Recipe Manuscript

To Make A Great Cake Of 3 Gallons Of Flower

Name: To Make A Great Cake Of 3 Gallons Of Flower
Prep time: PTPT40M
Cook time: PTPT1H30M
Yield: 40
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 3.6 kg plain flour; 4.5 kg currants; 900 g blanched almonds (ground); 680 g unsalted butter (cold, diced); 4 g nutmeg (freshly grated); 4 g ground mace; 4 g ground cinnamon; 120 ml rose water; 300 ml sweet sherry (substitute for sack); 90 g fresh baker's yeast (or equivalent active dried yeast); 1 liter lukewarm water (more as needed); Fine caster sugar for finishing

1738

From the treasured pages of Cookery book of Ann Goodenough

Written by Ann Goodenough

Culinary Enlightenment (1700 - 1800)European Advanced Dessert

To Make A Great Cake Of 3 Gallons Of Flower

Original Recipe • 1738

Original Manuscript(circa Culinary Enlightenment, 1700 - 1800)

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

To Make A Great Cake Of 3 Gallons Of Flower

"Put ten pound of Curranto two pound of Allmonds well dryed and Searched throo a pound and halfe of butterr nutmings mace and Cinnamon and ounce and a halfe to the throo gallons of Flower a Little rose water and about halfe a pint of Sacke and two pints of Ale East very well beaten and Strainede then take as much water luke warme as you think will breed it and Soe untill you put it into the Oven keepe it in a warme cloth a whilee before you make it up; two houers is enough to Loake it have care in heating your oven Either with wood Good hot you need not meet any of the butterr but crumble itt in the Flower if you will use it when you draw it out of the oven wash itt all over with rose water with a Feather and through a Seive Seavers double refined Suger a top of itt and then lett itt stand untill itt bee cold:"

Note on the Original Text

The recipe employs archaic spellings ('flower' for flour, 'East' for yeast, 'Curranto' for currants) and omits detailed step sequences, a common trait in early modern manuscripts. Quantities are often vast, reflecting both household scale and the lack of ready convenience foods. Directions are guided by feel—'as much water as will breed it'—and by experience, requiring the cook to interpret dough consistency and oven heat. Spelling is highly phonetic and punctuation is idiosyncratic, typical for working housewives of the period. The lack of precise times and temperatures reflects both limited equipment and the expectation of skilled intuitive baking, honed by years of practice.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cookery book of Ann Goodenough - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cookery book of Ann Goodenough (1738)

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

Writer

Ann Goodenough

Era

1738

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A delightful journey into the kitchens of early 18th-century England, this collection captures the flair and flavors of its time with recipes crafted by the inventive Ann Goodenough. Expect a charming medley of hearty roasts, comforting pies, and time-honored confections, perfect for those wishing to dine as they did in Georgian days.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe is from Ann Goodenough, dating between 1700 and 1775, a period when large 'great cakes' were centerpieces for feasts and special occasions in English households. Cakes of this size and richness were both status symbols and communal fare, often baked for celebrations and gatherings. Sack (a fortified wine) and rose water were luxury flavorings, while the heavy use of currants and almonds shows the cake’s festive, extravagant nature. The original audience would have been familiar with baking in large batches and with the nuances of managing yeast-leavened cakes in wood-fired ovens.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

In the 18th century, bakers made this cake using large wooden mixing bowls and stout wooden spoons or their hands for combining heavy doughs. Flour would have been sifted with sieves, and yeast (likely sourced from ale brewing) beaten and strained into the dough. The dough would rise covered with a warm cloth or near a hearth for heat. Final baking took place in a wood-fired bread oven—heated with bundles of wood—using cast iron or tin molds, large cake hoops, or free-form on baking stones. Feather brushes were used to apply rose water, and sugar was sifted on with fine-mesh sieves.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

40 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 30 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

8 lb plain flour
10 lb currants
2 lb blanched almonds (ground)
1 1/2 lb (24 oz) unsalted butter (cold, diced)
1/8 oz (1/2 tbsp) nutmeg (freshly grated)
1/8 oz (1/2 tbsp) ground mace
1/8 oz (1/2 tbsp) ground cinnamon
4 fl oz rose water
10 fl oz sweet sherry (substitute for sack)
3 oz fresh baker's yeast (or equivalent active dried yeast)
1 quart lukewarm water (more as needed)
Fine caster sugar for finishing

Instructions

To recreate Ann Goodenough’s great cake, start by mixing 8 pounds (about 3 gallons by volume) of plain flour with 1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces) of cold, diced unsalted butter, gently rubbing the butter into the flour by hand for a crumbly texture.
Add 10 pounds currants, 2 pounds blanched and finely ground almonds, 1/8 ounce (or 1/2 tablespoon) each of freshly grated nutmeg, ground mace, and cinnamon.
Moisten the ingredients with about 4 fluid ounces rose water and 10 fluid ounces sweet sherry (substituting for sack, a type of fortified wine).
Beat 3 ounces fresh baker’s yeast into 1 quart of lukewarm water, strain, and combine with the dough, adding more lukewarm water as needed to make a soft, enriched dough.
Knead until smooth and elastic, cover the dough with a warm, damp cloth and allow it to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1.5–2 hours).
Shape into large rounds or loaves, place them on a prepared baking tray or in a cake hoop, and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (180°C) for 1–2 hours, checking after the first hour.
When baked, remove from the oven, immediately brush with rose water using a pastry brush, then sift a generous layer of fine caster sugar over the top.
Cool completely before serving.

Estimated Calories

420 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It takes about 40 minutes to prepare the ingredients, mix, and knead the dough. The cake then needs to bake for 1.5 hours. This large recipe makes around 40 generous servings. Each serving has about 420 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.