CAKES, ETC

boiled too much. These are useful in any complaint where fruit is proper, especially in fevers.

DUTCH FLUMMERY. — Boil, with a pint of white wine, some sugar, the juice of two and the peel of one lemon, a stick of cin- namon, and half an ounce of dissolved isinglass ; strain and mix it with the well-beaten yolks of seven eggs, stir it over the fire till it simmers, but do not allow it to boil ; stir it till quite cold, and put it into a shape.

CAKES, 860.

In making Cake, accuracy in proportioning the ingredients is indispensable. It is equally indispensable for the success of the cake that it should be placed in a heated oven as soon as pre- pared. It is useless to attempt to make light cake unless the eggs are perfectly fresh, and the butter good. Neither eggs nor butter and sugar should be beaten in tin, as its coldness prevents their becoming light. To ascertain if a large cake is perfectly done, a broad-bladed knife should be plunged into the centre of it; if dry and clean when drawn out, the cake is baked. For a smaller cake, insert a straw or the whisp of a broom ; if it comes out in the least moist the cake should be left in the oven.

FROSTING CAKES. — Allow for the white of one egg nine heap ing teaspoonfuls of double-refined sugar, and one of nice Poland starch. The sugar and starch should be pounded, and sifted through a very fine sieve. Beat the whites of eggs to a stiff froth, so that you can turn the plate upside down, without the eggs falling from it — then stir in the sugar gradually with a wooden spoon — stir it ten or fifteen minutes without any cessa- tion— then add a teaspoonful of lemon-juice (vinegar will answer, but is not as nice) — put in sufficient rose-water to flavor it. If you wish to color it pink, stir in a few grains of cochineal pow- der, or rose pink — if you wish to have it of a blue tinge, add a little of what is called powder blue. Lay the frosting on the cake with a knife, soon after it is taken from the oven — smooth it over, and let it remain in a cool place till hard. To frost a com- mon sized loaf of cake, allow the white of one egg, and half of another.

PLUM CAKE, OR NEW ENGLAND WEDDING CAKE. — One pound of dry flour, one pound of sweet butter, one pound of sugar, twelve eggs, two pounds of raisins (the sultana raisins are the best), two pounds of currants. As much spice as you please.

CAKBS, ETC. 97

A glass of wine, one of brand j, and a pound of citron. Mix the butter and sugar as for pound cake. Sift the spice, and beat the eggs very light. Put in the fruit last, stirring it in gradually. It should be well floured. If necessary, add more flour after the fruit is in. Butter sheets of paper, and line the inside of one large pan, or two smaller ones. Lay in some slices of citron, then a layer of the mixture, then of the citron, and so on till the pan is full. This cake requires a tolerably hot and steady oven, and will need baking four or five hours, according to its thick- ness. It will be better to let it cool gradually in the oven. Ice it when thoroughly cold.

SCOTCH CAKE. — Stir to a cream a pound of sugar, and three- quarters of a pound of butter — put in the juice and grated rind of a lemon, and a wine glass of brandy. Separate the whites and yolks of nine eggs, beat them to a froth, and stir them into the cake — then add a pound of sifted flour, and just before it ia put in the cake pans, a pound of seeded raisins.

POUNDED CAKE. — Mix a pound of sugar with three-quarters of a pound of butter. When worked white, stir in the yolk of eight eggs, beaten to a froth, then the whites. Add a pound of sifted flour, and mace or nutmeg to the taste. If you wish to have your cake particularly nice, stir in, just before you put it into the pans, a quarter of a pound of citron, or almonds blanched, and powdered fine in rose-water.

CUP CAKES. — Mix three tea-cups of sugar with one and a half of butter. When white, beat three eggs, and stir them into the butter and sugar, together with three tea-cups of sifted flour, and rose-water or essence of lemon to the taste. Dissolve a tea-spoonful of saleratus in a tea-cup of milk, strain it into the cake, then add three more tea-cups of sifted flour. Bake the cake immediately, either in cups or pans.

JUMBLES. — Stir together, till of a light color, a pound of sugar and half the weight of butter — then add eight eggs, beaten to a froth, essence of lemon, or rose-water, to the taste, and flour to make them sufficiently stiif to roll out. Roll them out in pow- dered sugar, about half an inch thick, cut it into strips about half an inch wide, and four inches long, join the ends together, so as to form rings, lay them on flat tins that have been buttered, and bake them in a quick oven.

YEAR'S CooKies. — Weigh out a pound of sugar, three- quarters of a pound of butter — stir them to a cream, then add three beaten eggs, a grated nutmeg, two table-spoonfuls of cara- way seed, and a pint of flour. Dissolve a tea-spoonful of sal-

98 CAKES, ETC.

eratus in a tea-cup of milk, strain and mix it with half a tea -cup of cider, and stir it into the cookies — then add flour to make them sufficiently stiff to roll out. Bake them as soon as cut into cakes, in a quick oven, till a light brown.

SUGAR CAKE. — Take half a pound*of dried flour, the same quan tity of fresh butter washed in rose-water, and a quarter of a pound of sifted loaf sugar — then mix together the flour and su- gar— rub in the butter, and add the yolk of an egg beaten with a table-spoonful of cream ; make into a paste, roll, and cut it into small round cakes, which bake upon a floured tin.

QUEEN CAKE. — Beat one pound of butter to a cream, with some rose-water, one pound of flour dried, one pound of sifted sugar — beat all well together — add a few currants washed and dried — butter small pans of a size for the purpose, grate sugar over them — they are soon baked. They may be done in a Dutch oven.

ALMOND CAKE. — Blanch half a pound of sweet, and three ounces of bitter almonds — pound them to a paste in'a mortar with orange-flour water — add half a pound of sifted loaf sugar, and a little brandy — whisk separately, for half an hour, the whites and yolks of twenty eggs, and the yolks to the almonds and sugar, and then stir in the whites, and beat them all well to- gether. Butter a tin pan, sift bread raspings over it, put the cake into it, over the top of which strew sifted loaf sugar. Bake it in a quick oven for half or three-quarters of an hour.

HONEY CAKE. — One pound and a half of dried and sifted flour, three-quarters of a pound of honey, half a pound of finely pounded loaf sugar, a quarter of a pound of citron, and half an ounce of orange-peel cut small, of pounded ginger and cinnamon three- quarters of an ounce. Melt the sugar with the honey, and mix in the other ingredients ; roll out the paste, and cut it into small cakes of any form.

BKIDES CAKE. — Take four pounds of fine flour well dried, four , pounds of fresh butter, two pounds of loaf sugar, pounded and sifted fine, a quarter of an ounce of mace, and the same quan- tity of nutmegs; to every pound of flour put eight eggs; wash and pick four pounds of currants, and dry them before the fire; blanch a pound of sweet almonds, and cut them length- ways, very thin, a pound of citron, a pound of candied orange, a pound of candied lemon, and half a pint of brandy ; first work the butter with your hand to a cream, then beat in your sugar a quarter of an hour; beat the whites of your eggs to a very Btrong froth; mix them with your sugar \nd butter; beat the

CAKES, ETC. 99

yolks half an hour, at least, and mix them with your cake ; then put in your flour, mace, and nutmeg; keep beating it till the oven is ready ; put in your brandy, and beat the currants and almonds lightly in; tie three sheets of paper round the bottom of your hoops to keep it from running out; rub it well with but- ter, put in your cake, and the sweetmeats in three lays, with cake between every lay ; after it is risen and colored, cover it with paper before your oven is stopped up; it will take three hours1 baking.

OOCOANTJT CAKES. — Take equal weights of grated cocoanut and powdered white sugar (the brown part of the cocoanut should be cut off before grating it), add the whites of eggs beaten to ;t stiff froth, in proportion of half a dozen to a pound each of cocoanut and sugar. There should be just eggs enough to wet up the whole stiff. Drop the mixtures on to buttered plates, in parcels of the size of a cent, several inches apart. Bake them immediately in a moderately warm oven.

SAVOY CAKES. — Beat eight eggs to a froth — the whites and yolks should be beaten separately, then mixed together, and a pound of powdered white sugar stirred in gradually. Beat the whole well together, for eight or ten minutes, then add the grated rind of a fresh lemon, and half the juice, a pound of sifted flour, a couple tablespoonfuls of coriander seed. Drop this mixture by the large spoonful on to buttered baking plates, several inches apart, sift white sugar over them, and bake them immediately in a quick, but not a furiously hot oven.

CREAM CAKE. — Sift some double-refined sugar; beat the whites of seven or eight eggs ; shake in as many spoonfuls of sugar ; grate in the rind of a large lemon ; drop the froth on a paper, laid on tin, in lumps at a distance; sift a good deal of sugar over them ; set them in a moderate oven; the froth will rise; just color them; you may put raspberry jam, and stick two bottoms to- gether; put them in a cool oven to dry.

SUPERIOR SPONGE CAKE. — Take the weight of ten eggs in pow- dered loaf sugar, beat it to a froth with the yolks of twelve eggs, put in the grated rind of a fresh lemon, leaving out the white part — add half the juice. Beat the whites of twelve eggs to a stiff froth, and mix them with sugar and butter. Stir the whole without any cessation for fifteen minutes, then stir in gradually the weight of six eggs in sifted flour. As soon as the flour is well mixed in, turn the cake into pans lined with buttered paper — bake it immediately in a quick, but not a furiously hot oven. It will bake in the course of twenty minutes. If it bakes too fast,, cover it with thick paper.

100 CAKES, ETC.

A CHARLOTTE RUSSE. — It is very difficult to prepare this deli cate dish, and we advise all inexperienced housekeepers not to undertake it without the superintendence of a professed cook.

Extract the flavor from a vanilla bean by boiling it in half a pint of milk. The milk must then be strained, and when cold mix with it a quarter of a pound of loaf sugar. Beat the yolks of four eggs very light and stir them into the mixture. Heat it over the tire for five minutes, until it becomes a custard, but take great care that it does not boil. Boil an ounce of isinglass with a pint of water. The isinglass must be thoroughly dissolved be- fore it is fit for use, and one-half of the water boiled away. .Jie custard being cold drain the isinglass into it, and stir them ha~-* together. Leave them to cool while you prepare the rest of the mixture. Whip a quart of cream to a froth (the cream should be rich), and mix it with the custard. In whipping the cream great care should be taken to make it quite light. The safest way is to remove the froth as fast as it gathers, with a strainer, until the whole is \vhipped.

Take two round slices of almond sponge cake, glaze them with the beaten white of egg mixed with sugar. Lay one on the bot- tom of a circular mould and reserve the other for the top.

Cut some more sponge cake into long pieces, glaze them care- fully with the egg, and line the sides of the mould with them. Each piece should lap a little over the other, or the form will not be perfect. The custard will by this time be just beginning to congeal; pour it gently into the mould and cover the top with the piece of cake which has already been prepared. The cake around the sides must be trimmed evenly, so that the upper piece will fit without leaving any vacancies.

Pound some ice and throw it into a tub, covering it well with coarse salt. The mould should then set into the midst of this ice, and must remain there an hour. Prepare aa icing with powdered sugar and the beaten white of egg, flavoring it with lemon juice or essence of lemon, orange, or rose water, accord- ing to the taste. The Charlotte Russe is then turned out upon a handsome dish, and iced over. It should be moved about as lit- tle as possible, and to ensure success in preparing it, the utmost care mut-t be taken to follow the above directions.

At large parties a Charlotte Rus-se is as indispensable on the supper table as ice-cream.

A CHARLOTTE POLONAISE. — Beat together the yolks of six eggs, which must be perfectly fresh. Mix with them two tablespoon- fuls of flour. Boil a pint and a half of cream and stir the eggs with it. Great care should be taken that the flour is not in lumps. The cream must still be kept over the fire, and it may boil slowrly for ten minutes or more. Stir it continually, and be sure that the fire is not too hot.

CAKES, ETC. 101

Divide the mixture into two separate parts. Scrape six ounces of chocolate quite fine, break up a pound of macaroons, and add to them two ounces of powdered sugar. Mix this with the in- gredients of one pan. Boil it a lew moments, stir as before, take it from the fire, stir a little longer, and leave it to cool.

Blanch a dozen bitter almonds, and four ounces of shelled sweet almonds. Pound them in a mortar, with a little rose water, until they are quite line; add an ounce of chopped citron, and pound them again. Pour the contents of the mortar into a dish, and add to them four ounces of powdered sugar. Stir this mixture into the other half of the cream, and let it boil gently. Take it off and put it in a cool place.

Cut a sponge cake (it should be a large one) into slices about half an inch thick. Spread alternately one slice with the choco- Vte cream, and another with the almond cream. Pile them e>enly on a china dish until the slices have all been used.

Whip together the whites of six eggs until they become a stiff froth, m:x with it six ounces of powdered sugar and twelve drops of oil of lemon. Some persons prefer rose water, but it is not generally considered as good. Pour this mixture lightly over the pile of cake, using a spoon to distribute it evenly, and then sift some sugar (not too finely powdered) over it. It should be left in a slow oven until the outside is browned. If the oven is too hot it will become deeply browned, and will not look well. It may be ornamented with slices of peach or quince, cut in fanciful shapes, or drops of jelly, or raspberries preserved whole. Should the chocolate cream be too thin, thicken it with crumbled macaroons. Should the cream be too thin, add in more pounded citron. Should either of the mixtures be too thick, dilute it with cream. Some persons prefer a Charlotte Polonaise to a Charlotte Kusse, as more delicate and of more decided flavor.

GINGERBREAD. — Rub one pound of butter well into three pounds of flour; then add one pound of powdered sugar, one pound of molasses, and two ounces of ginger, pounded and sift- ed very fine; then warm a quarter of a pint of cream, and mix all together; you may add caraways and sweetmeats if you choose; make it into a stiff paste, and bake it in a slow oven.

SPONGE GINGERBREAD. — Melt a piece of butter of the size of a hen's egg — mix it with a pint of nice molasses, a table-spoon- ful of ginger, and a quart of flour. Dissolve a heaping table- spoonful of saleratus in half a pint of milk, and strain and mix it with the rest of the ingredients, add sufficient flour to enable you to roll it out easily, roll it out about half an inch thick, and bake it on flat tins in a quick oven.

GINGER SNAPS. — Melt a quarter of a pound of butter, the same quantity of lard — mis them with a quarter of a pound of

CAKES FOR BREAKFAST AtfD TfiA.

brown sugar, a pint of molasses, a couple of table-spoonfuls of ginger, and a quart of flour. Dissolve a couple of tea-spoonfuls of salerutus in a wine-glass of milk, and strain it into the cake — • add sufficient flour to enable you to roll it out very thin, cut it into small cakes, and bake them in a slow oven.

DOUGH NUTS. — A pound and a half of flour, three eggs, half a spoonful of pearlash, two ounces of butter, six ounces of sugar, one cup of milk. Spice to your taste, and fry in lard.