I have a little information that I believe to be correct about Robert E. Lee’s favorite cake. This recipe is from my grandmother on my mother’s side and they were from the Richmond and Norfolk areas. The information I have is that his wife, Mary Custis Lee, provided him with this cake at his request. Mary Custis was also the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington, who inherited the memories of General George Washington. Also, in fact, the recipe is supposed to be in the old book “Housekeeping in Old Virginia” by Marion Cabell Tyree edited in Richmond in the late 1870s. I don’t have this book, just my grandmother’s handwritten recipe. . Good luck.
Robert E. Lee’s Favorite Cake
- 10 eggs, separated
- 1 pound of sugar or 4 cups of sugar
- 1/2 pound flour or 4 cups
- peel of 1 lemon
- juice of a lemon
Beat the egg yolks until thick. Sift the sugar and add to the eggs; Hit well. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Beat the whites of just 8 eggs, and when stiff, carefully mix them into the batter. Bake in 2 12-by-18-inch gelatin tins at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. (You may need to adjust the size of these cake pans above. I use three 9-inch cake pans and decrease the cook time to about 5-10 minutes. Monitor the cook time closely.)
Filling
- Whites of 2 eggs
- 1 pound of sugar or 4 cups of sugar
- Juice and rinse of 1 orange
Beat the whites of 2 eggs until foamy. Add the sugar, orange zest and juice. Mix until smooth. Spread over cakes before they are perfectly cool. Put one on top of the other.
