So, I wanted todays post to be informative yet amusing to read, hence I decided I would write a little bit about Queen Victoria’s love for food 😛
Apparently, Queen Victoria was known to have a very “sweet tooth” and the royal kitchens were kept busy catering to her needs !
Below is a memoir of the Queen’s private life written by an anonymous author in 1897:
“… the confectionary cooks are kept busy all the year round at Windsor, for wherever the Court may be there must follow a large supply of cakes. Among the favourites of the Queen which are carefully packed in small tin boxes, and sent to the Court four times a week, were chocolate sponges, wafers of two or three different shapes, langues de chat, biscuits and drop cakes of all kinds, tablets, petit fours, princess and rice cakes, pralines, almond sweets, and a large quantity of mixed sweets”.
The Private Life of the Queen. By One of Her Majesty’s Servants. 1897
Swiss cottage was originally built by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert for their children and this is where they learned how to cook and bake. Often the children would prepare afternoon tea for their parents and guests as Victoria stated
On 11th July 1861
“Walked over to the Swiss Cottage … where I met Albert … & all the children & where the results of the morning’s cooking were displayed and relished. We all sat down to tea …”
Every week each of Victoria’s royal residencies received a delivery of pastries from the Buckingham Palace kitchens including: ’16 chocolate sponges, 12 plain sponges, 16 fondant biscuits, one box of wafers…one and a half-dozen flat finger biscuits…one princess cake and one rice cake’. Just goes to show the queen loved her cake !
Queen Victoria and Albert married in the year 1840 and .. well they need to have a cake that would be fit for royals. Believe me it really was. The best of the best were on hand to make sure the consistency of the sponge, the flavour and texture of the icing and the shape of the cake was utter perfection. The Royal cake weighed nearly 300 pounds and three yards in circumference, also around 14 inches in thickness… Dear Lord!
A cupid sat writing in a volume expanded on his knees the date of the day of the marriage, with various other cupids bearing emblems of the United Kingdom. On the top surface of the cake were numerous bouquets of Orange Blossoms and Myrtle entwined; similar sprigs were placed loose as presents to the guests at the nuptial breakfast. The elegant Royal Wedding Cake, a symbol of the celebrations of marriage, was placed on the breakfast table of the queen at Buckingham palace following the ceremonies in the chapel royal.
In that era its cost was about £100 .. now you can work out how expensive it would be in this day and age .. right HERE .
Go on give it a try ❤
Victoria Sponge
Ingredients
- 175g / 6oz butter or margarine (soft)
- 175g / 6oz caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 175g /6oz self-raising flour
Cooking Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
- Grease two 18cm / 7in cake tins
- Put the butter/margarine and sugar in a bowl and cream together
- Beat the eggs in,one at a time with a little flour, to prevent curdling
- Add the remaining flour and beat well
- Divide the mixture between the two cake tins
- Place in the oven for 20 minutes or until the cakes are brown and springy
- Allow to cool a little, then turn out onto a wire rack
- Allow to cool completely
Butter Icing
Ingredients
- 140g / 5oz butter, softened
- 280g /10oz icing sugar
Cooking Directions
- Do use real butter for the butter icing for the best flavour
- Using a wooden spoon or a food processor,beat the butter until smooth
- Add the icing sugar and mix in well
Making up the cake
- When the cake is completely cool, spread one side with butter icing and the other with jam
- Place the jam side on top of the other sandwich
- Using a sieve, sprinkle with icing sugar
