Browsed by
Category: Desserts

homemade marshmallows
Making Homemade Marshmallows

Making Homemade Marshmallows

Comments 0 Comment

There is actually a marshmallow plant that usually grows wild in swamps and marshlands. The marshmallow plant (Althaea officinalis) is not the same as the common mallow plant (Malva sylvestris).  Marshmallow has a thick, sticky consistency similar to the okra plant.  Made into a candy, doctors often offered it to children to soothe their sore throats. But eventually, marshmallow root sap was replaced by other binding agents such as gum arabic and gelatin. Without the sap, the candy no longer…

Read More Read More

homemade fruitcake
Old-Fashioned Fruitcake Recipes

Old-Fashioned Fruitcake Recipes

Comments 8 comments

Most commercially-made fruitcakes are alcohol-free, but traditionally, some fruitcake recipes  included alcohol; both for the flavor and as a preservative. That way, fruitcake could be made months ahead of time for the Christmas holidays. In the 1800s, wood burning stoves didn’t have temperature gauges, and oven temperatures varied based on the type and size wood used. You were supposed to learn how to determine the heat through experience.  Some recipes ignored the oven temperature and others used terms such as…

Read More Read More

Carrot and Walnut Cake with Frosting and Filling
Homemade Cake Icing and Filling Recipes

Homemade Cake Icing and Filling Recipes

Comments 4 comments

Today, some people just buy a can of ready-made frosting to ice a cake. But making your own frosting is not hard. You can try one of the many frosting and filling recipes listed below and perhaps be inspired to create one yourself. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS ~~  CAKE ICING RECIPES ~~ HOW TO USE ICING Over large cakes, pour the icing by spoonfuls near the center on the top of the cake. Spread it all over the cake…

Read More Read More

pouring milk into rice pudding
Homemade Rice Pudding Recipes

Homemade Rice Pudding Recipes

Comments 3 comments

Rice was a staple in many households and rice pudding was a popular dish. With many variations, it could be a breakfast dish or a dessert. There was no instant rice back in the 1800s, so rice took longer to prepare and cook.

Bowl of Homemade Custard
How to Make Homemade Custards

How to Make Homemade Custards

Comments 5 comments

Since eggs have the property of stiffening when heated, they are often used for thickening liquids, especially milk. Milk thickened with eggs is called custard. All milk-and-egg mixtures should be cooked below the boiling temperature of water. They should never be cooked directly over the fire, but over hot water or in a double boiler.  INFORMATION FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS ABOUT CUSTARDSIf a custard is properly cooked, the egg is in a soft-cooked condition. It exists in a jelly-like mass throughout…

Read More Read More

Homemade chocolate macaroons
How to Make Homemade Macaroons

How to Make Homemade Macaroons

Comments 4 comments

In the 1800s, stoves were heated with wood, so cooking in the oven was a challenge. Cooks had to learn what type wood would provide the heat they needed and how long it would burn. Cookbooks provided guidelines, but cooking skills were gained through experience. Oven thermometers had not been invented yet, so recipes for baking had no exact temperatures or cooking times. Temperatures were sometimes referred to as slow,  moderate, or quick/hot. One way to test your oven’s heat was…

Read More Read More

Desserts made with cream
Delicious Cream Desserts

Delicious Cream Desserts

Comments 2 comments

When I was growing up, my mother made puddings and other desserts from box mixes. In the 1800s, fresh cream and milk was used and had to be mixed by hand, or later in the century, with a rotary beater. Although it would have taken longer to prepare, the ingredients and tastes of these desserts are certainly superior. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS WHIPPED CREAMTo the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth, add a pint of thick…

Read More Read More

gingerbread cake
Gingerbread Cake and Cookie Recipes

Gingerbread Cake and Cookie Recipes

Comments 2 comments

Settlers from Europe brought gingerbread recipes to the U.S. colonies. Molasses cost much less than sugar and became a common ingredient. American Cookery, the first American cookbook, published in 1796, contained seven different recipes for gingerbread.  Since there is so much variation in the different woods used in a wood burning stove, cookbooks usually just said to use a slow, moderate, or quick oven. And cooking times weren’t always provided, since they weren’t very accurate. But old recipes are still interesting…

Read More Read More