She Doesn’t Look a Day Over 180, Does She?

Cake? Check.

Party hats? Of course.

Two hundred candles? Umm...maybe we ought to call the fire department, just in case... ☺

This coming Saturday is the 200^th birthday of my favorite British monarch, one who should bewell known by now to NineteenTeen readers.

We’ve learned about theextraordinary circumstances surrounding her birth, her rather lonely upbringing, the challenges she faced as she grew ever closer to the throne during her uncle’s(King William IV) decline, and her triumphal ascension as Queen Regnant shortlyafter her eighteenth birthday...as well as some of her early missteps. Sometimes controversial, often admirable, always fascinating (how often has a woman come to embody a historical era?)...let’s wish Queen Victoria a very happy 200^th birthday!

And in case you want your piece of birthday cake home-baked...try this recipe for a Victoria Sponge, which was evidently one of her favorites for afternoon tea, courtesy of the New York Times:

Enjoy! And eat a slice for Her Majesty!

Baking, 1917 Style

As we learned last week, with the entry of the US into World War I, voluntary food conservation came into being in order to not only provide food for American troops heading over to fight in Europe, but also relieve severe food shortages for European civilians. The Food Administration encouraged homemakers to be frugal and to do without; the women’s magazines jumped in and began to publish recipes that reflected the new frugality.

And so this week, I present...recipes! I haven’t tried any of them—too busy getting ready for April (hint, hint). But I think I might try this first one some time, because....well, chocolate and potatoes? Carb heaven. It’s from a Royal Baking Powder ad in the July 1917 issue of McCall’s Magazine:

Potato Chocolate Cake
¾ cups shortening
2 cups sugar
½ cup chocolate
¾ cup milk
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
5 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
1 cup mashed potatoes
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts
½ teaspoon cloves

Cream shortening, add sugar, melted chocolate and mashed potatoes, mix well. Beat eggs separately and add yolks to the first mixture. Add milk and dry ingredients which have been sifted together. Beat well. Add nuts, vanilla, and beaten whites of eggs. Mix thoroughly and bake in greased loaf tin in moderate oven one hour. (The old method called for four eggs)

This one (from a Royal Baking Powder ad in June 1917’s McCall’s) is less tempting—I’m not a fruitcake fan—but I just love the recipe name. Makes you jump up and say, “yum!”, doesn’t it?

Or not.

Eggless, Milkless, Butterless Cake
1 cup brown sugar
1 ¼ cups water
1 cup seedless raisins
2 ounces citron, cut fine
1/3 cup shortening
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
5 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder

Boil sugar, water, fruit, shortening, salt, and spices together in sauce 3 minutes. When cool, add flour and baking power which have been sifted together. Mix well, Bake in loaf pan about 45 minutes. (The old method called for three eggs)

And finally, from an article in September 1917’s The Delineator entitled “More French Recipes”, is a recipe from a B. Simmen of Ruschlekom, Switzerland:

War Cake
1 cupful granulated sugar
2 teaspoonfuls cocoa
2 cupfuls milk
2 cupfuls flour
1 tablespoonful melted grape jelly
1 egg
1 or 2 teaspoonfuls powdered cinnamon
1 teaspoonful baking soda
Nuts

Take the granulated sugar and add to it the egg. Then beat together and add the cocoa, cinnamon, and the fresh milk or cream. Add the milk or cream very slowly. Mix in the flour. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in one tablespoonful of melted grape jelly.

Butter a high baking-pan, as this dish bakes better in a high pan rather than a shallow one.

Shell some nuts and put them over your cake. This dessert is inexpensive and will keep for several days.

I rather like how the recipe’s author neglects to mention baking the cake!

Bon appétit!

Many Happy Returns of the Day!

That was a common birthday greeting in the 19th century…and while it’s now the 21st, we though it appropriate to use as Nineteenteen completes its second full year of blogging this week.

It’s hard for Regina and me to believe we’ve been posting faithfully for two whole years. That’s a long time by blog standards. It’s a lot of work to think up topics, research, write, find appropriate images…but it’s also a lot of fun. We’re writing this blog because we enjoy it…and we hope you enjoy reading it.

In celebration of our birthday week, here’s a recipe for Victoria Cake, which according to legend was much appreciated by Her Majesty at tea time. Enjoy!

Victoria Cake

Ingredients

for the cake
6 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
6 oz superfine sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature, beaten
6 oz self-raising flour
Pinch of salt

For the filling
4-6 tbsp strawberry jam, or your favorite flavor
1 tbsp superfine sugar

Buttercream (optional)

3 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 oz powdered sugar
4-5 drops of vanilla extract

Grease and line the bottom of 2 8-inch cake pans (at least 2" deep) with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until the mixture is pale in color and light and fluffy. Add the beaten egg, a teaspoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour and salt and carefully add to the mixture, folding in with a spatula. Divide the mixture equally between the pans and smooth over with a spatula. Place the pans on the same shelf in the center of the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes until well risen, golden brown and beginning to shrink from the sides of the pans. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 3 – 5 minutes. Loosen the cakes from around the edge of the pans using a butter knife and turn them out onto a clean towel. Remove the parchment paper and invert the cakes onto a wire rack (this prevents the rack from marking the tops). When completely cool, spread the jam on the bottom cake and place the 2nd on top to sandwich them together. To finish off, sprinkle the top of the cake with sugar. If you wish to add the optional buttercream, beat together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Spread the buttercream carefully over the jam before stacking the cakes.


P. S. And no, I didn’t forget…the winner of a paperback copy of Bewitching Season from among last week’s commenters is Rachel. Rachel, contact me via this form on my website so that we can arrange mailing.

Please come back on Friday, when we’ll continue our birthday celebration by offering another chance to win a book by commenting. See you then!