Recipe Manuscript

Rare Sugar Cakes

Name: Rare Sugar Cakes
Prep time: PTPT20M
Cook time: PTPT40M
Yield: 12
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 450 grams refined white sugar (or caster sugar); 8 egg yolks (from large eggs); 120 ml heavy cream (double cream); 450 grams unsalted butter; 450 grams plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted, very dry

1690

From the treasured pages of Cookbook of Jane Dawson

Written by Jane Dawson

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Intermediate Dessert Snack

Original Recipe • 1690

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Rare Sugar Cakes

"Take 1 pound of loafe Sugar. beat it. and Scarce. it; then take the yolks of 8 eggs beat them well, and mix them wth 8 Spoonfulls of good Creame, then Straw in your Sugar & mix them well. together then take one pound of Sweet butterr melt it & stur. it til it is cold againe. then take one pound of fine Dry Flower & Stir. it all in by litle and litle. and when it is all in take your mixed cream Sugar & eggs and put them all together; and when they are well. mixed together; put them into biskets plates, they must be well. flowered, and before yr oven be just ready, to set them in, for Soon as they are in the plates, & before the oven be not so hot as to burn them, but make them rise. and when you see them begin to fall, in the plates take them out, & loosing them with a knife. take them quickly out. of the plates, for they will not. come. out when they are cold;"

Note on the Original Text

Seventeenth-century recipes like this one were written in conversational prose, with vague references to quantities ('spoonfuls', 'a pound'), assuming the reader had prior kitchen knowledge. Spellings were inconsistent ('scarce' for 'sift', 'flower' for 'flour'), and punctuation was sparse, demanding care in interpretation. The method relies on sensory cues (when the cakes start to fall, when they're just set), rather than precise timings or temperatures, reflecting both the cook's skill and the variable nature of early ovens.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cookbook of Jane Dawson - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cookbook of Jane Dawson (1690)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Jane Dawson

Era

1690

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A delightful glimpse into late 17th-century English kitchens, Jane Dawson's recipe collection is a flavorful tapestry of sweet delicacies and savory dishes, revealing the tastes and ingenuity of bygone home cooks.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe comes from the late 17th century, preserved in the manuscripts of Jane Dawson, an English gentlewoman. The 'Rare Sugar Cakes' would have graced the tea tables of the well-to-do, driven by the growing fascination and access to fine sugar. Loaf sugar was an expensive luxury; cream and butter signaled both abundance and skill in the kitchen. Recipes like this mark the shift from dense, bread-like confections to lighter, airier cakes as ovens improved and refined ingredients became more widely available. The ritual of tea and biscuits was coming into its own in England, and cakes like these were as much about genteel display as delicious eating.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Historically, the cook would have used a large wooden or pewter bowl for mixing, with a wooden spoon or a whisk of birch twigs for beating the eggs and combining the batter. The loaf sugar would be broken up with a hammer or sugar nippers and passed through a fine sieve. The cakes were baked in individual shallow tins called 'bisket plates,' which would be heavily floured to prevent sticking, since early baking tins lacked non-stick coatings. All was baked in a wood-fired or coal-fired oven, with heat carefully regulated by experience and observation.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Servings

Ingredients

1 pound (16 ounces) refined white sugar (or caster sugar)
8 egg yolks (from large eggs)
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) heavy cream (double cream)
1 pound (16 ounces) unsalted butter
1 pound (16 ounces) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted, very dry

Instructions

Begin by taking 1 pound (16 ounces) of refined white sugar (loaf sugar, beaten and sifted if you wish to be truly authentic).
In a bowl, beat the yolks of 8 large eggs until well combined.
To this, add 8 tablespoons (~1/2 cup) of heavy cream, whisking together.
Gradually sprinkle in the sugar, mixing well until you have a smooth, pale mixture.
Next, melt 1 pound (16 ounces) of unsalted butter over low heat, then let it cool to room temperature.
Slowly stir in 1 pound (16 ounces) of fine, dry all-purpose flour, a little at a time, mixing until just incorporated and smooth.
Combine your egg-cream-sugar mixture with the flour-butter dough, stirring until you have a thick batter.
Prepare individual shallow tart tins or 'bisket plates', generously flouring them to prevent sticking.
Spoon the batter into these tins.
Preheat your oven to about 325°F (fan, 170°C), aiming for moderate heat—not so hot it will brown the cakes too quickly.
Bake until the cakes rise and begin to set, but remove them as soon as they start to fall.
Loosen the cakes with a knife and turn them out while hot, as they'll stick if cooled.
Enjoy your rare sugar cakes warm, just as in the days of Jane Dawson.

Estimated Calories

500 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It takes about 20 minutes to prepare the ingredients and about 40 minutes to bake the cakes. This recipe makes 12 cakes, each with around 500 calories, because it uses a lot of sugar, butter, and egg yolks.