Description

Privately printed [Published Date: 1923. Booklet, 28 pp, staple bound. In acceptable condition, missing cover and last page, with bibliography. Light nicking and creasing to edges of booklet. Light overall aging but otherwise unmarked. A Collation of Cakes: Yesterday and Today by Claudia Quigley Murphy is a historical and instructional monograph dedicated to the "Gentle Art of Cake Making." The booklet presents a blend of culinary history, early baking techniques, and a few traditional cake recipes spanning centuries. It discusses the evolution of baking methods, including yeast-raised doughs of the 16th and 17th centuries, the role of chemical leavening agents like baking powder, and the refinement of cake-making in the modern home. Murphy includes a few historical cake recipes from notable sources such as The Compleat Cook (London, 1664), featuring the "Banbury Cake". The text also references historical figures such as Queen Anne and Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, emphasizing the social and domestic importance of fine baking. This copy is missing the title page and the final bibliography page as seen in the copy in the HathiTrust Digital Library. Despite this, the main instructional and historical content remains intact.