Repostería Selecta, 3rd ed. (1950) – Pastel Propio para Fiesta de Quince Años/ Cake for a Quinceañera

Repostería Selecta. México: Academia de Cocina y Repostería “Velázquez de León,” 1950. Pp. 341-342 [TX716.M4 V4578 1950]

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Last week, I shared images of some of Josefina Velázquez de León’s cake creations depicted in this third edition of her Repostería Selecta. This week, I’ve reproduced her recipe for her Pastel Propio para Fiesta de Quince Años (Cake for a Quinceañera). Clearly, this cake is meant for a very large 15th birthday party – the recipe calls for 105 eggs!

Although the cake itself is simple, the instructions for decorating it are quite complicated and somewhat difficult to follow. However, the process becomes much clearer if you refer to the picture of the cake as you read. This really highlighted for me the practical, as well as aesthetic benefits of illustrated cookbooks. Admittedly, there are still some steps, such as covering the columns at the end, that are a bit opaque. Perhaps this encouraged readers to to enroll in Velázquez de León’s classes.

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Pastel Propio para Fiesta de Quince Años

Ingredients

Pasta:

Mantequilla, tres y medio kilos; Azúcar 4 y medio kilos; Harina “Oro”, 5 y medio kilos; Levadura Oro, 10 cucharadas; Leche, 1 litro; Naranjas, 12; Huevos, 105.

Relleno y Adorno:

Mermelada de chavacano, 14 latas chicas; Pasta “Oro” para cubrir pastels, 3 kilos; Azúcar “Oro” para pastillaje, 500 gms.; Una table redonda con 7 ondas de 65 ctms. de diámetro con 7 columnas clavadas de 20 ctms. de altura y 3 de grueso a una base redonda de 6 ctms. de diámetro y 2 de altura; table redonda de 32 ctms. de diámetro con 4 columnas clavadas de madera de 30 centímetros de altura por 4 de grueso, ramos de 2 rosas grandes color de rosa alambradas, 3 hojas y 15 varas de no me olvides azules, ramos chicos compuestos de 3 rositas chicas, 3 hojas y 8 varos de no me olvides, 16; Rositas chicas sin alambrar, 110; Hojitas verdes, 225; Rositas rococo, 56; Hojitas verdes chicas, 100; Claras, 6; Azúcar pulverizada, 1 y ½ kilo; 1 fantasía grande de pastillaje, 1 fuente mediana y 1 chica de pastillaje llenas de rositas, no me olvides y hojitas, espejo grande Redondo de 75 ctms. de diámetro, 1; muñeca grande de pastillaje y tul; muñecas chicas, 14.

Manera de Hacerse:

Se bate la mantequilla con el azúcar, se agregan las yemas una a una, la harina cernida con la levadura alternándose con la leche, el jugo de las naranjas y un poco de raspadura y por ultimo las claras batidas a punto de turrón, se vacía a un molde Redondo de 44 ctms. de diámetro, Fig. no. 98 en la Sección de Moldes a uno de 32 ctms. de diámetro, Fig. No. 95 y a 7 moldes en forma de media luna, Fig. 70, engrasados y enharinados, se cuecen a horno suave, ya cocidos se parten en 3 partes, se rellenan de mermelada, el de 44 ctms. de diámetro se coloca en el centro de la table grande que ya tendrá las columnas forradas de pastillaje blanco, alrededor se colocan las medias lunas procurando queden en las ondas de la table, se cubre todo el pastel de mermelada y pasta “Oro” pintada de rosa, se decora el costado con una guía de glass verde muy pálido con rositas y hojitas, en la union con la table se pone un cordon grueso de glass sacado por la duya No. 17. En el centro del pastel se coloca la table chica que ya tendrá las columnas forradas, éstas tienen que entrar hasta la table del pastel grande pegándose con glass; sobre esta table se pone el pastel chico decorado con grupos de rositas rococo y de hojitas chicas; adornos de glass blanco y los ramitos de flores chicas; sobre este pastel se coloca la fantasia con la muñeca grande, en cada onda se coloca una muñeca chica y las otras 7 sobre el espejo, entre cada muñeca se pone un ramo grande tanto en el espejo como en el pastel, sobre el pastel se coloca la fuente chica y sobre el espejo la grande.

Manera de Forrar las Columnas:

Con el azúcar “Oro”, se hace pastillaje, se extiende lo más Delgado possible, se cortan, tiras con ellas se forran las columnas que estarán ligeramente humedicidas con agua fría.

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Pastel Propio para Fiesta de Quince Años

Ingredients

• Cake Batter:
• 3 ½ kilos butter
• 4 ½ kilos sugar
• 5 ½ kilos flour
• 10 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 liter milk
• 12 oranges
• 105 eggs
• Filling and Ornaments
• 14 small cans apricot jam
• 3 kilos fondant to cover cakes
• 500 grams sugar for pastillaje
• A round board with 7 waves around the edge of 65 cm, and 7 columns 20 cm. tall and 3 wide on a round base 6 cm. wide and 2 cm high.
• Another round board 32 cm. in diameter, with 4 wooden columns 30 cm. tall and 4 cm. wide
• Large bouquets of pink roses with pink wires
• 3 leaves
• 15 decorative sprays of forget-me-not blue.
• 16 small bouquets of 3 small roses, 3 leaves, and 8 decorative sprays of forget-me-not blue
• 110 small roses without wires
• 225 small green leaves
• 56 rococo roses
• 100 small green leaves
• 6 egg whites
• 1 ½ kilo powdered usgar
• 1 large pastillaje ornament
• 1 medium fountain and 1 small fountain of pastillaje filled with roses, forget-me-nots, and leaves
• 1 large round mirror of 75 cm. diameter
• 1 large doll of pastillaje and tulle
• 14 small dolls.

Method of Preparation

1. 

   Beat the butter and sugar together.

2. Add the yolks, one by one
3. Sift the flour with the baking powder.
4. Combine the milk and orange juice
5. Add the flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to the butter mixture.
6. Beat the egg whites until stiff and add.
7. Grease and flour a cake pan of 44 cm. in diameter (Fig. no. 98) and a 32 cm diameter cake pan (fig. no. 95) and 7 cake pans shaped like half moons (Fig. 70).
8. Fill each pan with batter and bake in a slow oven.
9. Once cooked, slice each cake into 3 layers and fill with jam.
10. Place the 44 cm. cake in the center of the large board, supported by the columns (which should already be covered with white pastillaje) . The half moon cakes should be placed around the round cake, over the waves of the board.
11. Cover the entire cake with jam and pink fondant.
12. Decorate the side of the cake with roses and leaves, following a guide of icing in pale green.
13. At the junction of the cake and board, place a thick bead of icing using decorating tip 17.
14. In the center of the large cake, place the small board, supported by its columns. Place the small cake on top of this board, decorating it with groups of rococo roses and small leaves, decorations of white icing and bouquets of small roses.
15. On top of the small cake, put the large pastillaje ornament and the large doll.
16. On each wave of the large cake, place a small doll and place the other 7 dolls around the mirror on the bottom layer. Between each doll, put a large bouquet, both around the mirror layer and around the cake layer. On the cake layer, put the small fountain, and on the mirror, the large one.

Method to cover the columns

With Gold-brand sugar, make pastillaje and roll as thin as possible. Cut in strips to cover the columns that have been dampened slightly with cold water.

Note: I was unable to identify an English equivalent for the term pastillaje. It is a sugar paste used to create decorations, but is not quite the same as gum paste or fondant. This post on the Society for Culinary Arts & Letters eGullet Forum provides a detailed explanation and numerous examples.

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