From Book to Cook: A Hot Milk Sponge Cake to Honor Little Women

The other week, I baked a cake from The Little Women Cookbook by Wini Moranville. According to the book, the cake (Hot Milk Sponge Cake on page 95) is not mentioned in the Little Women book or movie. However, sponge cake is a “quintessential nineteenth-century dessert,” and the author believe the March women would have had a recipe for such a confection. On page 96, the cake is transformed with a seedless black raspberry jam filling and a lemon whipped cream frosting.

Considering that my Blade & Bone series — especially book one (Brittle) is strongly inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s work, I thought it appropriate to bake this cake and share the results (and process) with you, dear reader.

For copyright reasons, I cannot share the instructions from the recipe. I can, however, include the ingredients, as lists are non-copyrightable and can’t be trademarked either (this is in no way legal advice.) They are as follows:

For the cake:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in pieces

For the whipped cream topping:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
1/2 pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

I’ve read that if you don’t have whole milk, you can substitute with 1/2 cup whipping cream and 1/2 cup water combined. Take what you need from that.

An excerpt from Brittle, where I imagine this cake might’ve been served alongside the ill-fated tea:

Surprise flashed across his features, but the cup was unable to reach him before he threw up his hand and stopped it with magic. The air clashed with the scents of coffee and chocolate. Dacre snapped his fingers, and Verve’s mug returned to the spot in front of her, full but no longer steaming. He did not yell nor did he rise. But his eyes darkened, freezing Verve to the spot.

            She’d rather he yell, threaten to throw her into the dungeons. Verve looked down at her hands, at her plate. Say the lines. “I’m not sorry.”

From BRITTLE by Beth Overmyer (Flame Tree Press, 2023)

Happy reading,
Beth

P.S. There’s still time to preorder TEMPERED GLASS (book 2 of the Blade & Bone series)!