CAKES NAMED AFTER EUROPEAN ROYALS 

QUEEN ELIZABETH’S CAKE

I am guessing that this is from Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second; the currant Queen of Great Britain, and not the Elizabeth I from the 1500’s.   The cookbooks I have gotten them from are dated from the 1940’s to the 1980’s. 

It is not known if this cake was in honor of Elizabeth II stepping up to the Throne in 1953 or in honor of King George VI’s coronation in 1937, his wife’s name also being Elizabeth.   It was first published by the Coronation Cook Book, 1953 as a celebration for Elizabeth II’s coronation.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_cake

Several of the recipes say this is the only cake Her Majesty will make personally, although this has never been proven; she would like any sales from this recipe to go to a charity. 

Update on this cake;

From Jean Kirk;

Hi there. My mother used to make this cake. She got the recipe from the W.I. The Queens Mother was the groups President. It was known as The Queen Mothers Favourite Cake and yes, If the recipe was passed on a contribution to charity should be made. My mother made this cake for my tea room, it was delicious and very popular. We had contributions made in our Sooty Box. R.N.I.B God bless our Queen xxx

May I add your comment to my blog where I had published these recipes in June? It is the first verification of what I had thought all along. In researching it I could not find anything other than what I wrote about it being from the Queen Mum, or first published in the coronation cookbook in 1953.

Jean Kirk

Valerie Oswald Yes of course. These pieces of history are soon forgotten. It is also a conclusion to your research. The reason it was known as the Queen Mothers Favourite cake, apparently, she declared it so!! Take care x

These comments are from facebook; Best of british home cooking on august 8^th, the day that Her Majesty passed away. 

I got them from US recipe books and a box, but the original comes from the UK. On some other comments about this, it is from the Queen Mum, Elizabeth and mot Her Majesty Elizabeth. Which is kind of what I figured in my research of it, one of the books I got it from was from the 1940’s, so well before the published cookbook from 1953. It seems the recipe was popular all around the world, most likely brought back from the UK by solders during and after WWII.

From Gwen MacDonald;

In my husband’s family cookbook they call this Queen Mum cake. Most definitely associated with Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

My husband often had this for his birthday tea. It’s one of a few things I’m thinking of making this week to mark the death of Her Majesty and the ascension of King Charles III, long may he reign.

Here is my Mother in law’s recipe:

Queen Elizabeth Cake

Pour 1 cup boiling water over 1 cup chopped dates.  Add 1 tsp. soda.  Let stand while making the following;

Cream 1 cup sugar

¼ cup butter

Add 1 egg beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

Continue to beat till light & fluffy

Sift together and add to the above:

1 ½ cups sifted flour

½ tsp. B.P.

½ tsp. salt

½ cup chopped nuts

Add all to the date mixture.

Bake 35 min in a 350degree moderate oven, greased 9×12 pan.

Frosting

5 tbsp. brown sugar

5 tbsp. cream

2 tbsp. butter

Boil 3 min

Spread over cake

Sprinkle shredded coconut or nuts on top.

Sheboygan, Wisconsin from 1940’s through the 1960’s. 

A recipe box from Glenville New York 1960’s to the 1970’s

A different Queen Elizabeth’s Cake

Now this is a puzzle cake, a Queen Elizabeth Cake from a book dated 1864 through 1877.  This is way out of date for the current queen of England who was born in 1926, so my conclusion it is possibly named after Elizabeth the first.  This is not for certain, there have been quite a few Elizabeth’s that were Queens of several countries; perhaps it is from the century the cookbook is from, or the person who wrote the book liked a particular queen.  There is a Queen of Hungary from 1867 through 1898 as one possibility, there is also a Queen of Russia; Elizabeth 1741 to 1762 daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine.  There were also several other Elizbeth’s of England such as Elizabeth of York, wife Henry the VII and Elizbeth Woodville the wife of Edward the IV from 1464 to 1483.  

The original owner of the cookbook’s name is Maria Cazen from Newberry Vermont, November 1st 1864 and this is the fourth recipe in the book.  Her surname seems to be German or from the Nederland’s so the queen of Hungary could be a good guess. 

We will never know who it is named after from that time period, but it is fun to speculate. 

Queen Elizabeth Cake

1 cup of butter

3 cups of white sugar

1 cup of new milk

4 cups of flour

4 eggs, the whites beaten to a froth

1 teaspoonful of soda

½ teaspoonful of cream tartar

A handwritten Cookbook dated 1864 through 1877 from Newberry Vermont. 

INGREDIENT REFERENCES and MEASUREMENTS

I have found several references that explains the equivalents to our modern measurements.  Just a few examples are;

Gill – Pronounced Jill; equal to a quarter of a pint; or four fluid ounces which equals ½ cup.  

Lump of (something) the size of a Turkey’s egg – equals 4 ounces

Lump of (something) the size of a chicken’s egg – equals 2 ounces.

Lump of Butter the size of a walnut – equals 1 ounce. (can also be 1 rounded tablespoon)

A Victorian measurement of a wine glassful, will not be the wine glass we think of today.  They were much smaller, about ¼ cup to ½ cup.  So, when using a recipe that askes for a wine glass full be sure to use a lot less than you would think about using from today’s size of glass.

Quite a few of these recipes call for; a coffee cupful. A teacup full, and a wineglass full. 

A coffee cupful = 1 cup.

A tea cupful = 1/3 cup, I have also found it to be ¾ cup.

A wine glassful = ¼ cup, ½ gill or 4 T.

A Tumbler = ½ pint or 1 cup

Basic measurements

The measurements may sometimes call for a “pinch” or a “dash” of something, they have never really been defined other than a pinch or a dash are both less than 1/8 of a teaspoon.  I have actually seen a measuring spoon set that has them measured out; I am sure you could find them if you really want a set.   I usually define them as; a pinch, equals what you can “pinch” between your thumb and forefinger.  A dash equals one “shake” of a container with holes in the lid, such as a salt shaker. 

Teaspoons are often listed with just a small letter “t”; also tsp. And many other versions all starting with a small t.

Tablespoons are often listed with just a capitol “T”; also Tbsp. And many other versions starting with a capitol T.

A cup is often listed as a “C” or a “c”.

An ounce is often listed as “oz.”

A pound is often listed as “lb.”, lbs. and sometimes as “#”.

3 teaspoons equal 1 Tablespoon.

4 Tablespoons equal ¼ of a cup.

5 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon equals 1/3 cup.

8 Tablespoons equal ½ cup, and 16 Tablespoons equal 1 cup.

2 Tablespoons make one fluid ounce.

1 half pint equals 1 cup.

2 cups make a pint

4 cups, or 2 pints, equal a quart.

4 quarts make a gallon.

It takes 8 quarts to make a peck and 4 pecks to make a bushel. 

4 Tablespoons or ½ a gill equal one wine glass

2 wine glasses or ½ cup equals 1 gill

2 gills equal a coffee cup full

2 coffee cups full equal 1 pint

2 pints equal 1 quart

2 Tablespoonsful liquid equals 1 ounce

1 Tablespoon of salt equals 1 ounce

16 ounces equal 1 pound, or a pint of liquid

1 rounded Tablespoon of flour equals ½ ounce

3 cupful’s of corn meal equals 1 pound

4 coffee cupful’s sifted flour equals 1 pound

1 quart unsifted flour equals 1 pound

1 pint granulated sugar equals 1 pound

2 coffee cupful powdered sugar equals 1 pound

1 pint brown sugar equals 13 ounces

2 ½ cupful’s of powdered sugar equals 1 pound

Oven temperatures are seldom given in the old books and recipes; most times the only say something like a slow oven or quick oven.  These are the equlivent to today’s oven temperatures;

A very slow oven equals 250 to 275 degrees.

A slow oven equals 300 to 325 degrees.

A moderate oven equals 350 to 375 degrees.

A hot or quick oven equals 375 to 400 degrees.

A very hot oven equals 400 to 450 degrees. 

Visit my ebay store to find some great kitchen utensils and collectables to go along with these vintage and antique recipes.

https://www.ebay.com/str/ozziesattic720?_trksid=p2047675.l2563