Tonight, we’ll read recipes on schoolroom cakes along with tea cakes and biscuits from The Cake and Biscuit Book by Elizabeth Douglas, published in 1903.

When this cookbook was published, most American students attended a one-room schoolhouse. A single teacher would typically have students of all ages in one class. The youngest children sat in the front, while the oldest students sat in the back. Students memorized and recited their lessons, and when they were lucky, they ate home baked treats like the ones here.

At the turn of the 20th century, home baking was considered an essential domestic skill, and simple confections like spice cakes, oat biscuits, and soft tea buns were often made in large batches to share. Many cakes intended for schoolrooms used ingredients that could stretch—like treacle, lard, or buttermilk—making them ideal for feeding many mouths with limited means.

The term “schoolroom cake” didn’t refer to a specific type, but rather to the spirit of the bake: something sturdy, not overly sweet, easy to pack, and nourishing enough to last a long day.