THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’

JELLY ICING

½ cup stiff jelly (crabapple)

1 egg white

Put together in top of double boiler over hot water, when warm beat with a dover beater until mixture begins to stiffen – spread over cake.

~Ida A. Shaver, handwritten receipt book. (Ida was born in 1871 and died in 1959)

THE UPDATED RECIPE

• ½ c. crabapple jelly (stiff) or other jelly
• 1 egg white.

Combine the two ingredients in the top of a double-boiler;  stir with a spoon to blend.

Over boiling water, at medium-low heat, warm the mixture, and then beat it with a rotary beater for approximately 7 minutes, until the mixture turns glossy, and thickens so that it will form firm peaks.

Remove from the heat, and spread the icing immediately onto a cooled cake.

This quantity is sufficient to ice the top and sides of a 4 ½ x 9-inch loaf cake.

The recipe makes a delicate pink, frothy icing with a delicious flavour – ideal for a Light Tea Cake.

A note from Patricia: Who knew you could make such a delicious, fluffy, meringue-like frosting with just two ingredients! This type of icing reminds me of childhood, and it’s the only icing that I truly love, and I was amazed at how simple and gorgeous it turned out. I made Minnie May’s Light Tea Cake in a loaf tin, then cut the loaf in half, added some apple jelly to one half, piled the other half piece of cake on top, and then frosted the whole thing with this glorious frosting. It was the prettiest pink, has a lovely (but not overpowering) sweetness, and the soft and airy texture was divine!

And by dipping the knife into cold water as applying, you can smooth the frosting very nicely.

~ Chase, A. W.  Dr. Chase’s Recipes. London, Ont: E.A. Taylor, 1868.