To make Limon Cakes is a traditional Stuart recipe for a classic sweet or candy made from a sugar syrup flavoured with lemon zest, lemon juice, rosewater and orange-flower water. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Stuart version of: To make Limon Cakes.
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Original Recipe
To make Syrup of Violets (from Hannah Woolley's Queen-like Closet 1670)
49. To make Limon Cakes.
Take half a pound of refin'd ſugar, put to it two ſpoonfuls of Roſewater, as much Orange Flower water, and as much of fair water, boil it to a Candy height, then put in the Rind of a Limon grated, and a little Juice, ſtir it well on the fire, and drop it on Plates or ſleeked Paper.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
225g caster sugar
2 tbsp rosewater
2 tbsp orange-flower water
2 tbsp water
finely-grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsp lemon juice
Method:
Combine the sugar, rosewater, orange-flower water and water in a small pan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves then increase the heat and bring to a boil. Continue cooking until the sugar begins to caramelize then stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice.
Stir thoroughly to combine then continue cooking for 5 minutes more. Take off the heat and drop the lemon caramel by the teaspoon onto greaseproof (waxed) paper. Allow to cool completely then peel the lemon candy sweetmeats off the greaseproof paper.
We would consider these to be sweets (candies) but in Stuart times they would have been treated as sweetmeats and served with cheese after the main meal.
