Recipe Manuscript

To Make Darby Cakes

Name: To Make Darby Cakes
Prep time: PTPT30M
Cook time: PTPT30M
Yield: 36
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 4 kg plain wheat flour; 450 g currants; 565 g caster sugar; 28 g ground cinnamon; 5 g ground ginger; 2.25 kg unsalted butter; 570 ml strong beer barm (or 42 g fresh baker's yeast mixed with 570 ml warm ale as a substitute); 150 ml dry sherry (as a modern substitute for 'sack')

1693

From the treasured pages of Receipt book of Jane Staveley

Written by Jane Staveley

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Intermediate Dessert Snack

Original Recipe • 1693

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

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

To Make Darby Cakes

"Take a peck of flower a pound of courance a pound & a quarter of suger, an ounce of cinnamon, and a little ginger both beaten small, mix all these in the flower dry together, then melt 5 pounds of Butter & a pint of stronge thick ale barm, & 10 spoonfulls of sack, mix all these hot, but dont handle it too much, it must be pretty stiff paste, half an hour bakes them in a quick oven, this quantity will make 3 dozen of cakes, they must be made into cakes imediatly after it is mixed befor it cools, dice them with a clean comb."

Note on the Original Text

This recipe reflects typical 17th-century English kitchen practice: quantities are immense, assuming the needs of a large household or to allow for preservation. Instructions are brief, with little explanation, as culinary knowledge was assumed. Spelling and ingredient names are archaic—'flower' for flour, 'courance' for currants, 'suger' for sugar—and the term 'barm' refers to ale yeast instead of the cultured yeast we use now. The use of a 'quick oven' means a hot oven, and 'dice them with a clean comb' is a playful way to score the surface, familiar to cooks of the period.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Receipt book of Jane Staveley - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Receipt book of Jane Staveley (1693)

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

Writer

Jane Staveley

Era

1693

Publisher

Unknown

Background

Step into the flavorful annals of the 17th century with Jane Staveley’s delightful culinary collection. Brimming with time-honored recipes and refined instructions, this book offers a sumptuous glimpse into the kitchens of yesteryear—where classic techniques met noble tastes and every dish was a celebration of ingenuity.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe for Darby Cakes was transcribed by Jane Staveley in England between 1693 and 1694, at a time when home baking was an essential domestic art rather than a hobby. Cakes in this era fell somewhere between sweetened breads and modern cakes, and often relied on ale barm—yeasty residue from brewing—for leavening, before baking powder or commercial yeast took over the scene. 'Sack' refers to a fortified white wine, similar to today's sherry, popular in 17th-century England. Such cakes would have been made in large quantities for celebrations or as a staple treat in a prosperous household.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Preparation would have involved a large wooden mixing tray for the stiff dough, a heavy saucepan (likely copper or iron) for melting quantities of butter, and a stone or earthenware baking surface set inside a brick or wood-fired oven. The marking of the cakes with a comb reflects the absence of patterned cutters or specialized tools; a simple, everyday clean comb or a fork sufficed for decorative scoring. Barm would be skimmed from ale barrels, and heavy wooden spoons or hands would mix the dough. Cakes were shaped and moved by hand, leveraging the warmth from the freshly melted butter.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

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

9 lb plain wheat flour
1 lb currants
1 lb 4 oz caster sugar
1 oz ground cinnamon
0.2 oz (about 1 tsp) ground ginger
5 lb unsalted butter
1 pint strong beer barm (or 1.5 oz fresh baker's yeast mixed with 1 pint warm ale as a substitute)
5 fl oz dry sherry (as a modern substitute for 'sack')

Instructions

To make Darby Cakes in a modern kitchen, begin by thoroughly blending 9 lb plain wheat flour with 1 lb currants, 1 lb 4 oz caster sugar, 1 oz ground cinnamon, and 0.2 oz (about 1 tsp) ground ginger.
In a saucepan, gently melt 5 lb unsalted butter.
While the butter is still hot, stir in 1 pint active, unpasteurized beer barm (or 1.5 oz fresh baker’s yeast with a tablespoon of ale as a substitute) and 10 tablespoons (about 5 fl oz) of dry sherry or white wine (as a modern 'sack').
Combine the dry and wet mixtures swiftly, being careful not to overwork the dough—aim for a stiff paste.
Quickly shape into flat rounds (approximately the size of your palm), and, while still warm, mark the tops with the tines of a clean comb or fork.
Bake immediately in a preheated, hot oven at 425°F for about 30 minutes or until rich golden.
This recipe will yield about 36 cakes.

Estimated Calories

375 per serving

Cooking Estimates

You will spend about 30 minutes mixing and shaping the dough, then bake the cakes in the oven for another 30 minutes. Each cake has about 375 calories, and you get 36 cakes in total.

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.