Recipe Manuscript

And For To Ice The Cake

Name: And For To Ice The Cake
Prep time: PTPT20M
Cook time: PTPT15M
Yield: 12
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 675 grams double refined (superfine) white sugar, sifted; A pinch (or a drop of extract as substitute) of ambergris (or substitute with orange blossom or rosewater); A very tiny pinch (or a drop of extract as substitute) of musk (or omit); 8 large egg whites; Long strips of candied orange peel; Long strips of candied citron peel

1703

From the treasured pages of The Lady Cravens Receipt Book

Written by Elizabeth Craven, Baroness Craven

Culinary Enlightenment (1700 - 1800)European Intermediate Dessert

Original Recipe • 1703

Original Manuscript(circa Culinary Enlightenment, 1700 - 1800)

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

And For To Ice The Cake

"Take one pound & half of doble refined Sugar beaten and Sifted very fine and Bring with the Sugar 4 graines of Ambergris and one of muske then take the whites of 8 Eggs beaten to froth & mix soe much of it with the Sugar as to make it a Rich on Both and when the Cake Ice it all over with a Brush very thick on Both Tops and sides & Lay Long Slices of Candid Oronge & Cittron peel very thick over it for sett it into the Oven to drye"

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in the typical style of early 18th-century English manuscript cookery: direct, sometimes elliptical, relying on the cook's familiarity with basic processes and quantities. Period spelling often omits modern silent letters ('doe' for 'do', 'soe' for 'so'), and terms like 'Rich' refer to texture and quality rather than strict proportion. Proportions are sometimes imprecise ('as to make it a Rich on Both'), and instructions assume a hands-on understanding of texture ('beaten to froth'). Ingredient names might differ—'candied Oronge' is our 'candied orange peel'—while items like ambergris and musk reflect a world where luxury and rarity were flaunted even in cakes, which is rarely the case today.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

The Lady Cravens Receipt Book - Click to view recipe in book

Title

The Lady Cravens Receipt Book (1703)

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

Writer

Elizabeth Craven, Baroness Craven

Era

1703

Publisher

Coome Abbey

Background

A delectable manuscript brimming with 18th-century English delights, Lady Craven's receipt book whisks readers from luscious cakes and puddings to savory feasts and creamy cheeses. Elegantly organized and sprinkled with recipes from an illustrious social circle, this culinary collection offers a sumptuous taste of aristocratic home economics.

Kindly made available by

Penn State University

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe is drawn from "The Lady Craven's receipt booke," penned at the turn of the 18th century by Elizabeth, Baroness Craven—an emblem of English aristocratic culinary life. Lady Craven's collection brims with the sweets, cordials, and festive treats loved by England's well-to-do families in the waning years of Queen Anne's reign. The recipe itself is a window onto a moment when icing cakes with snowy white sugar was both state-of-the-art and a mark of immense luxury: sugar was yet precious, and the addition of rare perfume ingredients like ambergris and musk set such a cake apart as a true showpiece for the family table. As was customary, recipes were shared among noble households, with Lady Craven's friends and kin (all well-placed ladies and lords) contributing their specialties in an intricate web of social exchange.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Tools in Lady Craven's kitchen were sturdy and simple yet effective: a brass or wooden mortar and pestle for grinding the sugar and aromatic ingredients, large ceramic bowls and a whisk or bundle of birch twigs for whipping the egg whites, fine sieves for sifting, and sturdy wooden spoons for mixing. For icing and decorating, a brush or bundle of clean goose feathers would help apply the icing thickly. Slices of candied peel would be hand-cut, and the cake set in a gentle oven—likely heated by wood, its temperature gauged by experience and touch—to dry the icing without browning it.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Servings

Ingredients

24 ounces (1 pound 8 ounces) double refined (superfine) white sugar, sifted
A pinch (or a drop of extract as substitute) of ambergris (or substitute with orange blossom or rosewater)
A very tiny pinch (or a drop of extract as substitute) of musk (or omit)
8 large egg whites
Long strips of candied orange peel
Long strips of candied citron peel

Instructions

To ice your cake in the manner of Lady Craven, begin by weighing out 24 ounces (1 pound 8 ounces) of double refined (superfine) white sugar and sifting it until very fine.
If you wish to replicate the aromatic luxury of ambergris and musk, you may substitute with a drop or two of natural floral or citrus extracts, as these animal-derived perfumes are uncommon and costly today.
Set aside.
Whip the whites of 8 large eggs briskly until they form soft peaks and are light with froth.
Gradually fold enough egg white into the sugar (do not rush: you may not need all of it) to form a thick, spreadable, yet flowy paste.
It should be rich and capable of covering your cake generously without being runny.
With a pastry brush, lavishly coat the entire cooled cake with this icing: both the top and sides should be thickly covered.
Arrange long strips of candied orange and citron peel generously across the top—don't be shy!
Finally, bake the cake briefly in a very low oven to dry and set the icing, much as one would with a modern meringue.
Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.

Estimated Calories

160 per serving

Cooking Estimates

You will need about 20 minutes to prepare the icing and decorate the cake. The cake needs about 15 minutes in the oven to set the icing. Each serving has about 160 calories if you cut the cake into 12 servings.