Washington Cake (St. Louis, 1780)

Ingredients

• 2 cups Butter
• 3 cups Sugar
• 4 cups Flour
• 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder
• 5 Eggs
• 1 cup Milk
• 1 cup Stoned raisins
• 0.5 cup Washed and picked currants
• 0.25 cup Chopped citron
• 1 teaspoon Royal Extract Nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon Extract
• 4 Egg whites (For White Icing)
• 1.5 pounds White sugar dust (For White Icing)
• 0.5 teaspoon Acetic acid (Or the juice of half a lemon, for White Icing)
• 0.25 oz Royal Extract Rose (For White Icing)

Instructions

1. 1In a large bowl, rub together 2 cupfuls of butter and 3 cupfuls of sugar until the mixture is white and forms a light cream.
2. 2Gradually add 5 beaten eggs to the creamed mixture. In a separate bowl, sift together 4 cupfuls of flour and 2 teaspoonfuls of Royal Baking Powder. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with 1 cupful of milk. Mix in 1 cupful of stoned raisins, 1/2 cupful of washed and picked currants, 1/4 cupful of chopped citron, 1 teaspoonful of Royal Extract Nutmeg, and 1 teaspoonful of Cinnamon Extract. Mix until a smooth, medium batter forms.
3. 3Pour the batter into a shallow, square cake pan. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Bake in a rather quick, steady oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
4. 4In a bowl, combine the whites of 4 eggs, 1 1/2 pounds of white sugar dust, 1/2 teaspoonful of acetic acid (or the juice of half a lemon), and 1/4 oz. of Royal Extract Rose. Beat with a wooden spoon until, when letting some run from the spoon, it maintains a thread-like appearance for several minutes.
5. 5Once the cake is cold, ice it with the White Icing prepared in the previous step.