What kind of cake did they have in medieval times?

Medieval European bakers often made fruitcakes and gingerbread . These foods could last for many months. According to the food historians, the precursors of modern cakes (round ones with icing) were first baked in Europe sometime in the mid-17th century.

What was the first cake ever made?

The earliest cakes were very different from the cakes we know today. They were more like bread and were sometimes even savory. The first mention of cake dates back to the 4th century BC when a Greek writer mentioned a cake made with honey and wheat flour .

Who made the first chocolate cake?

We can credit another well-known Philadelphian – cookbook writer Eliza Leslie – for publishing the first cake recipe in America truly made with chocolate.

What kind of cake is leavened with beaten eggs?

Probably the most well-known of foam cakes, an Angel Food Cake is a tall, white, fat-free cake that is leavened with a large quantity of stiffly beaten egg whites.

What is the history of the 12th night cake?

Twelfth Cake is part of a tradition which dates from medieval times . It was a large fruit cake made and eaten to celebrate the Twelfth Night or Epiphany, which was a much bigger feast-day than Christmas at the time (Christmas did not gain its popularity until the 19th century).

What is the oldest cake in the world?

The world's oldest known cake, baked during the reign of Pepi II in Egypt between BCE 2251 and 2157 . Alimentarium, Vevey, Switzerland. The Egyptians gave us the world's oldest known cake–and also the world's oldest Tupperware as it happens.

What is the best cake in the world?

Recipes. Sponge cake baked with meringue and almonds becomes the centerpiece of this delightful layer cake filled with custard and whipped cream. Kvæfjordkake began its inception in the north of Norway and has earned it's nickname as verdens beste , “the world's best”.

Who eats the birthday cake first?

Birthday cakes It is also common for the person celebrating their birthday to cut the initial piece of the cake as a newlywed couple might with a wedding cake. The birthday boy/girl traditionally gets to eat the first piece of the cake.

Who was the first person to bake?

By 2600 bce the Egyptians , credited with the first intentional use of leavening, were making bread by methods similar in principle to those of today. They maintained stocks of sour dough, a crude culture of desirable fermentation organisms, and used portions of this material to inoculate fresh doughs.

Did medieval people eat cake?

A large number of English cookbooks have been found and some date back to the late 1300's. English sweets included many types of cakes, custards, and fritters such as funnel cake . They used strawberries, apples, figs, raisins, currants and almonds. They also made cheese-based sweets including cheesecake.

What desserts did they eat in medieval times?

Indeed, the custard is known to be one of the first desserts ever eaten in the middle ages. The next few reported desserts include apple pies in 1381 and gingerbread in the 1400s . Up until the 17th century, desserts were meshed together with savory dishes and were used as nothing more than palate cleansers.

What did medieval bakers bake?

Maslin was the bread that most people ate which was (most popularly) mixed with both wheat and rye flours . Rye flour could be used as a standalone as well which produced a darker loaf. These types of breads were most popular among the lower class.

Saint Mark Cake (12th Century Recipe) (2024)

Introduction: Saint Mark Cake (12th Century Recipe)

By misko13The Robot who solved a CAPTCHA

More by the author:

About: I'm currently studying Coastal Engineering, I'm crazy for miniatures and dioramas, and I see a opportunity of improvement in every broken thing. More About misko13 »

Saint Mark cake is one of the most popular traditional cakes from Spain. It was first made in the 12th century in the convent of Saint Mark in León (Spain). The convent was founded by the queen Sancha to host pilgrims of the Way of Saint James on their way to Santiago de Compostela. The cake was traditionally made for Saint Mark's day (April 25th), but as the centuries passed by it became a cake for any other occasion.

The recipe is a little labourious, having to prepare four components, but the final taste is unforgettable.

Step 1: Ingredients

SPONGE CAKE

Step 2: Sponge Cake (classic Genoise Sponge Cake)

The base for the cake will be a classic Genoese sponge cake. It's the easiest and most effective recipe for a sponge cake that I know. I like it because it always rises a lot, has a very spongey texture and does not have a strong taste, so it's good for soaking and adding other flavours on its surface.

Step 3: Soaking Syrup

- Put the sugar, water nd liquor in a pot and bring the mix to boil.

- Once all the sugar has dissolved, turn off the stove and let it cool.

Step 4: Toasted Yolk Topping

- Bring to boil the water and sugar in a pot. Cook it for about 5 minutes.

- Remove to pot form the stove and let it cool down a bit.

- Beat the egg yolks along with the cornstarch.

- Incorporate the yolks to the pot and stir rapidly so that they don't get cooked before you have mixed them in.

- Cook this mix at very low temperature until it thickens, stirring often so that the bottom does not get burnt.

- Let it cool down to room temperature.

Step 5: Sweetened Whipped Cream Filling

- Whip the cream and add the sugar at the end.

- Divide the whipped cream into two bowls: 2/3 for one layer of the filling and the coating; 1/3 for the chocolate layer of the filling.

- Add the powdered cocoa to the 1/3 of the whipped cream.

- Keep both bowls in the fridge until you assemble the cake.

Step 6: Assembling the Cake

In order to get a perfect flat top, I flip the sponge cake upside down to change the order of the layers. Like this, the uneven top surface is now touching the dish and the flat bottom surface of the sponge cake is the one on top.

I like to put the sides of the springform mould I baked the cake in around the cake while assembling it. Like this the layers will remain aligned and no cream will fall down the sides, but the main reason why I do it is because you can gently push the cake layer to distribute and level the cream beneath it, making sure that it has the same thickness and has no air gaps.

- Put the first layer of the sponge cake on the dish and soak it with the syrup.

- Put all the chocolate cream on top.

- Put the middle layer of the sponge cake. Push it downwards to level the previous cream layer. Soak it with the syrup.

- Put half of the white cream on top.

- Put the last layer of sponge cake. Push it downwards to level the previous cream layer. Soak it with the syrup.

- Cover the top with the toasted yolk.

- Remove the mould and cover the sides with the rest of the whipped cream. You can also put sliced or chopped almonds on the sides to add a crunchy texture to the cake.

- Dust some caster sugar on top. If you want, you can also toast this sugar with a kitchen blowtorch or spray a little vodka on top and flambe it.

Step 7: Enjoy

I know that it may seem like a lot of work for such a simple cake, but once you try it you will love it.

I give you a 100% guarantee that your favourite part will be the yolk topping!

Runner Up in the
Sweet Treats Challenge