To Make A Very Fine Cake
From the treasured pages of Cookbook of Mary Puleston
Written by Mary Puleston
To Make A Very Fine Cake
"Take 2 gallons of flour dry'd in an oven & 4 pd of Currants & a quart of ale yest & 2 pd of allmonds blanch'd & beaten very fine wth a litle rose water; yn take a pd & halfe of buter melt it in a pint of cream & make a litle sack posy mix yr Cake & make a cloth very hot & weay it up & set it before ye fire & when it hath stood a litle set it in ye oven & when 'tis near back'd ice it wth rose water & Sugar"
Note on the Original Text
18th-century recipe writing was sparse and relied on assumed kitchen knowledge. Quantities—like 'gallons' and 'pounds'—suggest baking at a grand scale, befitting manor homes or large families. Terms such as 'ale yest' refer to the yeast residue leftover from ale brewing, the common leavening before modern yeast manufacturing. Spellings like 'allmonds' for almonds and 'buter' for butter are typical of non-standardized historical English. Instructions are loose, with the sequence compressed into single sentences—reflecting the oral tradition and skill levels of their original audiences.
Title
Cookbook of Mary Puleston (1764)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Mary Puleston
Era
1764
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A tantalizing compilation of 18th-century culinary wisdom, this collection artfully preserves the flavors, techniques, and charms of British cookery before 1764—inviting modern gourmets to savor a taste of history with every recipe.
Kindly made available by
Folger Shakespeare Library
This recipe hails from Mary Puleston, compiled before 1764, in rural or semi-urban Britain. Such cakes belonged to festive, upper-middle or upper-class households, celebrated at social gatherings, holidays, or family occasions. Ingredients like almonds, cream, and currants were luxurious and indicated affluence and access—reflecting 18th-century tastes for rich, fruited yeasted cakes, precursors to modern fruitcakes or enriched brioches. The use of 'ale yest' (yeast from brewing) echoes a time before commercial bakers’ yeast. The rosewater and 'sack' (a type of fortified Spanish sherry) show both contemporary flavorings and early global trade's reach into kitchen stores.
The original cake would have been mixed in large, hand-hewn wooden or earthenware bowls, kneaded by hand. Blanching almonds meant laboriously slipping off each nut’s skin; almonds would be pounded in a mortar and pestle with rosewater. For rising, the dough was covered with a heavy linen cloth, made hot at the fire, and left to prove in the warmest kitchen spot. Baking occurred in a hearth oven, and icing was applied with a brush or by hand just before finishing in the oven.
Prep Time
1 hr 15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
Servings
36
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- Flour, 10 lbs (all-purpose or bread flour)
- Currants, 4 lbs (substitute: raisins if needed)
- Active dry yeast, 2 1/4 tsp (or 2 packets; for 'ale yest')
- Almonds, 2 lbs (whole, blanched)
- Rose water, 2 tbsp
- Unsalted butter, 1 1/2 lbs
- Heavy cream, 2 cups
- Sherry wine (for 'sack posset'), 1/4 cup (optional)
- Caster sugar, about 1/2 cup (for icing)
- Extra rose water for icing, about 1 tbsp
Instructions
- To make a very fine cake in the style of Mary Puleston (before 1764), begin by drying 10 lbs of flour slightly in a low oven.
- This step removes excess moisture and echoes 18th-century methods.
- Mix the flour with 4 lbs of currants (or substitute with raisins if currants are unavailable).
- Dissolve 2 1/4 tsp of active dry yeast (the modern equivalent of a quart of ale yeast) in a little warm water.
- Separately, blanch and finely grind 2 lbs of almonds, moistening them with 2 tbsp of rose water for fragrance and to help achieve a fine paste.
- Melt 1 1/2 lbs of butter into 2 cups of cream over gentle heat.
- Add the yeast mixture, almonds, butter-cream mixture, and optionally a splash of sherry wine (to substitute for the original 'sack posset') to the flour and currants.
- Knead everything into a supple dough.
- Afterward, cover the dough with a hot, damp cloth and let it rise in a warm spot by the fire for about 1-2 hours.
- Once risen, transfer to a moderate oven (about 350°F) and bake.
- When the cake is almost done, glaze it with a simple icing made from rose water and caster sugar, then finish baking until golden and set.
Estimated Calories
480 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes some time to prepare and knead the dough, let it rise, and bake the cake. The recipe makes a large cake that you can cut into about 36 generous slices. Each piece is rich with butter, cream, almonds, and dried fruit, so the calorie estimate reflects those ingredients.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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