Soda Cake

A cheap, cheerful cake for servants’ tea, this recipe is typical of the late 19th century. Artificial raising agents, such as baking powder, had started to be commercialised from the mid Victorian era onwards, but were largely rejected by cooks working in large houses as they tasted of soap and were a slippery slope to the deskilling of kitchen staff. However, their rise was inevitable, and eventually bicarbonate of soda came to be used specifically for its flavour, as well