queen cake

See also: queencake and queen-cake

English

WOTD – 20 October 2024

Etymology

Queen cakes cooling on a rack.

From queen +‎ cake.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkwiːn keɪk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkwin ˌkeɪk/

Noun

queen cake (plural queen cakes)

1. (cooking, dated) A soft, muffin-sized, often heart-shaped cake, particularly popular in the 18th century, containing currants and flavoured with mace and sometimes lemons or oranges, which may be topped with chocolate or shredded coconut.

   Synonym: heart cake

   Coordinate terms: cupcake, (Ireland, UK) fairy cake

   • 1723, R[obert] Smith, “Of Pastes, Pies, Pasties, Puddings, Tansies, Cakes, Jellies, &c.”, in Court Cookery or, The Compleat English Cook. […], part II, London: […] T[homas] Wotton, […], →OCLC, page 41:

     To make Queens Cakes. Take a Pound of dry'd Flovver, a Pound of refin'd Sugar ſifted, and a Pound of Currans vvaſh'd, pick'd, and rubb'd clean, and a Pound of Butter vvaſh'd very vvell, and rub it into the Flovver and Sugar, vvith a little beaten Mace, and a little Orange-Flovver VVater; beat ten Eggs, but half the VVhites, vvork it all vvell together vvith your Hands, and put in the Currans; ſift over it double-refin'd Sugar, and put them immediately into a gentle Oven to bake.

   • 1796, Maria Edgeworth, “Waste Not, Want Not”, in The Parent's Assistant:

     This bun tastes so bad after the queen cakes, I can't bear it!

   • 1837, [attributed to Frances Harriet Whipple Green McDougall], “Pastry, Cakes, &c.”, in The Housekeeper’s Book, […], Philadelphia, Pa.: William Marshall & Co. […], →OCLC, page 131:

     QUEEN CAKE. Beat one pound of butter to cream, with some rose-water, one pound of flour dried, one pound of sifted sugar, twelve eggs, beat all well together; add a few currants washed and dried; butter small pans of a size for the purpose, grate sugar over them; they are soon baked.

   • c. 1885, Louisa May Alcott, The Candy Country:

     "We cook for all the confectioners." . . . Lily was so surprised she sat down on a warm queen’s cake that happened to be near.

   • 1914, Angela Brazil, The Girls of St. Cyprian's, (Google online books):

     "I'm sure my brains work better when they're lubricated with tea," declared Bess Harrison, tilting back her chair at a comfortable though rather dangerous angle, and accepting the queen-cake which Lottie Lowman offered her.

   • 2011, Ann Treistman, “Cupcake”, in Who Put the Devil in Deviled Eggs? The Fascinating Stories behind America’s Favorite Foods, New York, N.Y.: Skyhorse Publishing, →ISBN, page 27:

     CUPCAKE. It's thought these diminutive cakes [i.e., cupcakes] were inspired from the British Queen cake. This early cake was similar to the pound cake and was served individually. It is believed the spongy treats hopped across the pond and entered the American kitchen as early as 1796.

Alternative forms

• queencake, queen-cake, queen's cake

Translations

small, muffin-sized, often heart-shaped cake containing currants

• Finnish: herukkamuffini
• Macedonian: please add this translation if you can

Further reading

• “queen cake, queencake”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.