Have the following articles prepared before you begin the cake: dry and sift four pounds of flour, four pounds of b.u.t.ter with the salt washed out, two pounds of loaf-sugar pounded, one ounce of nutmegs grated, an ounce of mace pounded; wash four pounds of currants; dry, pick, and rub them in flour; stone and cut two pounds of raisins; slice two pounds of citron, blanch a pound of sweet almonds and cut them in very thin slices; break thirty eggs, separate the whites and yelks, and beat them till very light; work the b.u.t.ter with your hand till it is soft as cream; put in alternately the flour, sugar and eggs. When all are mixed in, and the cake looks very light, add the spice, fruit, almonds, and half a pint of brandy; set it in a well heated oven to bake; when it has risen, and the top is beginning to brown, cover it with paper; let it bake four hours, and when it is nearly cool, ice it. This will keep a long time in a stone pan, covered close.
A cheaper Fruit Cake.
Take four pounds of flour, three of b.u.t.ter, three of sugar, two of raisins, one of currants, two dozen eggs, an ounce of mace, three nutmegs, and a half pint of brandy; if you want it dark, put in a little mola.s.ses; mix the ingredients together, as the above fruit cake, and bake it from two to three hours.
Fruit or Plum Cake.
Dry and sift a pound of flour, roll a pound of sugar, and beat it with a pound of b.u.t.ter, and the yelks of ten eggs well beaten; wash and dry a pound of currants and rub them in flour; stone and cut half a pound of raisins, and mix in with a gla.s.s of rose brandy, and a grated nutmeg, or mace; when all the rest are well mixed together, beat up the whites of the eggs, and add them; bake it an hour and a half.
Pound Cake.
Wash the salt from a pound of b.u.t.ter, and beat it with a pound of loaf sugar till it is as soft as cream; have a pound of flour sifted, and beat ten eggs, the whites and yelks separately; put alternately into the b.u.t.ter and sugar the flour and eggs, continue to beat till they are all in, and the cake looks light; add some grated lemon peel, a nutmeg, and half a wine-gla.s.s of brandy; b.u.t.ter the pan, and bake it an hour; when it is nearly cold, ice it. If you want a very large cake, double the quant.i.ty. You can tell when a cake is done by running in a broom-straw, or the blade of a bright knife; if it comes out without sticking, it is done, but if not, set it back. You can keep a cake a great while in a stone pan that has a lid to fit tight.
White Cake.
Beat the whites of twenty eggs; wash the salt out of a pound of b.u.t.ter; sift a pound of flour, roll a pound of loaf-sugar, blanch a pound of almonds; roll them fine with a bottle, and mix them with rose water.
Work the b.u.t.ter, sugar and almonds together till they look like cream; have the eggs beaten very light, and add them and the flour alternately till you get all in; beat the whole together till it is very light; have a pan b.u.t.tered, and put it in a heated oven to bake; when it begins to brown, put white paper over the top; bake it about three hours; when it is nearly cold, prepare an icing, flavored with rose water; put it on the top and sides.
Washington Cake.
Take a pound and three-quarters of sugar, the same of flour, three-quarters of a pound of b.u.t.ter, eight eggs, a pint of milk, and mix them as a pound-cake; just as it is ready to bake, dissolve a tea-spoonful of salaeratus in a little sour cream, and stir in; season with nutmeg and rose brandy, or essence of lemon; bake it as pound cake.
Some persons put in a tea-spoonful of lemon juice just before baking.
Madison Cake.
Take a pound and a quarter of flour, and the same of sugar and b.u.t.ter; five eggs, a pound, of raisins, and one of currants; two gla.s.ses of wine or brandy; mace, nutmeg, and a tea-spoonful of salaeratus, dissolved in a pint of new milk; bake it as pound cake.
Indian Pound Cake.
Take three-quarters of a pound of Indian meal sifted, and one-quarter of wheat flour; roll a pound of sugar, work into it three-quarters of a pound of b.u.t.ter; season with nutmeg and rose brandy; add four eggs beaten light; mix and bake as other pound cake.
Rice Flour Pound Cake.
Take seven eggs, a pound of rice flour, one of sugar, and half a pound of b.u.t.ter; season it with rose water and nutmeg; mix and bake it as other pound cake, and ice it.
Sponge Cake.
Balance twelve fresh eggs with sugar, and six with flour; beat the eggs very light, the whites and yelks separately; mix alternately the sugar and eggs, and add the grated peel of a lemon; b.u.t.ter a large pan, or several small ones; add the flour just as it is put in the oven, stirring it just sufficiently to mix. Beating it after the flour is added makes it heavy; pour it in, and put it to bake as soon as possible. This makes a good pudding, with white sauce. One-half rice flour is an improvement.
Rice Sponge Cake.
Take three-quarters of a pound of rice flour, one pound of white sugar, finely powdered, and ten eggs; beat the yelks with the sugar, the whites alone; add them and the flour to the yelks and sugar, a little at a time; season it with rose brandy and nutmeg, and bake it in shallow pans.
Sponge Cake in Small Pans.
Take twelve eggs, with the weight of them in sugar, and the weight of six of them in flour; beat the yelks with the sugar, the whites alone; season with nutmeg or grated lemon peel; put all together, adding the flour the last; stir it quickly after the flour is added, as it will make it heavy to beat it much; grease several small pans and pour it in, bake with a quick heat, and they will be done in half an hour, or less, according to the size. They are pretty iced.
Lemon Sponge Cake.
Take ten eggs, separate them, a pound of loaf-sugar, half a pound of flour, the grated peel of two lemons and the juice of one; beat the yelks with the sugar, the whites alone, when add them and sift in the flour by degrees; beat well, have your pan b.u.t.tered, and bake with a quick heat either in a stove or dutch-oven, or a brick oven, the heat should not be quite so great as for light bread--it will bake in about an hour.
Cup Cake.
Take four cups of flour, three of sugar, one of melted b.u.t.ter, one of sour cream, with a tea-spoonful of salaeratus dissolved in it, and three eggs; season it with brandy and nutmeg; mix, and bake it as pound cake.
Loaf Cake.
Take about a pound of risen bread dough, work into it a tea-cup of b.u.t.ter, three eggs beaten, a pound of sugar, a nutmeg grated and a gla.s.s of brandy or wine; a pound of raisins, stoned and chopped, should be added after it is well beaten; half a pint of cream slightly warmed, with a table-spoonful of vinegar, and a tea-spoonful of dissolved salaeratus should be stirred in just as you are ready to bake it; also sifted flour enough to make it the proper consistence; bake in a large pan, in a brick oven or stove, and it will require an hour and a quarter.
Queen Cake.
Mix a pound of dried flour, the same of sifted sugar, and currants; wash a pound of b.u.t.ter, add rose water--beat it well--a tea-cup of cream; then mix with it eight eggs, yelks and whites beaten separately; add the dry ingredients by degrees; beat the whole an hour, bake in little tins, or saucers, filling only half.
Rich Jumbles.
Rub a pound of b.u.t.ter into a pound and a quarter of flour; beat four eggs with a pound and a quarter of sugar; when very light, mix them with the b.u.t.ter and flour; mix in a gla.s.s of rose water, and a nutmeg; roll them in rings, and bake them slowly; sift powdered sugar over after they are baked.
Common Jumbles.
Take a pound of flour, half a pound of b.u.t.ter, and three-quarters of sugar, three eggs, a little nutmeg and rose brandy; mix the b.u.t.ter and sugar together, and add the flour and eggs; mould them in rings, and bake them slowly.
Mola.s.ses Jumbles.
Beat three-quarters of a pound of sugar, the same of b.u.t.ter, and three eggs together; stir in half a pint of mola.s.ses; add rose brandy and nutmeg, and enough flour to make a soft dough; roll it in rings, and bake as other jumbles. By the addition of half a pint of mola.s.ses and a tea-spoonful of salaeratus, you will have a common black cake, which may be baked in one large pan.
Jumbles for Delicate Persons.