Cakes and Bakes in the Victorian Era

So, after my recent carrot-cake discovery in Day 7: More writing and a food discovery (aladyofletters.wixsite.com), I decided I would bring this article to you on some of the delicious treats you could find in the Victorian era.

How often you enjoyed these then broadly depended on your social status. If you were a rich society madam in Mayfair, you would probably have had a slice or two every day for tea, or perhaps at a dinner party. The likes of chimney-sweeps would probably have been more inclined to regard an extra crust of bread as a treat. In modern times, food poverty is still an issue. Thankfully, far more of us can enjoy these cakes far more frequently- especially when there are healthier sugar-free/ paelo/ keto/ gluten free alternatives.

Victoria Sponge

What could be a more obvious choice than Victoria Sponge? It has all but one of the letters of 'Victorian' in its name, after all. I'm quite certain pretty much everyone reading this has had Victoria Sponge once in there lives, but if you've never made it at home, BBC Good Food is happy to oblige with Classic Victoria sandwich recipe | BBC Good Food. If you want a healthier alternative, try making this Sugar-free victoria sponge recipe | BBC Good Food (you can use splenda instead of xyitol, if you wish). To make it gluten-free, you can swap the flour for about 250g almond flour, although you will need to add an extra egg.

In the Victorian era, Victoria Sponge wasn't baked round but almost as a tray-bake, cut into cubes and put together with jam. I haven't tried it, but I'm sure it would be delicious!

Battenberg Cake

Victoria Sponge was made for, you guessed it, Queen Victoria. Battenberg Cake was made for her granddaughter when she married Prince Louis of Battenberg. I'm sure you've seen those pink and yellow checked cakes enwrapped in marzipan: that's what this cake is. It isn't my absolute favourite, but its definitely vintage and plenty of people (my father included!) love it. You can use this Battenberg Cake (gluten free) – BEST Battenberg I Ever Tasted (glutenfreealchemist.com) recipe, for a healthier version, or stick with the classic: Battenberg cake recipe - BBC Food.

Bakewell Tart

We have the Victorians to thank for converting Bakewell Pudding (Traditional British Recipes: Bakewell Pudding Recipe (thespruceeats.com)) into the Bakewell Tart we know and love today. They're both delicious, but I personally prefer the latter concoction. I'm decidedly a shortcrust person. To make the bakewell tart, you can use either of these recipes:

Mary Berry's easy Bakewell tart recipe - BBC Food

Healthy Cherry Bakewell Frangipane Tart | Vegan+ Gluten free - Nourish Your Glow (You can swap the agave syrup for honey if that's what you have on hand. I would stick to oat flour though, so you can really taste the frangipane).

Queen of Puddings

This isn't quite so well known as some of the others, but its just as delicious. You can make Nigella Lawson's delicious brioche version Queen of Puddings | Nigella's Recipes | Nigella Lawson, or stick to classic BBC Good Food Queen of puddings recipe | BBC Good Food. Or, you can try this not-quite-the-same, but just as delicious, healthier version: Peachy queen of puddings - Healthy Food Guide. To make it sugar-free swap the sugar for splenda, using your usual conversions.

And there we have it! I'm not a food conoisseur, by all means, but you have to admit that the Victorians knew what they were doing with these classic puddings. The Victoria Sponge would be wonderful with some vanilla buttercream for a birthday cake, and I always make the Battenberg Cake at Christmas when we've had enough of Mince Pies. Happy Baking!

(Please note, I was not sponsored by any of the websites cited, of course. I don't really thing other bloggers do sponsorships- they're thing is more about accepting them).