Recipe Manuscript

To Make Violatt Cakes

Name: To Make Violatt Cakes
Prep time: PTPT30M
Cook time: PTPT1H
Yield: 24
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Fresh violet leaves (Viola odorata preferred), approximately 20 g (about 2 large handfuls); Icing sugar, 113 g (4 oz); Gum tragacanth powder, 1 teaspoon (alternative: powdered gum arabic, but with a different texture); Rosewater, 2 tablespoons; Juice of lemon, a few drops (optional, for color); Natural food color (optional, if real violet color desired); Fine mesh sieve (for sifting powder)

1695

From the treasured pages of Cookery and medicinal recipes of the Granville family from Worcestershire and Cadiz

Written by Granville family

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Intermediate Dessert Snack

Original Recipe • 1695

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

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

To Make Violatt Cakes

"Take Violett Leaves, and cutt off the white ends of the Leaves, put them into a pewter dish, and sett them into the oven after white bread hath been baked therein, the heat whereof will dry them, which done beat them to powder and sifft them through fine Siffany, Then take gum dragan, and steepe it in rosewater till it bee like starch, then take 4 ounces of fine suger beaten andSearced, and make paste with your gum, that which you make must bee pretty stiff putting as much powder of the Violett Leaves, as will coulour itt according to your owne desire, Then roll itt out like paste very thin and cutt them into what flowers you please, Laying them on glasse plates to dry, if you will have your cakes redd put 2. or 3 drops of Juice of Lemmons to itt if white nothing but suger and Gume = = ="

Note on the Original Text

Recipes of this era were written with the expectation that the reader possessed a basic kitchen knowledge—measures are approximate, and instructions start in the middle of a process without preambles. Terms like 'cakes' could refer to any small, shaped sweet, not the baked goods we think of today. Spelling is neither standardized nor modern: 'Searced' means sifted, 'Siffany' is a fine silk cloth, and 'gume dragan' refers to gum tragacanth (or sometimes gum arabic). The recipe assumes the use of whatever violet leaves and rosewater were at hand, reflecting both seasonality and household supplies. The archaic phrasing and absent punctuation are typical for the handwritten cookbooks of early modern England.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cookery and medicinal recipes of the Granville family from Worcestershire and Cadiz - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cookery and medicinal recipes of the Granville family from Worcestershire and Cadiz (1695)

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

Writer

Granville family

Era

1695

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A delightful journey through the culinary traditions of the Granville family, this historical recipe collection serves up a taste of English kitchens from the 17th and early 18th centuries. Brimming with time-honored techniques and flavors, it invites modern readers to savor the spirited inventiveness of early modern home cooks.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from the Granville family manuscript, dating roughly between 1640 and 1750—an era when English gentry indulged in confections both as status symbols and elegant amusements. Scented and colored with real botanicals, these 'cakes' were not baked cakes as we know them, but pressed sugar pastes molded into decorative, bite-sized shapes—think edible objets d'art. The use of violets was both aesthetic and medicinal, fitting in with contemporary tastes for floral flavors and the humoral theory that influenced much of 17th-century cookery.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

The original maker would have used pewter dishes to gently dry the violet leaves—placing them in the oven after bread had finished baking, utilizing residual heat for slow dehydration. Powdering would have been done with a mortar and pestle, while a piece of 'fine Siffany' (a sheer silk sieve) sifted out coarse particles. The paste was formed by hand, rolled thin, and cut with metal or wooden flower-shaped cutters or even shaped freehand with small knives. Glass plates were used for drying, as they were smooth and non-porous, helping the delicate cakes set without sticking.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Servings

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

Fresh violet leaves (Viola odorata preferred), approximately 0.7 oz (about 2 large handfuls)
Icing sugar, 4 oz (113 g)
Gum tragacanth powder, 1 teaspoon (alternative: powdered gum arabic, but with a different texture)
Rosewater, 2 tablespoons
Juice of lemon, a few drops (optional, for color)
Natural food color (optional, if real violet color desired)
Fine mesh sieve (for sifting powder)

Instructions

Begin by sourcing fresh violet leaves (Viola odorata is preferred for its flavor and color).
Snip off any white stem ends.
Lay the leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet and dry them in a warm oven—about 210°F (100°C)—for 30 to 60 minutes, or until completely brittle.
Once cooled, grind the dried leaves to a fine powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, and sift finely.
Soak 1 teaspoon of powdered gum tragacanth (a modern alternative to dragon gum) in 2 tablespoons of rosewater, stirring until it forms a thick, starch-like gel.
In a mixing bowl, combine 4 oz (113 g) of sifted icing sugar with just enough of the gum-rosewater mixture to form a stiff, pliable paste, the consistency of firm fondant.
Add enough violet leaf powder to tint the paste a gentle green, or as desired.
For a violet or reddish tone, add a couple of drops of lemon juice for acidity (and, if you like, a touch of natural food color).
Roll the paste very thin on a surface dusted with icing sugar.
Use small floral cookie cutters or a sharp knife to trim into flower shapes.
Place the cut pieces on parchment over a glass or ceramic plate and let dry uncovered at room temperature for 24-48 hours, until fully set.

Estimated Calories

20 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Drying the violet leaves in the oven takes about 1 hour. Preparing the gum mixture, mixing and shaping the paste takes around 30 minutes. The actual cook time is mainly the oven drying, and the rest is hands-on prep work. The recipe makes about 24 small candies, each with roughly 20 calories.

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.