White Cakes [Shortbread]

This recipe is one among a number of variants on shortbread in Avis’ manuscript. White cakes have various names, including Scotch cakes, and derive from 17th-century recipes, then often called short cakes. This version is delicately spiced with cinnamon and works well both as a light treat with a cup of tea, or with wine after dinner, which was how many biscuits were consumed in the Victorian era. For a decadent modern twist, the ends can be dipped in melted chocolate and t