To Make Spunge Bisketts

This recipe for 'Spunge Bisketts' is adapted from a mid-18th-century English manuscript compiled by Mary Puleston before 1764. The Puleston family were members of the landed gentry, and their recipe collection offers a glimpse into the refined tastes and culinary creativity of Georgian Britain. At the time, sponge biscuits like these were exquisitely fashionable, frequently served at social teas or as elegant desserts. Novel methods in egg foaming and careful handling of ingredients foreshadow the rise of modern patisserie. The use of rose water and lemon zest is typical of the period’s love for floral and citrus notes, elevating otherwise simple pantry staples.

In Mary Puleston's kitchen, this recipe would have required a large brass or silver mixing pan, a sturdy whisk or bundle of birch twigs (the forerunner of the modern whisk), and a set of small oblong tins or pans for shaping the sponge biscuits. Heat was applied using a hearth or range, often with pans set over gently simmering water to carefully regulate the temperature while whisking the eggs (today's bain-marie). Ingredients were sifted through muslin or a fine sieve. Sugar was often sold in cones and grated or pounded before use. Baking was done in a 'quick oven', meaning a hot wood-fired or coal oven, monitored by hand and experience.