Recipe Manuscript

To Make Lemon Peel Cakes

Name: To Make Lemon Peel Cakes
Prep time: PTPT25M
Cook time: PTPT35M
Yield: 20
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Peels of 4-5 fresh lemons; Water (as needed for boiling and infusing); 450g granulated sugar (plus more as needed for pounding with peels); 60ml rosewater (or enough to moisten the sugar for the syrup); Alternative for rosewater: orange blossom water if rosewater unavailable

1694

From the treasured pages of English cookery and medicine book,

Unknown Author

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Intermediate Dessert Snack

Original Recipe • 1694

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

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

To Make Lemon Peel Cakes

"Take ye peels & water of 4 or 5 fresh lemons infuse in 2 or 3 waters to take away the bitterness. yn take out ye inwards white & beat them small after beat it in a stone mortor with asmuch sugar as will give it a tholish make ye surrup of a pound of sug, & rosswater, to wet it boil it till it will come from ye plate droping it thereon. yn in ye mean time dry ye stuff in a pan a pound thereof mingle it with together very well & set it on ye fire & sooth 4 or 5 times them drop it on plates or put it in Cofones & set it before ye fire and turn them."

Note on the Original Text

This recipe, like many of its era, is expressed in conversational, non-standardized English. Spelling is phonetic and variable: 'yn' for 'then', 'surrup' for 'syrup', 'asmuch' for 'as much', 'ye' meaning 'the', and 'tholish' probably meaning 'thickish' or 'slightly tough'. The instructions are non-linear, requiring the cook to exercise judgment and draw on shared culinary knowledge of the day. Quantities are sometimes approximate ('4 or 5 lemons', 'asmuch sugar as will give it a tholish'), and the expectations for boiling the syrup to 'come from ye plate' refer to the historical method of testing candy readiness by dropping syrup onto a cold plate to check the set—a forerunner to modern soft ball or hard ball tests in confectionery.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

English cookery and medicine book, - Click to view recipe in book

Title

English cookery and medicine book, (1694)

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

Writer

Unknown

Era

1694

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A delightful journey through late 17th to early 18th-century kitchens, this tome features recipes, culinary wisdom, and mouthwatering secrets from an era where feasts reigned supreme and the art of cooking was celebrated with flourish.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe comes from an English manuscript dated between 1677 and 1711, a period marked by increasing refinement in both sweetmeats and confections among the well-to-do. Lemon peel cakes—closer to candied or jellied citrus sweets than what we now think of as cake—were a way to showcase both the rising popularity of citrus fruits and the use of imported sugar in elite households. The inclusion of rosewater reflects fashionable flavor trends of the time, adding a perfumed floral note popular in 17th and 18th-century cooking. The method demonstrates techniques for preserving and candying fruit, which were essential not just for enjoyment but also as a show of culinary skill and status. Dishes like these were often served at banquets or as gifts and would have been seen as luxurious treats.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

The main tools used would have been a stone mortar and pestle for pounding the lemon peels and sugar into a paste, heavy-bottomed pans for boiling and reducing both the peels and the syrup, and plates or small paper forms (cofones, a precursor to muffin or petit-fours cases) for setting the final confections. An open hearth or early stove would provide the heat for boiling the syrup and drying the finished cakes, while the gentle turning before the fire mirrors early techniques for slowly setting and curing sweetmeats.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

35 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

Peels of 4-5 fresh lemons
Water (as needed for boiling and infusing)
1 pound (about 2 cups) granulated sugar (plus more as needed for pounding with peels)
2 fluid ounces rosewater (or enough to moisten the sugar for the syrup)
Alternative for rosewater: orange blossom water if rosewater unavailable

Instructions

First, take the peels of 4 or 5 fresh lemons and place them in a saucepan, covering them with water.
Boil and drain, then repeat this process with fresh water 2 or 3 times to reduce bitterness.
Once cooled, remove any remaining white pith from the peels and chop them finely.
Using a mortar and pestle, pound the chopped peels together with an equal weight of sugar until you have a coarse, thick paste.
Make a syrup by combining 1 pound (about 2 cups) sugar with about 2 fluid ounces rosewater (or enough to moisten) in a saucepan.
Bring this mixture to a boil and cook until it reaches a thick, droppable consistency—soft ball stage if you're familiar with confectionery.
While waiting, gently dry the lemon peel and sugar paste in a pan over low heat until some moisture evaporates, but do not brown it.
Mix one pound (about 2 cups) of this paste into the hot syrup and stir well to combine.
Heat the mixture together, stirring and allowing it to cook for a few minutes.
Work it on and off the fire 4 to 5 times to gently thicken and dry it out.
Finally, drop spoonfuls of the warm mixture onto parchment-lined plates or fill into small paper cases (cufones/cofones, similar to modern petit four cups).
Place them near a gentle heat or low oven to set and dry slightly, turning as needed.

Estimated Calories

70 per serving

Cooking Estimates

You will need about 25 minutes to prep the lemon peels, prepare ingredients, and make the paste. Cooking the syrup, paste, and drying the candies takes about 35 minutes overall. Each small candy contains around 70 calories, and this recipe makes about 20 pieces.

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.