Max Miller of Tasting History is someone who knows all about the old recipes from way back when. His channel is an awesome watch for anyone who would like to learn more about such things.
Now that he is on the verge of having his own wedding, he has decided to make a cake from the olden times. You are definitely not prepared for how old this recipe is, that is for sure. The recipe that Miller used was derived from a book that was written by Elizabeth Raffald entitled “The Experienced English Housekeeper.”
The cake was meant to feed 100 people, so the number of ingredients that are going to be needed should not be shocking to anyone. He was nice enough to provide the audience with an explanation of the cake’s history while he was in the baking process, too.
“In 1840 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had ‘a great beast of a plum-cake…’ It weighed 300 pounds, was three yards in circumference and fourteen inches in depth. On the top was a device of Britannia blessing the bride and bride groom, who are dressed, somewhat incongruously, in the costume of ancient Rome. At the foot of the bridegroom was the figure of a dog intended to denote fidelity, at the feet of the Queen a pair of turtle doves,” Miller explained.
“The cake featured a simple white icing which had been around for many years but since it was featured on Queen Victoria’s cake it was dubbed royal icing and is still used today to decorate sugar cookies,” said Miller. He enjoyed the cake’s moisture but does not believe it conveys in the same manner as a wedding cake.
“It’s actually moister than I expected. It’s not too dry though it is very crumbly so it’s kind of like this odd combination of dry and moist, but the flavors are fantastic. I’m getting a little bit of orange from the orange peel and those spices, but currants kind of carry the day. I mean there are a ton of them in there, but those other flavors do come through. It’s not as Christmassy as I had expected,” he said.
You don’t want Christmas, you want wedding cake. Is this a wedding cake? I mean- technically but if I went to a wedding and got this I wouldn’t be thrilled,” he concluded.
If you would like to find out more about this cake and its history, check out the video below: