If it was n’t for Eliza Leslie , American recipe might expect very dissimilar . Leslie write the most popular cookbook of the 19th century , published a recipe widely credited as being the first for chocolate cake in the United States , and authored fiction for both adults and children . Herninecookbooks — as well as her domestic management and etiquette guides — made a significant marking in American history and bon ton , despite the fact that she never course a kitchen of her own .
Early Dreams
bear in Philadelphia on November 15 , 1787 , to Robert and Lydia Leslie , Eliza was an intelligent shaver and a ravenous referee . Her dream of becoming a author was nurtured by her father , a prosperous watchmaker , inventor , and intellectual who was friends withBenjamin FranklinandThomas Jefferson . She oncewrotethat " the dream of my childhood [ was ] one 24-hour interval seeing my name in print . "
Sadly , her begetter ’s business fail around the turn of the nineteenth C and he conk in 1803 . The syndicate have in boarder to make ends meet , and as the erstwhile of five , Leslie help her female parent in the kitchen . To derive culinary experience , she attended Mrs. Goodfellow ’s Cooking School in Philadelphia , the first school day of its variety in the United States . Urged by her brother Thomas — and after fielding legion requests for recipes from protagonist and family — she compiled her first book , Seventy - Five Receipts for Pastry , Cakes , and Sweetmeats , in 1828 . Notably , the book included the termcup cake , touch on to Leslie ’s utilization of a teacupful as a appraise putz ( " two magnanimous tea leaf - cups full of molasses")—possibly the first - ever reference of acup cakein print .
Seventy - Five Receiptswas a hitting , and was reissue numerous times . Encouraged by this winner — and by her publisher , Munroe & Francis — Leslie move on to her true desire : writing fiction . She indite short chronicle and storybook for young readers as well as adult fable and succeed several awards for her efforts . One of her prize - bring home the bacon short stories , the humorous " Mrs. Washington Potts , " appear inGodey ’s Lady ’s Book , the popular 19th century clip for which she also served as assistant editor in chief . Leslie also contributed toGraham ’s Magazine , theSaturday Gazette , andThe Saturday Evening Post . At least onecriticcalled her tales " perfect daguerreotypes of real life . "
As much as Leslie love composition fabrication , however , it did n’t always ante up the bills . She wrote a second cookbook , Domestic French Cookery , in 1832 , and achieve the pinnacle of her success in 1837 withDirections for Cookery . That work became the most dear cookbook of the 1800s ; it sold at least 150,000 copies and was republished60times by 1870 . She offeredpointerson procure the adept ingredients ( " catfish that have been caught near the center of the river are much nice than those that are take on near the shore where they have access code to impure food " ) and impregnate the Good Book with wit . In a discussion section discouraging the use of cold meat in soups , she wrote , " It is not dead on target that French James Cook have the art of producingexcellentsoups from cold scraps . There is muchbadsoup to be obtain in France , at deficient house ; butgoodFrench cooks are not , as is generally hypothecate , really in the recitation of dream up any dishes out of the scraps of the board . "
InThe Taste of America , noted modern intellectual nourishment historiographer John and Karen HesscalledDirections for Cookery“one of the two safe American cookery book ever pen , " cite the record book ’s precise directions , engaging backsheesh , straightforward comment , and diverse recipe — such as siluriform fish soup and election cake — as the keys to its excellence .
Leslie is also credit with put out America ’s first printed recipe forchocolate bar , in her 1846Lady ’s Receipt Book . While burnt umber had been used in baking in Europe as far back as the 1600s , Leslie ’s recipe was belike obtained from a professional chef or pastry James Cook in Philadelphia . The recipe , which have grated chocolate and a whole gratednutmeg , is quite unlike from most of today ’s umber cake , with its substantial overtones of spicery and earthy , rather than sweet , flavors . ( you may find the full formula below . )
Later in life , while carry on to write cookery book , LeslieeditedThe Gift : A Christmas and New Year ’s Present , which include former publication by Edgar AllanPoe . She also edited herown magazineof literature and fashion , Miss Leslie ’s Magazine . She wrote only one novel , 1848’sAmelia ; Or a Young Lady ’s Vicissitudes , but once enunciate that if she was to start her literary career over , she would have only written novels .
A Uniquely American Voice
Historians havearguedthat Leslie was successful because she craft recipes to appeal to the young land ’s desire for upward mobility as well as a uniquely American identity . At the time she began writing , charwoman primarily used British cookbooks ; Leslie appeal to them with a distinctly American oeuvre . ( She remark in theprefacetoSeventy - Five Receipts , " There is frequently much difficulty in following directions in English and French Cookery Books , not only from their want of explicitness , but from the dispute in the fuel , fire - places , and cooking utensil . … The receipts in this little book are , in every sense of the countersign , American . " )
Leslie included regional American dishes in her Quran , promoted the use of quality ingredient , and was the first to ( sometimes ) prepare recipe by including fixings at the beginning of each recipe instead of using a narrative shape , setting the whole tone for modern formula writing . Her ledger were considered a treasure treasure trove of knowledge for young pioneer women who , frequently severalise from their kin for the first time , often trust on Leslie ’s works for direction .
single herself , Leslie never managed her own kitchen , and often had others try out formula for her . She observe strong ties with her erudite , advanced family , and lived for a prison term with her crony Thomas while he was attending West Point . Another sidekick , Charles Leslie , was a well - regarded catamount in England ; her sister Anna was also an creative person , and sister Patty was married to a publisher who produced some of Leslie ’s work . As she got older , Leslie lived for geezerhood in the United States Hotel in Philadelphia , where she was something of a celebrity for her learning ability and strong notion .
Leslie died on January 1 , 1858 . Many of her recipes arestill usedtoday , but it ’s likely she ’d be most pleased to know that many of her short story areavailable online . Modern readers can appreciate the integrality of her body of work : the fiction write that was her passion , though for which she was lesser known , and her culinary writing , which guided generation .
Eliza Leslie’s Recipe for Chocolate Cake
FromThe Lady’sReceipt Book :
