Queen Cakes is a traditional British recipe, based on Eliza Acton's recipe of 1845, for a classic plum pound cake made of a sugar, flour, butter and currant batter with egg whites as a raising agent that traditionally uses a pound weight of all the ingredients (but which has been halved here) and which are cooked in individual portions (typically in heart-shaped moulds). The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Queen Cakes.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Eliza Acton's 1845 volume Modern Cookery, the first classic Victorian cookbook for a classic sponge fairy cake containing sultanas in the batter that are baked in mini cupcake cases.
Original Recipe
QUEEN CAKES.
To make these, proceed exactly as for the pound currant-cake of page 546, but bake the mixture in small well-buttered tin pans (heart-shaped ones are usual), in a somewhat brisk oven, for about twenty minutes.
Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl and add to the creamed mixture a little at a time, beating thoroughly to combine after each addition.
Add the egg whites to a clean and dry bowl and beat until they stand in soft peaks. Fold the flour into the butter and egg yolk mixture then fold in the beaten egg whites, followed by the currants and candied peel (ensure that the fruit are mixed throughout the batter but do not over-work).
For traditional queen cakes, the batter should be spooned into heart-shaped moulds. But they can also be baked in lined muffin cups (do not fill them more than 3/4 full). Transfer to an oven pre-heated to an oven pre-heated to 170°C and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the cakes are nicely browned on top and cooked through (a skewer inserted into the centre should emerge cleanly).
Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. These cakes can be iced before serving (use red or rose-coloured icing for Valentine's day).
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