Receipts for New Year’s Cake also found a place in the pages
of individual manuscript (handwritten) cookbooks. Below is one
from the home of Elizabeth Van Rensselaer (1799-1835), who
was a member of the upstate-New York Philip Van Rensselaer
family. As is typical of personal receipt books, it merely lists
the necessary ingredients. Of course, there was no need for
anything more, because Elizabeth knew what to do. It was
assumed, too, that if another person, whether a relative or
a friend or a neighbor, borrowed it, she also would know (but
of course!). Such meager lists were merely meant to jog
a cook’s memory both as to what items were needed and
what to do with them.
_________________________
Approved Receipt for making New Year’s Cake
14 lb Flour
4 ” Butter
1/2 lb Lard
3 1/2 lb White Havana Sugar
_________________________
Interestingly, the above is somewhat similar to the one
I posted previously from the second edition of Amelia
Simmons’ American Cookery (1796). There’s the same
amount of flour and butter, with a little less sugar.
At the same time, there’s no yeast sponge, no eggs,
milk, or caraway seeds. Is it the same receipt, but
those ingredients were left out on purpose? If so,
it must make quite a different cake! Same, too,
if it’s simply a totally different receipt. Perhaps
they’re items that Elizabeth knew were included,
and so there was no need to write them down?
I suppose one way to discover the answer would be
to make the cake per this receipt, as is, and then do
it again, adding the other ingredients. Still, will that
really prove anything? Maybe, maybe not. It might
just be one of those things we’ll never know.
Ahhh, more food forensics. What fun!
