White Part (Whites of seven eggs three)

This is the pale half of a two-batter cake — the companion "dark part" would have been on the facing line of the original book — so the page gives ingredients and no method at all. Everything below fills in what a nineteenth-century cook was assumed to know.

• It is half a recipeA "white part" of this kind is meant to be spooned into the pan alongside a spiced dark batter, either in layers (ribbon cake) or swirled (marble cake). Baked on its own it makes a perfectly good white cake, but the page assumes a companion dark batter that is not printed here.
• Sour milk and sodaSour milk here is raw milk gone naturally acidic, not spoiled pasteurised milk, which simply rots. Use buttermilk cup for cup, or a cup of milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar stirred in and left ten minutes. The teaspoon of soda needs that acid to work; it is the only chemical leavening in the recipe.
• "Four of flour, sifted and heaping"Ambiguous even in 1877: sifted flour, then heaped in the cup, runs anywhere from 4 to 5 oz per cup. Around 19-20 oz (about 550 g) of plain flour is a reasonable reading for a batter of this size. Sift before measuring, as instructed, or the cake turns heavy.
• Butter and sugar quantitiesOne cup of butter is 8 oz / two sticks, softened, not melted. Three cups of sugar is a lot by modern taste and gives a firm, close, distinctly sweet crumb; the period liked it that way, and cutting it will change the texture as well as the sweetness.
• The whitesBeat the seven whites to soft, glossy peaks and fold them in last, after the flour and milk. They are the only lift beyond the soda, so a deflated meringue means a dense cake. Seven whites from modern large eggs come to roughly 8 oz / 230 g, a little short of a cup.
• OvenThe page gives no oven direction; 350F (175C) suits a batter of this kind. In two 9-inch pans allow 30-40 minutes; in a single deep tube or loaf pan, 55-70 minutes, covering the top with foil if it colours early.
• Flavouring"Flavor to taste" in a white cake of this date could mean almond extract, rose water, or lemon. A teaspoon of extract, or two of rose water, is enough.
• YieldA large cake: two generous 9-inch layers or one 10-inch tube, serving 12-16. Halve the whole list if you want a single 8-inch layer.