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Lemon Jelly for This Cake
Rind and juice of one lemon, one egg, one tablespoonful of water, one cup of sugar, one teaspoonful corn starch; all cooked together in a farina kettle until a little thick; when cold spread between the layers.
A lemon curd thickened with a little cornstarch, meant as filling for a layer cake. The whole recipe hinges on gentle, indirect heat.
- Farina kettleThis is a double boiler — the inner pan sat in simmering water, as it did for cooking farina cereal. Use a heatproof bowl or a double boiler over barely simmering water; direct heat will scramble the egg before the starch sets.
- The rindZest the lemon finely, or grate it, before juicing. The recipe says only 'rind'; grated rind is the usual reading, and the white pith is best avoided as it is bitter. Strain the finished filling if you want it smooth.
- One egg means whole eggBeat it well with the sugar and cornstarch before adding the acid liquid, or the juice will set the white in threads.
- How thick is "a little thick"Cook, stirring constantly, until it coats a spoon and holds a brief line when you draw a finger through it. It will thicken noticeably more as it cools.
- Cornstarch behaviourThe starch needs enough heat in the inner pan to lose its raw taste and set fully; a lemon-juice mixture kept too cool will stay thin and chalky.
- YieldRoughly a cup of filling, enough to spread thinly between the layers of a small cake.
- Cooling and keepingCool with the surface covered so no skin forms, and chill before spreading. Because it contains egg, keep the filled cake refrigerated and eat it within two or three days.
Lemon jelly cake was a fixture of American layer-cake baking, and "jelly" in that context meant any thick sweet filling spread between layers, not a set gelatin — the same usage that gives us jelly roll. The instruction to use a farina kettle points to a kitchen equipped for slow milk and cereal cookery. Recipes titled "for this cake" or "for the above" were common in community and family cookbooks, where the filling was printed immediately after the cake it belonged to and the two were never meant to be read apart.