Recipe Manuscript

To Make Diet Cakes

Name: To Make Diet Cakes
Prep time: PTPT3H15M
Cook time: PTPT3H15M
Yield: 36
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 10 large eggs; 450 g superfine (caster) sugar; 450 g plain wheat flour; 2 tsp (about 5 g) caraway seeds; Pinch of edible ambergris or substitute with a splash of orange blossom water (optional, approx. 0.1 g or 1/8 tsp); Butter, for greasing trays

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 Advanced 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 Diet Cakes

"Take ten of the pallest couloured Hen egs, takeing the skinn and cock Threads from them, and putt them into a deepe stone pan, that will hold about a pottle, Then put a pound of double refined Suger finely beaten into them, and soe beat them with a stick made flatt att the end about an inch broad, some 3 howers neuer letting them stand still, in the interim heat an oven as hott as for house hould bread, when the oven is hott take a pound of fine Flower, and stirr into the egs and Suger with a few carraway Seeds, and a little Amber, -- must bee baked on tin or pewter plates, which must bee butterred within the brimms, and then drop a spoonfull, and halfe of your batter on each plate, and soe sett them into the oven, not aboue 3. or 4 att atime, because one must stand att the ovens mouth, with a slice, and turne them as they see occasion when they rise up in the middle, and looke yellow, they bee enough, when you haue baked them all take them off the plate, and Lay them on white paper setting them into the oven Some three howers after, when itt is almost cold to hardin--"

Note on the Original Text

This recipe is written in the style typical of early modern English manuscripts: instructions are detailed yet rely heavily on the cook's experience, offering cues rather than precise times or measurements. Spelling is variable ('eggs' rendered as 'egs,' 'sugar' as 'Suger'), and punctuation is sparse. Ingredients are not listed separately; instead, the process of combining and working them is part of the narrative. Terms like 'diettcake' may refer to a form of diet bread or light biscuit, denoting their delicacy rather than a modern 'diet' food. The phrase 'beat them with a stick made flatt at the end' and 'never letting them stand still' highlights the primacy of manual labor in traditional baking, and the importance of continual movement for leavening in the absence of chemical agents.

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 collection ('V.a.430'), dating roughly between 1640 and 1750—a period marked by England's flourishing interest in refined, sugar-rich confections. Such recipes, often written by or for elite women, were shared within noble households and reflect early modern experiments with sugar, eggs, and fragrant flavorings like caraway and ambergris (a luxury at the time). 'Diettcakes,' as called here, were likely festive treats, enjoyed alongside tea or for special occasions. The recipe's lengthiness and repeated instructions for turning and drying the cakes speak to both the status conferred by time-consuming baking, and the wood-fired ovens common in grand kitchens of the era.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

The method calls for a deep stoneware pan, the kind commonly found in historical kitchens, large enough to hold nearly 2 liters (a pottle). The eggs were beaten by hand, likely with a wooden stick or paddle, a physically demanding process before the age of electric whisks. Ovens would be wood-fired and heated very hot, akin to bread ovens, with thick tin or pewter plates for baking. Slices (long, flat spatulas) were used to turn and remove the cakes, and white paper offered a clean surface for cooling and secondary drying. Each batch would only bake a few cakes at a time, demanding patience and attention to rise, color, and texture.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

3 hrs 15 mins

Cook Time

3 hrs 15 mins

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

10 large eggs
2 cups (15.9 oz) superfine (caster) sugar
3 1/2 cups (15.9 oz) plain wheat flour
2 tsp caraway seeds
Pinch of edible ambergris or substitute with a splash of orange blossom water (optional, approx. 1/32 tsp)
Butter, for greasing trays

Instructions

Begin by cracking 10 large eggs (use the freshest, palest-shelled eggs you can find) and removing any stray membrane or chalazae.
Place them in a deep mixing bowl.
Add 2 cups (15.9 oz) of finely ground white sugar (use superfine or caster sugar for best results), and use a sturdy whisk, ideally flat-ended or a stand mixer paddle, to beat the eggs and sugar together for about 3 hours continuously.
This develops volume and lightness.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450°F, or as hot as it will safely go, similar to a traditional bread-baking oven.
Sift 3 1/2 cups (15.9 oz) of plain wheat flour, and gently fold it into the egg-sugar mixture.
Stir in 2 teaspoons of caraway seeds, and optionally, a pinch (about 1/32 tsp) of edible food-grade ambergris substitute (such as a very light splash of orange blossom or a floral extract).
Grease several baking trays or flat oven-safe dishes with butter, and deposit about 1.5 tablespoons of batter per biscuit, spaced well apart.
Bake in batches of 3 or 4, turning with a spatula as they rise and color, until golden and puffed, usually 10-15 minutes.
When done, remove from the trays and place on clean baking paper.
Allow the biscuits to cool.
Return them to the cooling oven (now around 175°F) for about 3 hours to fully dry and harden, mimicking the historical approach to crisping.
Serve as delicate, lightly spiced cakes—perfectly light and airy.

Estimated Calories

85 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It takes about 3 hours to beat the eggs and sugar, about 15 minutes to bake each batch, plus 3 hours for drying the biscuits. Preparing the ingredients and trays takes about 15 minutes. Each biscuit has about 85 calories, and the recipe makes about 36 biscuits.

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.