What makes this tea cake 'German,' and where does the recipe come from?

The recipe is taken from Henriette Schønberg Erken's 'Stor kokebok' from 1914, page 570, where it is listed as 'Tysk tekake' (German tea cake) among the loaf cakes. It is spiced with ginger, cinnamon and pepper, and contains currants, candied peel and cut-up citrus fruit.

How is the batter put together?

The method is unclear in the source, but goes like this: mix the wheat flour with sugar, spices (ginger, cinnamon, pepper) and baking soda. Stir in the cut-up fruit (2 oranges or 1 lemon), the currants and finely cut candied peel, and add 2 1/2 dl milk to a smooth batter. Bake in a greased and coated tin.

Are eggs or baking powder used in the cake?

No. The recipe contains neither eggs nor baking powder – the rise comes from 1 teaspoon of baking soda, which works together with the acid from the milk and the citrus fruit.

How long does the cake take?

Reckon on around 80 minutes in total for 12 servings, including weighing out, cutting up fruit and peel, and baking in the tin.

German tea cake

Name: German tea cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 500 g wheat flour (sifted); 250 g sugar; 200 g currants; 90 g candied peel (finely cut); 2.5 dl milk (preferably soured); 1 tsp baking soda; 0.5 tsp ginger (ground); 0.5 tsp cinnamon; 0.25 tsp pepper (ground); 2 pcs oranges (whole, cut up – or 1 lemon)

Egg-free fruit cake from Erken 1914 with 500 g flour, 250 g sugar, 200 g currants, 90 g candied peel, 2½ dl milk, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, pepper and cut-up oranges or lemon; the method is illegible in the source and reconstructed.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 570 (falt i det fri)

Be the first to rate

About the dish

'German tea cake' is a fruit cake of the simple, egg-free kind where baking soda and sour milk provide the rise. The recipe appears among the tea and coffee cakes in the baking chapter, but the method is partly illegible on the scanned page.

How to make it

1
Mix the dry ingredients
Mix the wheat flour, sugar, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and pepper well together.
2
Fruit and peel
Stir in the currants, finely cut candied peel and the finely cut-up oranges (or lemon).
3
Make the batter
Thin with the milk to a smooth, thick batter.
4
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased and coated tin and bake at about 170 °C (340 °F) for 50–60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out dry.

Changes from the original

The ingredient list has been separated out from the two-column OCR text and put into modern units. The method was not legible on the page and has been reconstructed following Erken's usual pattern for such cakes – this is marked in the transcription. Baking time and temperature are estimated.

Tidsmaskin – hva endret seg?

Velg to utgaver og se hva Henriette Schønberg Erken la til, fjernet eller endret mellom dem.

Fra1914 1949 Modernisert

Til1914 1949 Modernisert

1914 (korrekturlest, s. 570) → 1949 (korrekturlest, s. 669)~69% av teksten endretfjernetlagt til

500 gr. hvetemel 250 gr. sukker 200 gr. korinter 60 gr. smør 90 gr. sukat 2 1/2 del. melk 1 ~~teske~~ teskje natron 1/2 ~~teske~~ — ingefær 1/2 ~~teske~~ — kanel 1/4 ~~teske~~ — pepper 2 ~~hele, opskaarne appelsiner,~~ hele opskårne appelsiner eller 1 citron (Fremgangsmaaten er utydelig i kilden: melet blandes med sukker, krydderier og natron, den opskaarne frukt, korinterne og den finskaarne sukat røres ind, og melken tilsættes til en jevn deig, som stekes i smurt og strøet form.) sitron 2 toppede teskjeer bakepulver 3 egg.

Community interpretations

Be the first to share your own version.

See interpretations →

Frequently asked questions

What makes this tea cake 'German,' and where does the recipe come from?: The recipe is taken from Henriette Schønberg Erken's 'Stor kokebok' from 1914, page 570, where it is listed as 'Tysk tekake' (German tea cake) among the loaf cakes. It is spiced with ginger, cinnamon and pepper, and contains currants, candied peel and cut-up citrus fruit.
How is the batter put together?: The method is unclear in the source, but goes like this: mix the wheat flour with sugar, spices (ginger, cinnamon, pepper) and baking soda. Stir in the cut-up fruit (2 oranges or 1 lemon), the currants and finely cut candied peel, and add 2 1/2 dl milk to a smooth batter. Bake in a greased and coated tin.
Are eggs or baking powder used in the cake?: No. The recipe contains neither eggs nor baking powder – the rise comes from 1 teaspoon of baking soda, which works together with the acid from the milk and the citrus fruit.
How long does the cake take?: Reckon on around 80 minutes in total for 12 servings, including weighing out, cutting up fruit and peel, and baking in the tin.

Related recipes

More dishes in the same category from the archive

Kommentarer

Ingen kommentarer ennå. Bli den første til å dele!