HalfAMoon: Day 14 – Celebrations: Recipes from the Woman Suffrage Cookbook

[snowynight]

The Woman Suffrage Cookbook was one among many published between the 1880s and 1920 to advocate the cause of universal suffrage. They are weapons to popularize and defend their cause from the critics who screamed that suffragists have abandoned their household responsibilities so weren't worth listening to. Quite a number of recipes include their authors' names, so we can remember and celebrate these women' effort to fight for a more equal future.

The recipe of Suffrage Angel Cake came from Eliza Kennedy Smith, a 20th-century American suffragist, civic activist, and government reformer. She helped founded the Allegheny County Equal Rights Association and held the president position to her death. She also worked with her sister to uncover Pittsburgh city government corruption and led to the conviction of Mayor Charles H. Kline.

Suffrage Angel Cake
(a la Kennedy)

11 eggs
1 full cup Swansdown Flour (after sifting)
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 heaping teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 pinch of salt

Beat the eggs until light—not stiff; sift sugar 7 times, add to eggs, beating as little as possible. Sift flour 9 times, using only the cupful, discarding the extra flour; then put in the flour the cream of tartar; add this to the eggs and sugar; now the vanilla. Put in angel cake pan with feet. Put in oven with very little heat. Great care must be used in baking this cake to insure success. Light the oven when you commence preparing material. After the first 10 minutes in oven, increase heat and continue to do so every five minutes until the last 4 or 5 minutes, when strong heat must be used. At thirty minutes remove cake and invert pan allowing to stand thus until cold.

Further Reading:
The Forgotten Cookbooks That Fueled Women’s Suffrage
Cook like a suffragette: fine dining from century-old political recipes
How Suffragists Used Cookbooks As A Recipe For Subversion

Comments

[cmk418]

All the prep work for this recipe is really interesting. Love the fact that they have to tell you how many times to run the sugar and flour through the sifter (makes me very grateful for the conveniences of modern life) and the lack of instruction of the oven temperatures- somehow these women just knew what she meant.

Your contributions to the fest have been wonderful! I really appreciate you taking part.

[snowynight]

Thank you very much! It really makes one appreciate the advance of kitchen appliances.

[facethestrange]

Your halfamoon posts were such a delight to read and an awesome opportunity for me to learn many new things, thank you for sharing your knowledge! :) ♡

[snowynight]

Thank you very much! I'm glad you like them.