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6
To Make The Lady Bridgwater's Cake
Take 8 lb of currants and wash them and dry them very
well by rubbing them, and you must have 9 lb of flour
well dried in the oven or before the fire and when it
is well dried you must break all the lumps betwixt
your fingers. Then put in one pound and a half of fine
sugar, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger finely
beaten according to your discretion. Carraway seeds
and coriander seeds of each one spoonful, the
yellow rind of a lemon shred small, ambergris
and musk, of each 2 grains finely powdered.
Put all those into the flour with a little salt
then take 2 lb of butter and putt it into a pan
and set it that it may have a little heat of the fire
but not upon the fire to melt then take a quart
of good cream and a pint of good rosewater
and put them together, then beat the yolks of 10 eggs
and five whites very well together in the beating.
Put in some of the rosewater and cream and when
they are well beaten, mix all together, the eggs and cream
and put in a pint of sack and 3 pints of good ale
yeast. Strain in your yeast to your cream and sack
stir them well together, then take your butter and
with your hands break it,a nd work it till it is
all soft and melted, then roll in a little of your
other things by degrees, and so work it till your
butter and they are all mixed alike and then put
in your flour by handfulls and stir it with your
hand till all the flour is in save 1 or 2 handfulls.
After you have put it in your hoop you must
have your oven hot for you must keep stirring
of it till it just goes into the oven then strew a
little flour upon it and patt is smooth with
your hand. When it is enough ice it and let it
stand in the oven till its dry.