long time ago the observances of Twelfth Night were
strictly of a religious character, but they changed mate-
rially, and the feature of the holiday became the elec-
tion of the King of the Bean. A rich or plain round
cake was made, containing a bean, a pea, and a clove j
and it was iced, and handsomely ornamented. When
the family and their friends had gathered in the evening,
the cake was cut ; and he who got the bean was declared
king, and she who found the pea was queen, while the
possessor of the clove was called the knave. The others
in the company were, for the time, maids of honor and
ministers of state. Sometimes the festival began early
in the day, and was continued until midnight.
In the revival of the celebration the cake has, of course,
a prominent place. Many games have been added. For
example, Twelfth-Night crackers (resembling favors for
the german) are provided ; and as they are pulled apart
by ladies and gentlemen, an explosion is caused. Within
each cracker will be found two pictures, which serve a
souvenirs ; and the characters they represent should be
assumed during the evening, making a carnival.
To return to the cake, it is best to have a plain one
for this occasion, because many people cannot eat rich
fruit cake, and also because of the difficulty that might
be experienced in finding the bean, pea, and clove in a
quantity of fruit. By following the appended rule a
cake will be made sufficiently rich for most tastes : —
Use one cupful of butter, two of granulated sugar, four
of flour, one of milk, five eggs, the rind and juice of a
lemon, a teaspoonful of cream-of -tartar, and half a tea-
spoonful of s«da. For the decorations there will be
required three cupful s of powdered sugar, the whites of
three eggs, one table-spoonful of lemon juice, half a
pound of French candied cherries, and a quarter of a
pound of angelica, unless the same amount of French
candied almonds be preferred. There should be three
fancy figures to represent the king, queen, and knave;
754 MISS PARLOA'S KITCHEN COMPANION.
and for the centre of the cake there should be a crowu
or a tiny Christmas-tree.
To make the cake, beat the butter to a cream, and grad-
ually beat into it the sugar and lemon juice and grated
rind. Add the milk, then the eggs, well beaten, and finally
the flour, thoroughly mixed with the soda and cream-of-
tartar. Have at hand a large round pan, well buttered,
and pour the mixture into it. Drop the bean and clove
into one side of the cake, marking their location by two
clean broom-straws, and drop the pea into the other side.
The straws will not make the cake heavy, and can be
drawn out at the proper time. Place the pan in a mod-
erate oven, and bake for an hour and a quarter.
After the cake has been baked and has become par-
tially cool, put the white of one egg into a bowl, and
gradually stir into it a cupful of powdered sugar. Spread
this mixture over the cake, and while it is hardening,
make the icing for decoration. Put the whites of two
eggs into a bowl, and beat into them two cupfuls of con-
fectioners' sugar. The addition of sugar should be made
very slowly, about two minutes being used for each table-
spoonful. Probably an hour will be needed for beating
the icing. Add the lemon juice, and beat about three
minutes longer. ✪ Twelfth-Night Cake
Page 397 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1887. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
long time ago the observances of Twelfth Night were strictly of a religious character, but they changed materially, and the feature of the holiday became the election of the King of the Bean. A rich or plain round cake was made, containing a bean, a pea, and a clove; and it was iced, and handsomely ornamented. When the family and their friends had gathered in the evening, the cake was cut ; and he who got the bean was declared king, and she who found the pea was queen, while the possessor of the clove was called the knave. The others in the company were, for the time, maids of honor and ministers of state. Sometimes the festival began early in the day, and was continued until midnight.
In the revival of the celebration the cake has, of course, a prominent place. Many games have been added. For example, Twelfth-Night crackers (resembling favors for the german) are provided ; and as they are pulled apart by ladies and gentlemen, an explosion is caused. Within each cracker will be found two pictures, which serve a souvenirs ; and the characters they represent should be assumed during the evening, making a carnival.
To return to the cake, it is best to have a plain one for this occasion, because many people cannot eat rich fruit cake, and also because of the difficulty that might be experienced in finding the bean, pea, and clove in a quantity of fruit. By following the appended rule a cake will be made sufficiently rich for most tastes : —
Use one cupful of butter, two of granulated sugar, four of flour, one of milk, five eggs, the rind and juice of a lemon, a teaspoonful of cream-of -tartar, and half a teaspoonful of s«da. For the decorations there will be required three cupfuls of powdered sugar, the whites of three eggs, one table-spoonful of lemon juice, half a pound of French candied cherries, and a quarter of a pound of angelica, unless the same amount of French candied almonds be preferred. There should be three fancy figures to represent the king, queen, and knave;
and for the centre of the cake there should be a crown or a tiny Christmas-tree.
To make the cake, beat the butter to a cream, and gradually beat into it the sugar and lemon juice and grated rind. Add the milk, then the eggs, well beaten, and finally the flour, thoroughly mixed with the soda and cream-oftartar. Have at hand a large round pan, well buttered, and pour the mixture into it. Drop the bean and clove into one side of the cake, marking their location by two clean broom-straws, and drop the pea into the other side. The straws will not make the cake heavy, and can be drawn out at the proper time. Place the pan in a moderate oven, and bake for an hour and a quarter.
After the cake has been baked and has become partially cool, put the white of one egg into a bowl, and gradually stir into it a cupful of powdered sugar. Spread this mixture over the cake, and while it is hardening, make the icing for decoration. Put the whites of two eggs into a bowl, and beat into them two cupfuls of confectioners' sugar. The addition of sugar should be made very slowly, about two minutes being used for each tablespoonful. Probably an hour will be needed for beating the icing. Add the lemon juice, and beat about three minutes longer.
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Twelfth-Night Cake