Tag Archives: 1887

Love Knots for Tea

Thoughts:

As the cookbook says, “little cakes folded over in the form of love knots are nice for tea”, and I couldn’t agree more. The finished knots are somewhere between shortbread, sugar cookies, and cake. Delicate and doughy, they are not especially sweet on their own, but make an ideal conduit for clotted cream and jam. 

I struggled a bit with the obscure directions to “lap across in a true love knot”, but after a bit of experimentation, I think I found a great method. It results in 2-3 bite little cookie-cakes that fit snugly next to a cup of tea on a saucer. 


Recipe for Love Knots

Prep: 30 minutes       Baking: 10-12 minutes

Makes: 3-4 dozen knots

Cook’s Note: I’ve given instructions for the knot shape I used, but feel free to innovate!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 5 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup lard or shortening
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 Tbs. milk
  • grated nutmeg or cinnamon

Combine the soda, flour, and sugar, then rub in the butter and lard/shortening. When the mixture resembles small breadcrumbs, add the beaten eggs, milk, and any spices you’d like to include. You may need to tweak the proportions a bit in order to get a nice cohesive dough. 

Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a thickness of about 1/4″. Slice into strips about 1″ wide and 5-6″ long. Take each of these strips, roll into an even rope about 8-10 inches long.

To arrange in the shape of a love knot, take a rope and tie it into a simple knot. Looking at the knot, you’ll see that one end seems to come out the bottom, and one out the top. Fold the top end over and under the knot, and take the bottom end and fold it up over the curve of the knot and into the hole in the center. It takes some practice, but in the end, you should have a knot with no visible ends, and five strands that all lie in the same direction. You’ll probably get better as you go, and since the dough is forgiving, you can redo some of the uglier knots. :)

Arrange the knots on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 35o F for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are nice golden brown and the tops are just beginning to color. Remove to cooling rack.

tying a love knot

Tying a Love Knot

Cider Cake

Thoughts:

Cider, for me, is the epitome of Autumn.

Dense, moist, and characterized by that distinctive spiced cider flavor, this cake is an easy new favorite. I initially wondered if the cake would need icing, since it calls for so few ingredients, but after tasting it, I love it as is. It’s delightfully simple, and while frosting would only add, I enjoy a simpler baked good next to my afternoon tea. If frosted, it would be pigeonholed into the dessert category, while unfrosted, it can be enjoyed equally well as breakfast, snack, dessert, or with tea. I’ve tweaked the recipe just a bit, but it is every bit as delicious as the original.

Also, one of the best parts of the recipe is the note afterward, which states that despite the recipe coming from a Young Lady, it “will make a nice cake, better than some old ladies make.” 

I’m inclined to agree. 

cider cake
Cider Cake Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes       Baking: 35-40 minutes

Makes one 9″x9″ cake

Cook’s Note: The batter is much, much thicker than what we are used to with cake recipes. Also, you may wish to trim off the edges of the cake if they are a tad too crispy.

from Dr. Chase’s Receipt Book, 1887

Ingredients:

  • 1 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/3 cup sweet (unfermented) apple cider, room temperature
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. each cinnamon and ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
  • 4 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour an 8″ square pan, or a 9″ round one.

Cream together the sugar, butter, and egg. Add the cider, and beat until it’s all the same consistency. Add the soda and spices, followed by the flour, which should give you an unusually thick batter. Smooth this evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick poked into the middle comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool in the pan for around 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack. 

Delicious served with a little whipped cream, or vanilla or ginger ice cream.