1800 to 1869 Cake #7

Lemon Jelly Cake the Robert E. Lee Cake

This cake is a flavorful lemon sponge with lemon curd and orange and lemon icing. In the 1800's lemon curd was referred to as lemon jelly. This cake is sometimes called the Robert E. Lee cake because it is believed that the confederate general proposed to his wife when she served him a slice of this cake. The Lee family has a recipe collection that has been passed down and that is where this recipe is from.

These days citrus is easy to come by, but back in the 1800's it was imported unless you lived near growing regions. Citrus was considered an upper-class statement of wealth and importance. It was a prized possession that was rare and expensive. Citrus was only used for special occasions such as birthdays or holidays. That is why whole oranges are still sometimes added to Christmas stockings because that was a special gift in holidays past.

This cake takes 4 hours to make. It has multiple steps with a lot of ingredients. It uses 15 eggs, 5 lemons, and an orange! The flavor punches you in the face and people either loved it or it was way too much to handle. I enjoyed the strong citrus flavor but I could only eat a small piece. It was popular with my co-workers and my parents, but everyone agreed that it's flavors were very intense.