CHOCOLATE b.u.t.tER CREAM
Place two ounces of b.u.t.ter in a bowl and beat to a cream, then add
Two and one-half cups of x.x.xX sugar, Three-quarters cup of cocoa, One-half teaspoon cinnamon, One teaspoon of vanilla, Four tablespoonfuls of boiling coffee.
Beat to a smooth cream and then spread on the cake.
ENGLISH SEED CAKES
Three-quarters cup of sugar, One egg, Five tablespoons of shortening, Two cups of flour, Four teaspoons of baking powder, Three-quarters cup of milk, Two tablespoonfuls of caraway seeds.
Place in a mixing bowl and beat to mix. Pour into a well-greased pan and place the following mixture on top:
Place in a mixing bowl
Six tablespoons of flour, Four tablespoons of brown sugar, One and one-half tablespoons of caraway seeds, Two tablespoonfuls of shortening.
Rub between the fingers until fine and crumbly. Spread over the top of the cake and bake in a moderate oven for thirty-five minutes.
To prepare the pan: Use a deep layer-cake pan and grease it. Then line with paper and grease again.
ENGLISH ROCKS
Place in a mixing bowl
One and one-half cups of brown sugar, Two-thirds cup of shortening, Two eggs, One teaspoon of soda, dissolved in Four tablespoons of water, Two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, One teaspoonful of nutmeg.
Two and one-half cups of flour, One and one-half cups of finely chopped nuts, One and one-half cups of finely chopped raisins.
Mix thoroughly and drop by a teaspoon on a well-greased and floured baking sheet and bake for twelve minutes in a moderate oven.
FRUIT CAKE
A handsome and rich fruit cake is usually the accepted cake for weddings and anniversaries. In the days of long ago the young women of the household delighted to show their skill in the making and baking of this queen of cakes. In those days folks felt that it was an indispensable feature of the feast, and the reveler of to-day holds it in equal esteem as did his grandad before him. Here is an old and treasured recipe:
Place one gla.s.s of spiced jam in a bowl and add
One tablespoon of cocoa, One teaspoon of cinnamon, One-half teaspoon of nutmeg, Two tablespoons of vanilla extract.
Beat to thoroughly mix and then spread over the cake. Set the cake in a deep aluminum saucepan or stone crock and put in a warm room to ripen, until just before Christmas. Then remove the cake from the crock and wipe with a cloth which has been wrung very dry from hot water, then ice with chocolate icing.
AN INEXPENSIVE FRUIT CAKE
One cup of syrup, One-half cup of brown sugar, One-half cup of shortening, One egg.
Cream well and then add
Three cups of flour, One-half cup of cocoa, Three level tablespoons of baking powder, One cup of black coffee, One level tablespoon of cinnamon, One teaspoon of nutmeg, One-half teaspoon of cloves, One-quarter teaspoon of ginger, One package of seedless raisins, One cup of seeded raisins, One cup of finely chopped peanuts, One cup of finely chopped prunes.
Mix well and bake in well-greased and floured pan, which has been lined with a greased and floured paper. Bake in a slow oven for one hour.
RUMANIAN FRUIT CAKE
This is the richest cake made in Europe during the holiday season and is usually for royalty. The original recipe came to me in a form that is much too large for the ordinary family, so I have divided the proportions so that even the thrifty housewife may feel she can afford this one extravagance. The recipe follows:
One cup of honey, One cup of brown sugar, Three-quarters cup of good shortening, One teaspoon of cinnamon, One teaspoon of nutmeg, One-half teaspoon of ginger, One-half teaspoon of cloves, One-quarter teaspoon of allspice, Yolks of three eggs.
Cream together and then add
One-half pint cup of spiced jam, One-half pint cup of any kind of jelly.
Beat again to blend and then add
Six cups of sifted flour, Tour tablespoons of baking powder, Three-quarters cup of strong black coffee.
Beat just enough to mix and then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs and add
One and one-half cups of seeded raisins, One cup of seedless raisins, One-half cup of seeded currants, One and one-half cups of finely chopped peanuts, or other nuts, One cup of finely chopped citron, One-half cup of finely chopped orange or lemon peel, mixed, One cup of finely chopped figs, One cup of finely chopped apricots, One cup of finely chopped and stoned prunes.
Mix in the fruit well and then grease and flour a round pudding pan and line with three thicknesses of greased and floured paper. Pour in the cake mixture and cover the top of the cake with a well-greased paper. Now set the pan containing the cake in a large baking pan, which contains about three cups of boiling water. Place in a slow oven and bake for two and one-half hours. Remove and let cool and then turn from the pan and brush the paper with boiling water to remove. Now to ripen or age.
CHEAP FRUIT CAKE
Place in a saucepan
One cup of syrup, One cup of coffee, One-half cup of shortening, One-half cup of cocoa, One-half cup of brown sugar, One package of raisins, One and one-half cups of finely chopped peanuts, Two teaspoons of cinnamon, One-half teaspoon of nutmeg, One-half teaspoon of allspice, One-half teaspoon of cloves.
Bring to a boil and then set back on the stove and let cook very slowly for ten minutes. Turn into a mixing bowl and let cool. Now add five cups of sifted flour, four level tablespoons of baking powder; beat to thoroughly mix and then turn into well-greased and floured pan and bake in a slow oven for fifty-five minutes. Cool and store as for Rumanian fruit cake.
WHITE FRUIT CAKE
Which is commonly called the Bride"s Cake.
Eight ounces of creamery b.u.t.ter, Two cupfuls of sugar.
Cream together until frothy and like snow, and then add, one at a time, six eggs, then add
Five cupfuls of sifted flour, Two level tablespoonfuls baking powder, One cupful of seeded raisins, One cupful of currants, One cupful of finely chopped citron, One and one-quarter cups of milk, One cupful of finely chopped nuts.
Beat to mix and then bake in a slow oven in a prepared pan one and one-half hours. To prepare the pan, grease and flour the pan and then line it with greased and floured paper.