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Good Breakfast Cakes
Mrs. J. H. Brown.
Three eggs well beaten, two and a-half teacups of flour, one pint of sweet milk, a little salt. Make a batter of these, put in cups or rings and bake in a quick oven.
This is a popover batter in all but name: no leavening but eggs, milk and steam, which means the oven does the work. Everything below serves that one fact.
- The hinge: a screaming hot panThe hinge: a hot pan -- The batter rises from steam alone, so it is usual to grease the cups or rings and heat them in the oven before the batter goes in; a cold pan tends to give a heavier, lower result. The recipe itself leaves this to the cook.
- "Quick oven"425-450F. In practice, 450F for the first 15-20 minutes to force the rise, then down to 350F for another 10-15 minutes to dry the interior. Do not open the door during the first stage.
- TeacupNineteenth-century teacup measures are not standardized; one is commonly reckoned at about three-quarters of a cup. On that reading two and a half teacups of flour is roughly 1 3/4 to 2 cups, and the batter should be thin, about the consistency of heavy cream.
- PintTwo cups if the measure is American; an imperial pint would be nearer 2 1/2. With 2 cups milk to 3 eggs the ratio is close to a standard popover batter, which is a useful check if your flour measurement lands heavy.
- Sweet milkPlain unsoured whole milk. The word distinguishes it from the sour milk or buttermilk called for in recipes that rely on saleratus. This batter needs no soda in any case, since it rises on steam.
- Cups or ringsDeep individual vessels: a popover pan, muffin tin, heavy custard cups, or crumpet rings. Fill no more than two-thirds, since the batter rises a great deal.
- Resting the batterBeat the eggs thoroughly, whisk in milk then flour. Some cooks let the batter stand 20-30 minutes to hydrate the flour; the recipe does not call for it.
- YieldAround 4 cups of batter, so more than a standard 12-cup muffin tin will hold at two-thirds full; a dozen large popover cups is nearer the mark. Serve immediately, as they deflate on cooling.
"Breakfast cakes" in a book like this covers a wide field, from griddle cakes to these steam-risen batter puffs, and this particular formula is the American popover, generally traced back to the batter puddings baked under roasting meat in England, the same lineage as Yorkshire pudding. Baked on its own rather than beneath a joint, the batter could be eaten hot with butter first thing in the morning. The attribution to Mrs. J. H. Brown is typical of The Home Cook Book, which was compiled from contributions by named ladies of the community and sold in aid of charity, so the recipes carry the terseness of notes passed between cooks who already knew what a quick oven felt like.