Francatelli Recipes for Dessert Cakes, Chapter 28
Welcome to FabulousFusionFood's Francatelli Recipes for Dessert Cakes — This page gives you the entire contents of the Twenty-eighth Chapter: Dessert Cakes from Charles Elmé Francatelli's 1861 volume, The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant. Each recipe is given here in its original form, with a link underneath to the modern redaction, should you wish to replicate it. This is the first time that Francatelli's book has been made available in its entirety on the internet. Enjoy...
The text presented here is derived directly from Francatelli's book and redacted specifically for this website. Please do not copy or use the content of these pages without first gaining permission.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
No; 903.—ICED SPONGES.
PUT four ounces of sifted sugar into a large basin with eight yolks of eggs, three ounces of flour, and a few drops of essence of orange or lemon; work all together vigorously with a spattle (see Adams' Illustrations) for ten minutes, and then add six whites whipped firm; mix thoroughly, and bake this batter (moderate heat) in a paper-case of such dimensions as will admit of the cake being an inch thick. When the sponge is withdrawn from the oven and has become cold, remove the paper, cut the cake into squares, fingers, rounds, lozenges, or any other form; place these on a baking-sheet, and after spreading some preserve on their surface, ice them over with royal icing, No. 746; dry them in the open screen, and use them for dessert.
No. 904.—DRY SAVOYS.
Whip firm 15 whites of eggs, and incorporate therewith, very lightly, one pound of sifted sugar, half a pound of flour, and a few drops of flavouring; bake in a paper-case two inches deep ; and when done, and cold, use a sharp knife to cut the biscuit in thin slices; place these upon paper on a baking-sheet, and dry them in a moderate heat, of a light colour.
No. 905.—CRACKLINGS.
Whip ten whites of eggs quite firm, and incorporate therewith eight ounces of dried flour, twelve ounces of sifted sugar, six yolks of eggs, and a few drops of essence of vanilla ; mix lightly, and lay the biscuits out on bands of paper in small oval shapes with a forcing bag (see Adams' Illustrations) ; dredge them over with sugar, and when melted, bake them of a light colour in moderate heat; when they are done, turn the bands upside down, pass a wet brush over the paper, and the cakes will easily drop if : they must then be dried on a wire sieve in the screen.
No. 906.—DUTCH DROPS.
Six yolks of eggs, worked in a basin with twelve ounces of sifted sugar, six ounces of dried flour, four ounces of dissolved butter, one ounce of pounded bitter almonds, the rind of two lemons rubbed on sugar, twenty coriander-seeds bruised, and a teaspoonful of essence, or powdered cinnamon; work all vigorously together, and then mix in lightly twelve whites of eggs whipped quite firm. Lay the drops out the size of a walnut, on clean baking-sheets previously rubbed over with white wax ; strew white sugar broken in very small nibs mixed with chopped pistachios over the drops, and bake them in moderate heat, of a light colour : when done, the drops may be easily detached from the sheet. by passing a knife under them.
No. 907 .—PATIENCE.
Twelve ounces of sugar, ten ounces of four, six yolks, and a few drops of essence of cedrati ; mix thoroughly, and whisk the whole in a copper egg bowl (see Adams Illustrations) over a smothered charcoal fire, until the batter presents a white smooth creamy appearance : then incorporate thoroughly and lightly six whites whipped quite firm : lay the small drops out with a biscuit-forcer (see Adams' Illustrations), on waxed baking-sheets, and dry them, of a very light colour, in a slack oven.
No. 908.—CINNAMON BISCUITS.
Mix a pound of sugar with twelve yolks of eggs, and a teaspoonful of essence of cinnamon; work the batter vigorously with a wooden spoon for a quarter of an hour, and then mix in the twelve whites whipped firm, four ounces of potato flour, and four ounces of best flour; fill small paper-cases with this, sugar them over, and when the sugar is melted, bake them in an oven to moderate heat, of a light colour.
No. 909.—MAGENTAS.
Put a pound of sifted sugar into a large basin with twelve yolks of eggs, two ounces of ground bitter almonds, and one ounce of dried orange flowers, bruised : work all together vigorously with a wooden spoon for a quarter of an hour, and then mix in six ounces of dissolved butter, eight whipped whites of eggs, and twelve ounces of flour; fill small tin pans previously buttered, sugared over with fine sugar, and some shred almonds sprinkled on the bottom ; strew shred almonds on their surface ; dredge them over with sugar, and bake in moderate heat: when these biscuits are turned out of their moulds, serve either side uppermost.
No. 910.—LUCKNOWS.
Boil a pound of sugar to the degree beyond its forming large pearls or bubbles on the surface, and when the first heat has subsided, whip it into five whipped whites of eggs ; flavour with zest of orange-peel; fill a biscuit-forcer, and lay out the biscuits in small oval forms upon buttered and floured baking-sheets ; dredge them over with sugar and chopped pistachios, and bake them with moderate heat.
No. 911.—TURIN CAKES.
Put ten yolks of eggs into a large basin with four ounces of ground almonds (previously pounded with the white of an egg and a spoonful of orange-flower water) and a pound of sifted sugar; work all together vigorously with a wooden spoon for twenty minutes, and then add the ten whipped whites, three ounces of flour, and the same quantity of dried and sifted potato flour; mix lightly, and bake the biscuits in small buttered and sugared tartlet-pans—moderate heat.
When the biscuits are baked and cold, mask them over with white icing flavoured with rum.
No. 912.—CREAM BISCUITS.
Work six yolks of eggs with six ounces of sifted sugar, and a tablespoonful of vanilla sugar for twenty minutes ; then add the six whites whipped firm, and three ounces of flour; and lastly, mix in, very lightly, a gill and a half of double cream whipped; fill small paper-cases with this; sugar them over, and bake in very moderate heat.
No. 913.—TRANSPARENTS.
Almost any kind of cake cut up, or previously made in any fancy shapes, may be used for this purpose. In all cases the cakes intended to be glacés should be slightly hollowed out on the surface for the purpose of retaining the preserve with which they are to be covered previously to their being glacés. These very delicious and beautiful dessert-cakes produce almost infinite varieties, and at small cost, inasmuch as the same batter in different forms,—or even larger cakes, or the remains of these cut up, as I have stated above. answer just as well. The principal part of the operation consists in the preparation of the sugar for what is termed transparent icing; and which is accomplished as follows : viz.,—put half a pound of the best loaf-sugar into a copper sugar-boiler with half a pint of water, and after skimming off the surface as it begins to boil, allow it to boil down to forty degrees—or what is termed to be the blow point,—that is, when a perforated spoon has been slightly dipped in the sugar by blowing through the holes,—the sugar distends in comparatively large bubbles or globes; it must then be removed from the fire and the bottom of the pan placed in a basin containg cold water. As soon as the sugar begins to set—to thicken, work it from the liquid centre against the side of the sugar-boiler in order to give it a slightly dimmed or opalized appearance, adding gradually, by teaspoonfuls, half a gill of noyeau, or any other liqueur, and also a little clarified syrup ; and use this to mask over the upper part of the cakes previously covered with any of the following preserves :—apricot, damson, currant jelly, &c. As they are turned out of hand, put them in rows upon a wire-drainer on a dish, after-wards to be placed in the open screen to dry for five minutes.
No. 914—LOVE's WELLS.
Prepare half a pound of Genoese or pound-cake, which must be baked about an inch thick. When cold, it is to be cut out with round, oval, crescent, or leaf-shaped cutters, and these must be again stamped on the upper surface with a smaller cutter, so as to make an incision about a quarter of an inch deep; this inner piece must be removed and the cake hollowed out, and nearly filled with whipped cream flavoured with vanilla, orange, &c., and the top covered in by spreading some kind of preserve lightly over the cream, by means of a cornet, or biscuit-forcer ; this completed, let the cakes be iced over entirely—with any kind of transparent icing indicated in the preceding case, or, merely with ordinary icing made with white of egg, and fine icing sugar.
No. 915.—ICED FRUITS FOR COMPOTES.
Any fruits—such as small bunches of grapes, red, white, or black currants, gooseberries, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, or mulberries, have a very pretty effect when iced over with sifted sugar, according to the following directions : viz.,—remember that for this purpose none but perfect fruit should be selected ; next, whip the white of an egg and a wineglass of water on a plate with the blade of a clean knife, until both are well frothed and mixed; then add a dessert-spoonful of icing sugar ; and when all is thoroughly incorporated, strain it through a sieve into another plate. The fruit must be dipped separately in this egg-water, well shaken to remove any excess of moisture, and carefully rolled in hot sifted white sugar, and then placed in rows on a wire sieve to dry in the open screen. These fruits dished up on green leaves in a compotier, or arranged in varieties on dress plates, present a cool, charming appearance on the dessert-table.
The text presented here is derived directly from Francatelli's book and redacted specifically for this website. Please do not copy or use the content of these pages without first gaining permission.
Francatelli's Chapter XXVIII: Dessert Cakes.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
DESSERT CAKES.
PUT four ounces of sifted sugar into a large basin with eight yolks of eggs, three ounces of flour, and a few drops of essence of orange or lemon; work all together vigorously with a spattle (see Adams' Illustrations) for ten minutes, and then add six whites whipped firm; mix thoroughly, and bake this batter (moderate heat) in a paper-case of such dimensions as will admit of the cake being an inch thick. When the sponge is withdrawn from the oven and has become cold, remove the paper, cut the cake into squares, fingers, rounds, lozenges, or any other form; place these on a baking-sheet, and after spreading some preserve on their surface, ice them over with royal icing, No. 746; dry them in the open screen, and use them for dessert.
Whip firm 15 whites of eggs, and incorporate therewith, very lightly, one pound of sifted sugar, half a pound of flour, and a few drops of flavouring; bake in a paper-case two inches deep ; and when done, and cold, use a sharp knife to cut the biscuit in thin slices; place these upon paper on a baking-sheet, and dry them in a moderate heat, of a light colour.
Whip ten whites of eggs quite firm, and incorporate therewith eight ounces of dried flour, twelve ounces of sifted sugar, six yolks of eggs, and a few drops of essence of vanilla ; mix lightly, and lay the biscuits out on bands of paper in small oval shapes with a forcing bag (see Adams' Illustrations) ; dredge them over with sugar, and when melted, bake them of a light colour in moderate heat; when they are done, turn the bands upside down, pass a wet brush over the paper, and the cakes will easily drop if : they must then be dried on a wire sieve in the screen.
Six yolks of eggs, worked in a basin with twelve ounces of sifted sugar, six ounces of dried flour, four ounces of dissolved butter, one ounce of pounded bitter almonds, the rind of two lemons rubbed on sugar, twenty coriander-seeds bruised, and a teaspoonful of essence, or powdered cinnamon; work all vigorously together, and then mix in lightly twelve whites of eggs whipped quite firm. Lay the drops out the size of a walnut, on clean baking-sheets previously rubbed over with white wax ; strew white sugar broken in very small nibs mixed with chopped pistachios over the drops, and bake them in moderate heat, of a light colour : when done, the drops may be easily detached from the sheet. by passing a knife under them.
Twelve ounces of sugar, ten ounces of four, six yolks, and a few drops of essence of cedrati ; mix thoroughly, and whisk the whole in a copper egg bowl (see Adams Illustrations) over a smothered charcoal fire, until the batter presents a white smooth creamy appearance : then incorporate thoroughly and lightly six whites whipped quite firm : lay the small drops out with a biscuit-forcer (see Adams' Illustrations), on waxed baking-sheets, and dry them, of a very light colour, in a slack oven.
Mix a pound of sugar with twelve yolks of eggs, and a teaspoonful of essence of cinnamon; work the batter vigorously with a wooden spoon for a quarter of an hour, and then mix in the twelve whites whipped firm, four ounces of potato flour, and four ounces of best flour; fill small paper-cases with this, sugar them over, and when the sugar is melted, bake them in an oven to moderate heat, of a light colour.
Put a pound of sifted sugar into a large basin with twelve yolks of eggs, two ounces of ground bitter almonds, and one ounce of dried orange flowers, bruised : work all together vigorously with a wooden spoon for a quarter of an hour, and then mix in six ounces of dissolved butter, eight whipped whites of eggs, and twelve ounces of flour; fill small tin pans previously buttered, sugared over with fine sugar, and some shred almonds sprinkled on the bottom ; strew shred almonds on their surface ; dredge them over with sugar, and bake in moderate heat: when these biscuits are turned out of their moulds, serve either side uppermost.
Boil a pound of sugar to the degree beyond its forming large pearls or bubbles on the surface, and when the first heat has subsided, whip it into five whipped whites of eggs ; flavour with zest of orange-peel; fill a biscuit-forcer, and lay out the biscuits in small oval forms upon buttered and floured baking-sheets ; dredge them over with sugar and chopped pistachios, and bake them with moderate heat.
Put ten yolks of eggs into a large basin with four ounces of ground almonds (previously pounded with the white of an egg and a spoonful of orange-flower water) and a pound of sifted sugar; work all together vigorously with a wooden spoon for twenty minutes, and then add the ten whipped whites, three ounces of flour, and the same quantity of dried and sifted potato flour; mix lightly, and bake the biscuits in small buttered and sugared tartlet-pans—moderate heat.
When the biscuits are baked and cold, mask them over with white icing flavoured with rum.
Work six yolks of eggs with six ounces of sifted sugar, and a tablespoonful of vanilla sugar for twenty minutes ; then add the six whites whipped firm, and three ounces of flour; and lastly, mix in, very lightly, a gill and a half of double cream whipped; fill small paper-cases with this; sugar them over, and bake in very moderate heat.
Almost any kind of cake cut up, or previously made in any fancy shapes, may be used for this purpose. In all cases the cakes intended to be glacés should be slightly hollowed out on the surface for the purpose of retaining the preserve with which they are to be covered previously to their being glacés. These very delicious and beautiful dessert-cakes produce almost infinite varieties, and at small cost, inasmuch as the same batter in different forms,—or even larger cakes, or the remains of these cut up, as I have stated above. answer just as well. The principal part of the operation consists in the preparation of the sugar for what is termed transparent icing; and which is accomplished as follows : viz.,—put half a pound of the best loaf-sugar into a copper sugar-boiler with half a pint of water, and after skimming off the surface as it begins to boil, allow it to boil down to forty degrees—or what is termed to be the blow point,—that is, when a perforated spoon has been slightly dipped in the sugar by blowing through the holes,—the sugar distends in comparatively large bubbles or globes; it must then be removed from the fire and the bottom of the pan placed in a basin containg cold water. As soon as the sugar begins to set—to thicken, work it from the liquid centre against the side of the sugar-boiler in order to give it a slightly dimmed or opalized appearance, adding gradually, by teaspoonfuls, half a gill of noyeau, or any other liqueur, and also a little clarified syrup ; and use this to mask over the upper part of the cakes previously covered with any of the following preserves :—apricot, damson, currant jelly, &c. As they are turned out of hand, put them in rows upon a wire-drainer on a dish, after-wards to be placed in the open screen to dry for five minutes.
Prepare half a pound of Genoese or pound-cake, which must be baked about an inch thick. When cold, it is to be cut out with round, oval, crescent, or leaf-shaped cutters, and these must be again stamped on the upper surface with a smaller cutter, so as to make an incision about a quarter of an inch deep; this inner piece must be removed and the cake hollowed out, and nearly filled with whipped cream flavoured with vanilla, orange, &c., and the top covered in by spreading some kind of preserve lightly over the cream, by means of a cornet, or biscuit-forcer ; this completed, let the cakes be iced over entirely—with any kind of transparent icing indicated in the preceding case, or, merely with ordinary icing made with white of egg, and fine icing sugar.
Any fruits—such as small bunches of grapes, red, white, or black currants, gooseberries, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, or mulberries, have a very pretty effect when iced over with sifted sugar, according to the following directions : viz.,—remember that for this purpose none but perfect fruit should be selected ; next, whip the white of an egg and a wineglass of water on a plate with the blade of a clean knife, until both are well frothed and mixed; then add a dessert-spoonful of icing sugar ; and when all is thoroughly incorporated, strain it through a sieve into another plate. The fruit must be dipped separately in this egg-water, well shaken to remove any excess of moisture, and carefully rolled in hot sifted white sugar, and then placed in rows on a wire sieve to dry in the open screen. These fruits dished up on green leaves in a compotier, or arranged in varieties on dress plates, present a cool, charming appearance on the dessert-table.