.

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glammanana Fri 08-Jun-12 18:46:38

Thank you all so much,you really are a knowledgeable bunch of ladies.smile

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