Little Short Cakes
Source: Anonymous, 1846
History
"Little Short Cakes" is a recipe printed in The Jewish Manual (London, 1846). The book gives it as a plain sweet paste: rub four ounces of butter and four ounces of white powdered sugar and two eggs into a pound of flour, make it into a paste, roll it thin, and cut it into small cakes with tin cutters; "A little orange flower-water or sweet wine improve the flavour of these cakes".
The Jewish Manual was published anonymously, its title page reading only "Edited by a Lady" (London, 1846). It is generally regarded as the first Jewish cookbook published in the English language; its authorship is traditionally attributed to Lady Judith Montefiore, but that attribution is scholarly inference rather than established fact — apart from her diaries, no other work survives under her name.
Beyond its appearance in this book, the historical record does not document a specific origin for this recipe, who ate these particular cakes, or any social meaning attached to them.
Ingredients
- 1 pound flour
- 4 ounces butter
- 4 ounces white powdered sugar
- 2 eggs
- orange flower-water or sweet wine
Instructions
- Rub the butter, powdered sugar, and eggs into the flour until combined into a paste. Roll the paste thin and cut into small cakes using tin cutters. If desired, add a little orange flower-water or sweet wine to improve the flavour.