Small Currant Cakes 1827

Small Currant Cakes

This is a recipe from  the cookbook,  Domestic Economy and Cookery for Rich and Poor published  in 1827 by Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green, Paternoster-Row, London.  It was presented to Westfield volunteers, as a regular cookery challenge while we are locked down during the pandemic.  

I didn't have currants or raisins in the pantry and am not due to go shopping for another week and a half, so I substituted diced dried apricots.   I used a half recipe because not only do I not have that much extra butter on hand, but I know that we would never be able to eat that many little cakes.

I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, however I used my Kitchen Aid mixer rather than beating everything on manual.  I did wish I had a hand mixer as well when I had to scrape the butter mixture out of the bowl, and clean it up properly so I could whip the egg whites.  However my mixer was ancient and last fall it fell apart while my son was using it, and for some reason it was never replaced.

I baked the little cakes in a square cup cake pan. I've found that this pan used up more batter per cup cake than a regular round pan; almost double the batter from experience.   Regardless, I filled up 10 of the little moulds, so even half a batch makes a lot.

They rose quite nicely even without any levening agent but the egg whites.  They are a bit dense but not overly heavy.  This description  makes no sense unless you actually get to eat one of them though.

If I were to modernize this recipe, I'd cut the butter in half, add a bit of milk and maybe a tsp of baking powder, just to be sure.  I left out the mace because apricots have a fairly delicate flavour and I didn't want to overwhelm them with excess spices.

As it was, here is the recipe I used.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs separated
3/4 cup diced dried apricots (1/2- 3/4 cup currants, or raisins, or other dried fruit would work)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

Beat the butter and sugar until well blended.  Add the egg yolks and beat until very pale yellow and fluffy.     Combine the flour, spices and fruit in a separate bowl.   Add to the butter mixture and beat just until blended.     Whip the whites until very stiff.   Gently fold the whites into the butter and flour mixture just until everything is combined.  Fill your muffin pans or moulds about 3/4 full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, at 375F.