English

Queen cakes

Alternative forms

• queencake, queen-cake, queen's cake

Noun

queen cake ‎(plural queen cakes)

1. (cooking, dated) A soft, muffin-sized cake, popular particularly in the 1800s, sometimes containing currants and sometimes flavored with lemon.
   • 1796, Maria Edgeworth, "Waste Not, Want Not" in The Parent's Assistant:

     "This bun tastes so bad after the queen cakes, I can't bear it!"

   • 1837, Frances Harriet Green, The Housekeeper's Book, p. 131 (Google preview):

     QUEEN CAKE. Beat one pound of butter to cream, with some rose-water, one pound of flour dried, one pound of sifted sugar, twelve eggs, beat all well together; add a few currants washed and dried; butter small pans of a size for the purpose, grate sugar over them; they are soon baked.

   • c. 1885, Louisa May Alcott, "The Candy Country":

     "We cook for all the confectioners." . . . Lily was so surprised she sat down on a warm queen’s cake that happened to be near.

   • 1914, Angela Brazil, The Girls of St. Cyprian's, (Google online books):

     "I'm sure my brains work better when they're lubricated with tea," declared Bess Harrison, tilting back her chair at a comfortable though rather dangerous angle, and accepting the queen-cake which Lottie Lowman offered her.

   • 2011, Ann Treistman, Who Put the Devil in Deviled Eggs?, ISBN 9781602397422, p. 27 (Google preview):

     CUPCAKE. It's thought these diminutive cakes were inspired from the British Queen cake. This early cake was similar to the pound cake and was served individually.