The cake was popular in the 1700s, and through the Victorian era. Recipes for it are included in many early cookbooks, including Hannah Glasse's The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy (1747) (note that there are recipes for "cheap seed-cake" and "a rich  seed-cake, called the nun's cake"),  Elizabeth Moxon's English Housewifery Exemplified (1764), Amelia Simmons' American Cookery (1796), Mary Eaton's The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary (1822), and Isabella Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861).
This cake was a popular choice during the 1700s, and its popularity endured throughout the Victorian era. Its recipes can be found in numerous early cookbooks, including those written by prominent authors such as Hannah Glasse, Elizabeth Moxon, Amelia Simmons, Mary Eaton, and Isabella Beeton.