Vintage Cake Recipes

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In the United States, National Cake Day is today, November 26th, 2017. Apparently this most cakey of all cake days falls on the 26th of each November. Why? I have no idea. But I do know that National Cake Day is a perfect time to share cake and frosting recipes from vintage cookbooks and newspapers. All recipes are straight from Victorian Americana. Vintage Cake Recipes.

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As I’m a fan of looking at Victorian influences everywhere, I noticed several vintage cake recipes published in various 19th century newspapers and want to share a smattering of them with you here. You’ll notice a distinct lack of instructions, compared to today’s recipes, as home cooks assumed other home cooks simply understood much about the baking process. Tastes obviously differed from them to now.

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Vintage Cake Recipes in Order of Publication

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Kristin Holt | Vintage Cake Recipes. Election Cake Recipe from The Louisville Daily Courier of Louisville, Kentucky on October 28, 1852.

Election Cake Recipe, published in The Louisville Daily Courier of Louisville, Kentucky, on October 28, 1852.

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Kristin Holt | Vintage Cake Recipes. Sponge Cake, Cream Cake, and Soda Cake recipes. From The Summit County Beacon of Akron, Ohio, June 1, 1859.

Sponge Cake recipe, Cream Cake recipe, and Soda Cake recipe. Published in The Summit County Beacon of Akron, Ohio, on June 1, 1859.

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Kristin Holt | Vintage Cake Recipe. Gipsey Cake recipe, published in The Summit County Beacon of Akron, Ohio, February 9, 1860.

Gipsey [sic] Cake Recipe, published in The Summit County Beacon of Akron, Ohio, on February 9, 1860.

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Kristin Holt | Vintage Cake Recipes. Almond Cake and Sponge Cake recipes published in The Emporia Weekly, Emporia, Kansas, August 31, 1861.

Almond Cake Recipe and Sponge Cake Recipe, published in The Emporia Weekly News of Emporia, Kansas, on August 31, 1861.

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Kristin Holt | Vintage Cake Recipes. Fried Cakes recipe, from Feather River Bulletin of Quincy, California, April 1, 1876.

Fried cakes. Like funnel cakes? Published in the Feather River Bulletin of Quincy, California on April 1, 1876.

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Kristin Holt | Vintage Cake Recipes. An egg-white, sugar, and cocoanut [sic] cake icing recipe, as shared by Winnie S. in Chicago Tribune, July 15, 1876.

An egg-white, sugar, and cocoanut [sic] cake icing recipe, as shared by a Winnie S. in the Chicago Tribune of Chicago, Illinois on July 15, 1876.

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BUFFALO CREAM CAKE.

To the Editor of The Tribune.

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ELGIN, Nov. 5–This recipe is for “Gracie Mayhue.” Buffalo Cream Cake: One egg, one cup sugar, one tablespoonful butter, two-thirds cup milk, one teaspoon baking-powder, one teaspoon vanilla, one and two-thirds cup flour, salt, and bake as for jelly-cake, in three layers.

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Cream for the above–Heat one pint of milk, and add to it one tablespoonful of corn-starch dissolved in a little milk, two eggs, one cup of sugar, all beaten together: boil it until it thickens. Split the cake when cold and fill with cream. Very nice.

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J.V.C.

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~ Chicago Tribune, November 11, 1876

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I would like to relate a few incidents relating to the girl question, but forbear for want of space. I have a recipe for orange shortcake that can be prepared in a few moments, and is but very little expense: Peel the oranges, and chop very fine; to two oranges take half of a lemon: squeeze the juice and chop the rest: one tea-cup of sugar. Bake a crust as for short-cake: cut open, butter well, and lay the orange between.

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“DISTRESS.”

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~ Chicago Tribune of Chicago, Illinois, on December 16, 1876

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