A Shrewsbury cake or Shrewsbury biscuit[1] is an English dessert, named for Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire. They are made from dough that contains sugar, flour, egg, butter, and lemon zest. Shrewsbury cakes can be small in size for serving several at a time, or large for serving as a dessert in themselves.
The playwright William Congreve mentioned Shrewsbury cakes in his play The Way of the World in 1700 as a simili [2] (Witwoud - "Why, brother Wilfull of Salop, you may be as short as a Shrewsbury cake, if you please. But I tell you 'tis not modish to know relations in town"). The recipe is also included in several early cookbooks including The Compleat Cook of 1658.[3] First Lady Louisa Catherine Adams brought this recipe to The White House, when her husband, John Quincy Adams, became President of the United States.
Also, today in India, Shrewsbury biscuits are one of the most popular biscuits in the country. They are locally produced in the city of Pune, Maharashtra.