Following the post on English apple tart, I looked for inspiration in Jane Austen's world. (Remember, this blog owes its name to Emma.) I could have used some apples to re-create the dessert from Chapter III but they are no longer in season -we're halfway through a rainy spring down here. There is a little plot around strawberries in Emma but no desserts based on this fruit to speculate about. On the contrary, Miss Taylor's wedding cake gives a lot of food 4 thought.
1. Marriage vs. wedding
Although marriage and its prospect was literally the spine of Jane's novels, she rarely gave a detailed account of the weddings. She was more interested in plots (& subplots) that led to happy endings unless there was a reason for writing about things like cakes or gowns, which she occasionally discussed in her letters to Cassandra. Of course, eligible ladies of the Regency era went to a lot of gatherings and Jane was no exception. Dinner parties are often featured in her books although wedding feasts are much less common.
Of the five young ladies who reach the altar in Emma (Miss Taylor, Miss Augusta Hawkins, Harriet Smith, Jane Fairfax & Emma herself), only the first gives Jane the appetite for drawing a wedding party scene. The main reason for her doing so is to introduce the character of Emma's father. Here is what the audience learns about M. Woodhouse: the elderly gentleman dislikes rich food because it's heavy on the stomach and hopes to prevent others from consuming it as well; he also dislikes changes of fortune, including those which follow happy events like weddings; he is therefore health-obsessed, conservative and irrational (because he feels sorry for Miss Taylor although she is not); however, M. Woodhouse is also discreet, polite & friendly.
1. Marriage vs. wedding
Although marriage and its prospect was literally the spine of Jane's novels, she rarely gave a detailed account of the weddings. She was more interested in plots (& subplots) that led to happy endings unless there was a reason for writing about things like cakes or gowns, which she occasionally discussed in her letters to Cassandra. Of course, eligible ladies of the Regency era went to a lot of gatherings and Jane was no exception. Dinner parties are often featured in her books although wedding feasts are much less common.
_hires.jpg/800px-CassandraAusten-JaneAusten(c.1810)_hires.jpg) |
| Jane ca. 1810 (portrait by Cassandra Austen) |
Of the five young ladies who reach the altar in Emma (Miss Taylor, Miss Augusta Hawkins, Harriet Smith, Jane Fairfax & Emma herself), only the first gives Jane the appetite for drawing a wedding party scene. The main reason for her doing so is to introduce the character of Emma's father. Here is what the audience learns about M. Woodhouse: the elderly gentleman dislikes rich food because it's heavy on the stomach and hopes to prevent others from consuming it as well; he also dislikes changes of fortune, including those which follow happy events like weddings; he is therefore health-obsessed, conservative and irrational (because he feels sorry for Miss Taylor although she is not); however, M. Woodhouse is also discreet, polite & friendly.
"There was no recovering Miss Taylor - nor much likelihood of ceasing to pity her; but a few weeks brought some alleviation to Mr. Woodhouse. The compliments of his neighbours were over; he was no longer teased by being wished joy of so sorrowful an event; and the wedding-cake, which had been a great distress to him, was all eat up. His own stomach could bear nothing rich, and he could never believe other people to be different from himself. What was unwholesome to him he regarded as unfit for any body; and he had, therefore, earnestly tried to dissuade them from having any wedding-cake at all, and when that proved vain, as earnestly tried to prevent any body's eating it. He had been at the pains of consulting Mr. Perry, the apothecary, on the subject. Mr. Perry was an intelligent, gentlemanlike man, whose frequent visits were one of the comforts of Mr. Woodhouse's life; and upon being applied to, he could not but acknowledge (though it seemed rather against the bias of inclination) that wedding-cake might certainly disagree with many - perhaps with most people, unless taken moderately. With such an opinion, in confirmation of his own, Mr. Woodhouse hoped to influence every visitor of the newly married pair; but still the cake was eaten; and there was no rest for his benevolent nerves till it was all gone.
There was a strange rumour in Highbury of all the little Perrys being seen with a slice of Mrs. Weston's wedding-cake in their hands; but Mr. Woodhouse would never believe it."
2. The bride cake
Throughout history, special occasions like weddings required a fancy cake. In fact, during the 17th century, it was the custom to have not one but two wedding cakes -one for the bride and one for the groom. The groom's cake was abandoned with time only to return in the Victorian era. The bride's cake was originally a pie with salted filling. Every guest in a wedding had to eat a slice of this pie, otherwise they would go through a period of bad luck. In this post, however, we'll focus on the cake that was served in honor of the bride around 1800. Trying to find a recipe for the particular cake served at Mrs. Weston's party, I came across the bride cake from The Experienced English Housekeeper by Elizabeth Raffald -a book first published in 1769 that continued to be a success well into the 19th century.
Elizabeth Raffald wrote mainly for servants who needed guidance in their duties. Her directions are simple to follow although a little different from what a modern housewife would expect, mainly due to the lack of electric mixers in the 18th century. The bride cake was the first on her list of cakes, accompanied by two recipes for icing. Also, this was a much more complex dessert than modern festive (and/or wedding) cakes. Here are the main differences:
-it was a pound not a sponge cake
Throughout history, special occasions like weddings required a fancy cake. In fact, during the 17th century, it was the custom to have not one but two wedding cakes -one for the bride and one for the groom. The groom's cake was abandoned with time only to return in the Victorian era. The bride's cake was originally a pie with salted filling. Every guest in a wedding had to eat a slice of this pie, otherwise they would go through a period of bad luck. In this post, however, we'll focus on the cake that was served in honor of the bride around 1800. Trying to find a recipe for the particular cake served at Mrs. Weston's party, I came across the bride cake from The Experienced English Housekeeper by Elizabeth Raffald -a book first published in 1769 that continued to be a success well into the 19th century.
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| The Experienced English Housekeeper, 1769 |
Elizabeth Raffald wrote mainly for servants who needed guidance in their duties. Her directions are simple to follow although a little different from what a modern housewife would expect, mainly due to the lack of electric mixers in the 18th century. The bride cake was the first on her list of cakes, accompanied by two recipes for icing. Also, this was a much more complex dessert than modern festive (and/or wedding) cakes. Here are the main differences:
-it was a pound not a sponge cake
-the cake was flavored with spice
-raisins & almonds were mixed into the batter
-candied fruit was added to the batter (in 3 layers)
-no pastry cream was used to fill the cake
-candied fruit was added to the batter (in 3 layers)
-no pastry cream was used to fill the cake
-the cake was glazed twice
MISS TAYLOR'S BRIDE CAKE (adapted from Elizabeth Raffald)
Divided by 8, the original cake recipe could serve 6-8 people, I think. It's what I call the basic cake recipe. You can use this or multiply the ingredients according to your needs.
For the cake pictured above, I multiplied the basic cake recipe by 1,5. Instead of baking a single-layer cake, I divided the batter and made four thin cakes. Then I filled the sweetmeats between layers of cake, alternating with layers of marzipan. I finished with a layer of marzipan to conform to the original plan of spreading the bride cake with almond icing first.
The original icing recipes use odd numbers of eggs (3 and 5 respectively) so it's not easy to divide them by 8. That's why I divided the almond icing recipe by 6 and the sugar icing recipe by 5. These are what I call the basic icing recipes. For the cake pictured above, I multiplied the basic icing recipes by 3.
If you make the basic recipe (ie. with 225g of flour), it's best to have no more than 2 layers of cake. Fill the sweetmeats in between and place the marzipan over the top layer. Then cover with sugar icing.
For the cake pictured above, I multiplied the basic cake recipe by 1,5. Instead of baking a single-layer cake, I divided the batter and made four thin cakes. Then I filled the sweetmeats between layers of cake, alternating with layers of marzipan. I finished with a layer of marzipan to conform to the original plan of spreading the bride cake with almond icing first.
The original icing recipes use odd numbers of eggs (3 and 5 respectively) so it's not easy to divide them by 8. That's why I divided the almond icing recipe by 6 and the sugar icing recipe by 5. These are what I call the basic icing recipes. For the cake pictured above, I multiplied the basic icing recipes by 3.
If you make the basic recipe (ie. with 225g of flour), it's best to have no more than 2 layers of cake. Fill the sweetmeats in between and place the marzipan over the top layer. Then cover with sugar icing.
I n g r e d i e n t s
for the cake
225g plain flour
1/3tsp ground nutmeg
4 eggs (separated)
225g butter
110g caster sugar
2tbsp brandy
55g slivered almonds
225g raisins
165g candied fruit
for the almond icing
75g almond flour
75g powdered sugar
1/2 egg white
4 tsp orange blossom water
for the sugar icing
180g powdered sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 egg white
M e t h o d
1. Preheat the oven at 180C. Line four 20cm round baking pans with greased
parchment paper. 2. Sift the flour with the nutmeg.
3. Cream the butter until light and fluffy, gradually beating in the egg yolks, sugar, and brandy. 4. Beat the egg whites
stiff. Fold into the cake batter, alternating with the flour. 5. Stir in the almonds & raisins. 6. Divide among the baking pans and bake in two layers for about 15 minutes. Rotate the baking pans halfway through baking. 7. To make the almond icing: Beat the egg white into meringue. Mix the almond flour and powdered sugar, then fold in the meringue. Add the orange blossom water and knead lightly with your fingers. Divide in two and set aside. 8. Place the first layer of cake upside down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread
half of the candied fruit on top and cover with another layer. Continue with
the second layer, half the marzipan, the third layer, the rest of the sweetmeats, the fourth layer, and finally the rest of the marzipan. 9. Bake for 10 minutes, covered with foil. 10. In the mean time, prepare the sugar icing: Mix the powdered sugar and cornstarch. Pasteurize the egg white with half of this mixture over a double-boiler. Remove when hot, then beat into meringue, gradually adding the rest of the sugar. 11. Transfer the hot cake on a serving plate, quickly removing the parchment paper from underneath. Spread the royal icing all over the cake and leave to set 3-4 hours.
for the cake
225g plain flour
1/3tsp ground nutmeg
4 eggs (separated)
225g butter
110g caster sugar
2tbsp brandy
55g slivered almonds
225g raisins
165g candied fruit
for the almond icing
75g almond flour
75g powdered sugar
1/2 egg white
4 tsp orange blossom water
for the sugar icing
180g powdered sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 egg white
M e t h o d
1. Preheat the oven at 180C. Line four 20cm round baking pans with greased
parchment paper. 2. Sift the flour with the nutmeg.
3. Cream the butter until light and fluffy, gradually beating in the egg yolks, sugar, and brandy. 4. Beat the egg whites
stiff. Fold into the cake batter, alternating with the flour. 5. Stir in the almonds & raisins. 6. Divide among the baking pans and bake in two layers for about 15 minutes. Rotate the baking pans halfway through baking. 7. To make the almond icing: Beat the egg white into meringue. Mix the almond flour and powdered sugar, then fold in the meringue. Add the orange blossom water and knead lightly with your fingers. Divide in two and set aside. 8. Place the first layer of cake upside down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread
half of the candied fruit on top and cover with another layer. Continue with
the second layer, half the marzipan, the third layer, the rest of the sweetmeats, the fourth layer, and finally the rest of the marzipan. 9. Bake for 10 minutes, covered with foil. 10. In the mean time, prepare the sugar icing: Mix the powdered sugar and cornstarch. Pasteurize the egg white with half of this mixture over a double-boiler. Remove when hot, then beat into meringue, gradually adding the rest of the sugar. 11. Transfer the hot cake on a serving plate, quickly removing the parchment paper from underneath. Spread the royal icing all over the cake and leave to set 3-4 hours.
N o t e
If you like the four-layer cake in the picture, double the recipe above. For a quicker glaze, mix royal icing sugar and water. (See instructions on the package.)
V a r i a t i o n
Prepare the original bride cake by Elizabeth Raffald like this: Transfer 1/3 of the cake batter in a cake ring. Spread half of the sweetmeats on top and cover with 1/3 of the batter. Repeat once more, then bake in a moderate oven for as long at it takes to brown. Check with a toothpick to see if it's ready. In the mean time, prepare the almond icing. Spread all over the cake (without the ring) and return to the oven. Remove when it's lightly brown. Then cover with sugar icing.
If you like the four-layer cake in the picture, double the recipe above. For a quicker glaze, mix royal icing sugar and water. (See instructions on the package.)
V a r i a t i o n
Prepare the original bride cake by Elizabeth Raffald like this: Transfer 1/3 of the cake batter in a cake ring. Spread half of the sweetmeats on top and cover with 1/3 of the batter. Repeat once more, then bake in a moderate oven for as long at it takes to brown. Check with a toothpick to see if it's ready. In the mean time, prepare the almond icing. Spread all over the cake (without the ring) and return to the oven. Remove when it's lightly brown. Then cover with sugar icing.
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