Victorian Seed Cake Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two 7" or 8" round cake pans, line the bottoms with a parchment circle, and then grease the parchment.
• 2. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl with a whisk. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until mixture is pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs a little at a time. When all the egg, sugar and butter have been mixed well, whisk in the caraway seeds, mace, and nutmeg. Then lightly add in the flour. Finally, stir in the brandy.
• 3. Add just enough milk to loosen the mixture and give the cake batter a good consistency - it should drop, not pour, off a spoon. Mine only took 2 tablespoons. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pans. Level off the surface with a spatula or back of a spoon. Sprinkle the demerara sugar all over the tops to make a nice sweet crust.
• 4. Bake cakes in the center of the oven for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean and dry. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. The cake keeps well when wrapped tightly in foil or parchment and kept in an airtight tin. This cake is not traditionally stacked or frosted; you just have 2 round Seed Cakes that can be sliced for Tea.
• 5. NOTE: Caraway is a type of seed common to both cake and biscuit recipes of the Medieval and Tudor periods; and the English usage of the term Caraway dates back to at least A.D. 1440.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C). Grease and flour the bottom and sides of an 8 inch round cake pan with 1 tablespoon softened butter or margarine.
• Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
• Cream 1/2 cup butter or margarine and sugar together. Mix in caraway seeds and egg. Add flour mixture and milk, beating well. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
• Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool.

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3 and grease and line a 7" (18cm) to 8" (20cm) round cake tin.
• Cream the butter with the sugar and then sift in the flour.
• Add the mace, nutmeg and caraway seeds and mix together well. (Add the chopped candied peel if using at this stage as well).
• Stir in the whisked eggs and the brandy.
• Beat the cake again for 2 to 3 minutes, until very smooth and with no lumps.
• Pour the mixture into a tin lined with buttered paper.
• Bake it for 1½ to 2 hours, until a skewer comes out clean when tested, and the cake is well risen, firm and golden brown.
• ORIGINAL RECIPE:.
• A VERY GOOD SEED-CAKE.
• 1776. INGREDIENTS - 1 lb. of butter, 6 eggs, 3/4 lb. of sifted sugar, pounded mace and grated nutmeg to taste, 1 lb. of flour, 3/4 oz. of caraway seeds, 1 wineglassful of brandy.
• Mode - Beat the butter to a cream; dredge in the flour; add the sugar, mace, nutmeg, and caraway seeds, and mix these ingredients well together. Whisk the eggs, stir to them the brandy, and beat the cake again for 10 minutes. Put it into a tin lined with buttered paper, and bake it from 1-1/2 to 2 hours. This cake would be equally nice made with currants, and omitting the caraway seeds.
• Time - 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
• Average cost, 2s. 6d.
• Seasonable at any time.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Line a 2lb/900g loaf tin with baking parchment.
• Beat the caster sugar and butter using an electric whisk or wooden spoon. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla, then gently stir in the flour, ground almonds, milk and caraway seeds.
• Pour the mixture into the tin. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar and flaked almonds, then bake for 1 hr or until a skewer poked into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Soak poppy seeds in milk for 4 hours (or over-night) then rinse under cold running water; drain well.
• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a Bundt pan or 10-inch tube pan.
• Cream the butter and gradually add 1 1/4 cups of the sugar.
• Beat in the zests and the poppy seeds.
• Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Continue beating for about 5 minutes, until the mixture if very light and creamy.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until peaks are stiff, but not dry.
• Sift the flour and salt over the egg yolk mixture, one third at a time, folding in after each addition.
• Gently fold in about 1/4 of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in remaining whites, blending gently but thoroughly.
• Pour batter carefully into the prepared pan.
• Bake one hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean when tested in the center.
• Make syrup while cake bakes: Combine juices with sugar and heat until sugar is completely dissolved; cool slightly.
• Immediately after removing cake from the oven, pierce the top all over with a thin skewer.
• Pour the citrus syrup all over the top to cover completely.
• Cool cake in the pan to allow syrup to be absorbed completely.
• Remove cake from pan and serve.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line the base and sides of two 20cm sandwich tins.
• Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric whisk for 8-10 mins, or until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, and fold in using a large metal spoon. Add just enough of the milk to create a dropping consistency.
• Divide the batter between the prepared tins and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 mins, or until golden and firm to the touch. Leave to cool slightly in the tins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the macerated berries. Mix the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and mint together until the sugar has dissolved. Gently stir in the strawberries and raspberries until coated in the mixture. Transfer to the fridge and chill for 30-45 mins until softened.
• To make the crème diplomat, put the custard, vanilla pod and sugar in a pan set over a medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Mix the custard powder with 3 tbsp water to dilute and stir until smooth. Whisk into the boiling custard, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue whisking for 2-3 mins until thick. Put in a heatproof bowl and leave to cool slightly, then chill until cooled completely. Whisk the double cream to soft peaks, and when the custard is cool, remove the vanilla pod and whisk in the cream until the mix is thick enough to pipe.
• Drain the macerated berries, reserving the liquid. To assemble, spread half the crème diplomat over one of the sponges, then top with three-quarters of the berries. Invert the second sponge on top, so the flat base of the sponge is facing up, and dust with some icing sugar. Put the remaining crème diplomat in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe rosettes around the edge of the cake. Dot the rest of the berries between the rosettes of cream, and serve with the reserved macerating liquid alongside - don't pour it over before serving as it will split the crème diplomat. Will keep in the fridge for up to three days.