Little Currant Cakes Miss Barry Proov'D & J

This delightful recipe for Little Currant Cakes comes from the early Georgian period in England, around 1720. At this time, recipes were shared among well-to-do households, often through handwritten manuscripts passed down through generations. Currant cakes like these were a luxurious treat, made with plenty of butter, sugar, eggs, and imported dried fruit, highlighting both the wealth and the cosmopolitan tastes of their makers. Such cakes would have appeared at tea tables or family gatherings, appealing for their sweetness and festive character. The addition of spirits such as brandy and warming spices like nutmeg was both a flavor and a status marker.

Back in the early 18th century, a cook would have used a large wooden bowl for mixing, a heavy spoon or even clean hands to rub in the butter, and basic sieves to sift the flour and sugar. The currants would have been cleaned and dried by the kitchen fire. Cakes were shaped by hand—no cutters needed—and pricked with a simple fork or skewer. Baking would have been done in a wood-fired brick or stone oven, with careful attention to temperature, as described by the term 'quick oven', which roughly corresponds to what we now call a hot oven.