History Cookbook: Breakfast Cakes

Healthiness : (2 votes)

Difficulty:  
Comments: A lovely recipe to use with young children. Care needed with the cooking of course.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Number of servings: 9 - 10 cakes
Serving suggestions: With butter and marmalade or cheese for breakfast - delicious!
This is a vegetarian recipe


During the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, breakfast was an important meal. In rich houses there was a choice of food laid out for the family and guests.

These cakes are very light and would have been served warm, to be opened, buttered and eaten with either sweet (eg marmalade) or savoury (eg cheese) accompaniments.

They are very moreish!

• 8 oz (240g) flour
• ¼ teaspoonful of baking powder
• ¼ teaspoonful salt
• 1½ gills (around 3/8 pint or 0.2 l) of milk
• ½ oz (15g) caster sugar
• 1 egg

1 gill = ¼ pint of milk
1 oz = 28.35g rounded up in this recipe to 30g
1 UK pint = 0.568 Litres

• Weighing scales
• Sieve
• Teaspoon
• Measuring jug
• Grease proof paper
• Baking tray
• Whisk

Always wash your hands before preparing food.

1. Preheat the oven to quite hot (190c)
2. Grease a baking sheet
3. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt together
4. Stir in the sugar
5. Whisk the egg well
6. Add most of the milk to the eggs and stir
7. Add the liquid to the flour mixture
8. Work the mixture into a light dough (add the rest of the milk if needed)
9. Put small amounts on the baking tray and put immediately into the oven
10. Allow 20 minutes to bake
11. Remove and place on a plate
12. Serve warm