White Nut Cake

A plain white butter cake enriched with walnuts, written for cooks who already knew the standard creaming method. The original omits oven temperature and baking time, so those need supplying.

• The method it assumes"Mixing butter cakes" means creaming the butter and sugar until pale and light, then adding the flour sifted with the leaveners alternately with the milk. The stiffly beaten egg whites go in last, folded rather than stirred, or the cake loses its lift.
• Eight whitesEight modern large whites give about 30 ml each, so roughly 1 cup or 240 ml in total. Period eggs were smaller and less uniform, so measure the whites by volume to about a cup rather than counting shells.
• Cream of tartar and baking powderBaking powder already contains an acid salt, so the additional half teaspoon of cream of tartar is not needed for lift; why the recipe includes both is not stated. It does no harm, and it will slightly stabilise the whites if you beat it into them instead.
• OvenBake at 350F. Two loaves in standard 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch pans take about 45 to 55 minutes; a skewer should come out clean and the tops should be pale gold rather than brown.
• Pans"two loaves" here means loaf tins, buttered and floured or lined with paper. Divide the batter between them and level the tops.
• Walnuts"Walnut meat cut in pieces" is shelled walnut halves chopped coarse, not ground. Toss them in a spoonful of the measured flour before folding in so they do not sink to the bottom.
• What is missingThere is no salt and no flavouring. A half teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of vanilla or a little lemon zest bring the cake up to modern expectations without changing its character.
• YieldTwo loaves, each cutting into ten or twelve slices. The crumb is close rather than fluffy; it keeps well wrapped for three or four days.