Tea at Trianon: Lord Baltimore Cake

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Friday, December 18, 2020

Lord Baltimore Cake

From Victoria:

This Lord Baltimore Cake, a variation on the Southern classic Lady Baltimore cake, is made with egg yolks instead of egg whites and packs a naturally sweet Fig & Nut Filling. For that decadent filling, we turned to Valley Fig Growers’ Dried California Mission Figs. These figs pack the concentrated sweetness we needed to make our Lord Baltimore Cake an instant holiday classic. Plus, we make sure we use every bit of the leftover egg whites to make a dreamy Italian Meringue frosting. This is the stunning layer cake you never knew you needed.

Located in the fertile San Joaquin Valley, Valley Fig Growers’ grower-owned cooperative has been packing delicious, nutritious California Figs since 1959. The best figs come from California, where fertile soil, hot dry summers, and cool and wet winters produce delicious fruit with a high nutritional content. Valley Fig Growers’ California dried figs are always GMO-free and undergo rigorous testing to ensure that the dried figs exceed quality expectations, making you reach for these dried figs again and again.

Find Valley Fig Growers California dried mission and golden figs in your favorite stores under the brands: Orchard Choice and Sun-Maid or online, where you can also find their commercial fig ingredients available under the Blue Ribbon brand. (Read more.)