It’s not often I share my love of history with you guys and my love of experimental archaeology. However I appear to have the opportunity here to do so as I needed to make these cakes for my archaeology group.

The original recipe for these cakes came from Thomas Dawson book, The Good Huswifes Lewell written in 1596. This is the original recipe as written.

Take fine flowre and good Damaske water you must have no other liquor but that, then take sweet butter, two or three yolkes of egges and a good quantity of Suger, and a fewe cloues, and mace, as your Cookes mouth shall serue him, and a lyttle saffron, and a little Gods good about a sponfull if you put in too much they shall arise, cutte them in squares lyke vnto trenchers, and pricke them well, and let your ouen be well swept and lay them vppon papers and so set them into the ouen. Do not burne them if they be three or foure dayes olde they bee the better.

I used a recipe from https://www.innatthecrossroads.com/lemon-cakes/ but I did adapt her recipe even further as I read the original recipe and took from it what was needed and written. Needless to say mine turned out a little differently to hers but I can’t say I am disappointed.

I have the ingredients in the video but you can find them on the above link as well. Below is the video of me and what I did to recreate this loverly little cakes.

Ps my son and partner have told me to make them more often so I take that as a win.