Shrewsbury Cakes (RETIRED)

[QNPoohBear]

The set was introduced in 1991 and retired in 2001. It is associated with the book, Felicity's Surprise.

PC description: Make colonial Christmas cookies just like Felicity did. An authentic recipe for Shrewsbury cakes is included in this kit. After you've cut out the cakes with four fancy cutters, unwrap the blue paper from the sugar loaf and scrape sugar on top of them. Put the tea cloth in the basket and then tuck in the tasty cakes, warm from the oven. Felicity can take them to Miss Manderly's for tea - if you haven't eaten all of them first!


This set is darling! It comes with a little wicker basket, just the right size for Felicity, a pretty printed napkin, tiny tiny metal cookie cutters that really work, a cone of sugar and a recipe. The cookie cutters are little and make bite size cookies for Felicity. They are made from real metal and actually make real cookies (or FIMO). The recipe card comes with two versions of the recipe: one in flowery print like Colonial handwriting, which is the original recipe, and a modern reproduction recipe which you can make yourself. (recipe follows). The best part of the set is the miniature sugar cone. In Felicity's time sugar came in cone shapes loaves and the ampunt needed was scraped off a little at a time. Lissie's is an exact replica of a Colonial Williamsburg sugar cone. It is REAL sugar wrapped in blue paper with a floral sticker seal. The paper may loosen up over time. Mine is not as tightly wrapped as it was when it was new but I haven't unwrapped it all the way and I've stored it in Felicity's wardrobe and as far as I can tell it is fine (I hope).

This is a fun set that could possibly be recreated except for the sugar cone but it is possible to make a fake sugar cone.

Grade: A+


Colonial Recipe:
Shrewsbury Cakes

Take one pound of sugar, three pounds of the finest flour, a Nutmeg grated, and some beaten Cinnamon; the Sugar and spice must be sifted into the flour and wet it with three eggs, and as much melted butter as will make it a good thickness to roll it into a Paste; mould it well, and cut it into what shape you please, perfume them, and prick them before they go into the oven.


Colonial cooking terms

A Nutmeg grated: Colonial cooks grated whole nutmeg seeds to make powder for baking. Today you can buy it already ground.

Beaten Cinnamon: This is the same as ground cinnamon

Paste: When the recipe says to make a paste, it means to make a thick mixture of dough for rolling into cakes.

Perfuming: Colonial cooks sprinkled rosewater on cakes before baking to "perfume" them. The modern recipe adds rosewater to the dough.


Modern recipe:
Shrewsbury Cakes

Ingredients
1 egg
2 tablespoons rosewater
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 cups flour
approoximately 1/2 pound butter
Extra flour for rolling out the dough
Shortening to grease the baking sheets

Equipment
Flour sifter
Large mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl
Small saucepan
wooden spoon
measuring cups and spoons
Two baking sheets
Rolling pin
Cookie cutters

Directions
1) In large mixing bowl, sift together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour. Set aside.

2)In a small mixing bowl, beat together the eg and rosewater, then set aside

3) In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat

4) While the butter is melting, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

5) Stir in enough of the melted butter to make a soft dough

6)preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lighty grease two baking sheets with shortening

7) sprinkle some flour onto a table or counter. Dust the rolling pin with flour too

8) Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Carefully place them onto the greased baking sheets.
9) bake the cakes until golden brown

[Starbuck]

The basket: It's to-scale wicker basket. Functional but nothing extraordinary. Not much to say about it, really. You could get a similar one for a dollar at Michaels.B



The tea cloth: This is very cute, but loses points for being screen-printed. What, AG, the tea dress is good enough for embroidery but the tea cloth isn't? Okay, I really wouldn't expect them to go to trouble for something this small, but a half-assed effort gets a half-assed grade. B-



The sugar loaf: Simple but awesome. I love stuff like this that is nothing like you'd find today but still a regular part of colonial life. AG even managed to put some real, plastic-wrapped sugar in it instead of a piece of Styrofoam. Way to go, AG. I do wish the paper were blue all the way through, though. Mine has worn down in some spots to show the white underneath. A





The cookie cutters: Nice quality, functional metal cookie cutters. This isn't that flimsy crap that gets all bent out of shape, but just like a nice cookie cutter you'd use yourself (and can!). You get a crescent moon, a star, a heart, and a clover/club. A+



The recipe: Yep, that's a recipe all right. Period on the front, unfolds to modern text that runs onto the back. This is printed on nice, thick paper, unlike the dance lesson invitation. A

[QNPoohBear]

You CAN use the cookie cutters yourself. They really work and the sugar loaf is an exact replica of a Colonial Williamsburg prop sugar loaf.

[robinhoo]

Jul 31, 2010 11:13:17 GMT -5 Grania said:

I'd be interested in trying to make the recipe, but I haven't been able to find any rosewater as of yet. Can the recipe be made without it?

You can substitute about 1/2 tsp vanilla extract plus a tablespoonful or so of water for the rosewater, but the cakes won't taste the same. The rosewater imparts a really delicate floral flavor. If you can find orange water (which is with the spices in my grocery store; it comes in a blue plastic bottle), I think that would be an even better substitute than the vanilla.

Edit: You can find rosewater in an Indian or Middle Eastern grocery (or in that section of your grocery, if you have one); you can also try Amazon.com, I've found it there in the past.

[keeperofthepast]

This set is sweet. The tiny cookie cutters are darling.