Fine Cakes

The English Housewife by Gervaise Markham Original translation from Michael R. Best.

To make fine cakes Take a pottle of fine flour and a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a little mace and a good store of water to mingle the flour into a stiff paste, and a good season of salt, and so knead it, and roll out the cake thin and bake them on papers.

The following redaction is a half recipe.

4 ¾ C	flour
½ lb	Butter
½ lb	Sugar
2 T	Mace
1 c and 1 T	Water
1 tsp	salt

Cream sugar and butter together. Combine flour, salt and nutmeg. Add flour mixture to butter mixture ½ at a time (unless you have a huge mixer). Divide into 2 parts to make handling easier. Knead slightly and then roll out onto lightly floured mixture to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into pleasing shapes, place onto wax paper on baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.