Image: Chiswick Chap · Public domain
The Experienced English Housekeeper
- Year
- 1769
- Era
- 18th century
- Origin
- England · Europe
- Language
- English
- Category
- English pre-1800
The Experienced English Housekeeper, first published at Manchester in 1769, is a substantial compendium of receipts dedicated by Elizabeth Raffald to her former mistress, Lady Elizabeth Warburton. Organised by course and confectionery branch, it draws on Raffald's experience as a housekeeper and Manchester confectioner. Among its lasting contributions is an early printed method for icing a bride-cake with almond paste beneath a white sugar coating, a now-standard convention. The work ran through numerous authorised and pirated editions into the nineteenth century.
Cooking from this book
Bride Cake with Royal Icing
Signature dishElizabeth Raffald's bride cake is the dish most often linked to her Manchester volume, and for good reason. She is widely credited with being the first to set down the now familiar double covering of almond paste beneath a smooth white sugar icing, the prototype of the modern wedding cake. Before her, celebration cakes were typically finished plainly or with a hardened sugar glaze, making this presentation a genuine turning point in English confectionery.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
