I’ve skipped ahead a couple of recipes in Lottie’s handwritten book from 1912 (because I’m having major trouble with numbers two and three… has anyone heard of “German Teacakes” by any chance?!) to “Shrewsbury Cakes”. I don’t think I’d heard of these shortbread-like biscuits before, but I definitely won’t be forgetting about them now – they’re scrummy!
Shrewsbury Cakes, or Shrewsbury Biscuits, are made from a dough that contains flour, butter, sugar and egg. They often have lemon or rose flavouring, and sometimes have dried fruit added. It has been suggested that they were originally made to be sold at the market, much like Cornish Fairings perhaps. One of the earliest references to them was in 1602 by Lord Herbert of Cherbury, who described them as:
“a kind of cake which our country people use and made in no place in England but in Shrewsbury… Measure not my love in substance of it, which is brittle, but the form of it, which is circular”
Arguably the most famous maker of Shrewsbury Cakes was a Mr Pailin. It is said that he first made them to his original recipe in an old shop near Shrewsbury Castle in 1760. His name was later used by Thomas Plimmer & Sons, who made “Pailin’s Original Shrewsbury Cakes” up until the Second World War when the rationing of key ingredients halted production. I wonder if Lottie experienced the same problem?
Lottie’s recipe for “Shrewsbury Cakes” from 1912 can be found below, along with my advice for trying it out for yourself!
“Shrewsbury Cakes” (4)
Ingred:-
1/2 lb flour, 1/4 lb butter, 1/4 lb fine sugar, 2 eggs, a few caraway seeds, 4 drops essence of lemon (or any flavouring preferred), currents instead of seeds if liked.
Preparation & Cooking:-
Soften the butter, work it to a cream with a spoon, stir in the sugar & flour, add the beaten eggs then the essence and seeds, mix to a stiff paste, roll out to a large thin cake, cut into small round cakes & bake on greased tins in a very cool oven.
Now that I’ve practised it a few times, I just know that this recipe will be one I can quickly turn to on evenings when I crave something sweet or afternoons when friends unexpectedly arrive for a cup of tea. I do have a couple of edits though! While Lottie specifies two eggs, I have found one to be sufficient. Moreover, I like to use a whole teaspoon of lemon extract for the flavouring.
After mixing to a stiff paste, I have had to knead the mixture a fair amount to really bring it together. At this point, I also wrap the mixture in clingfilm and chill it in the fridge for about half an hour. I find this and a dusting of flour of the work surface makes it easy to roll out! A “very cool oven” appears to be Gas Mark 1 / 275°F / 140°C for about 20 minutes.
“Soften the butter, work it to a cream with a spoon” 
“stir in the sugar & flour“ 
“mix to a stiff paste“ 
“roll out to a large thin cake“ 
“cut into small round cakes & bake on greased tins in a very cool oven”
I haven’t tried Lottie’s suggestion of using alternative flavourings or currents instead of seeds yet, although I look forward to doing so. Many recipes for Shrewsbury Cakes seem to incorporate nutmeg or rosewater. What have you tried? Do you have a favourite? I’d love to know!
I hope you have a lovely weekend,
Katie
Hearthside Stories 
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