_Time_.--1-1/2 hour. _Average cost_, 1s. 3d.
A NICE USEFUL CAKE.
1757. INGREDIENTS.--1/4 lb. of b.u.t.ter, 6 oz. of currants, 1/4 lb. of sugar 1 lb. of dried flour, 2 teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, 3 eggs, 1 teacupful of milk, 2 oz. of sweet almonds, 1 oz. of candied peel.
_Mode_.--Beat the b.u.t.ter to a cream; wash, pick, and dry the currants; whisk the eggs; blanch and chop the almonds, and cut the peel into neat slices. When all these are ready, mix the dry ingredients together; then add the b.u.t.ter, milk, and eggs, and beat the mixture well for a few minutes. Put the cake into a b.u.t.tered mould or tin, and bake it for rather more than 1-1/2 hour. The currants and candied peel may be omitted, and a little lemon or almond flavouring subst.i.tuted for them: made in this manner, the cake will be found very good.
_Time_.--Rather more than 1-1/2 hour. _Average cost_, 1s. 9d.
HONEY CAKE.
1758. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 breakfast-cupful of sugar, 1 breakfast-cupful of rich sour cream, 2 breakfast-cupfuls of flour, 1/2 teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, honey to taste.
_Mode_.--Mix the sugar and cream together; dredge in the flour, with as much honey as will flavour the mixture nicely; stir it well, that all the ingredients may be thoroughly mixed; add the carbonate of soda, and beat the cake well for another 5 minutes; put it into a b.u.t.tered tin, bake it from 1/2 to 3/4 hour, and let it be eaten warm.
_Time_.--1/2 to 3/4 hour. _Average cost_, 8d.
_Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
RICH SWEETMEAT GINGERBREAD NUTS.
1759. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of treacle, 1/4 lb. of clarified b.u.t.ter, 1 lb.
of coa.r.s.e brown sugar, 2 oz. of ground ginger, 1 oz. of candied orange-peel, 1 oz. of candied angelica, 1/2 oz. of candied lemon-peel, 1/2 oz. of coriander seeds, 1/2 oz. of caraway seeds, 1 egg; flour.
_Mode_.--Put the treacle into a basin, and pour over it the b.u.t.ter, melted so as not to oil, the sugar, and ginger. Stir these ingredients well together, and whilst mixing, add the candied peel, which should be cut into very small pieces, but not bruised, and the caraway and coriander seeds, which should be pounded. Having mixed all thoroughly together, break in an egg, and work the whole up with as much fine flour as may be necessary to form a paste. Make this into nuts of any size, put them on a tin plate, and bake in a slow oven from 1/4 to 1/2 hour.
_Time_.--1/4 to 1/2 hour. _Average cost_, from 1s. to 1s. 4d. per lb.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
THICK GINGERBREAD.
1760. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of treacle, 1/4 lb. of b.u.t.ter, 1/4 lb. of coa.r.s.e brown sugar, 1-1/2 lb. of flour, 1 oz. of ginger, 1/2 oz. of ground allspice, 1 teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, 1/4 pint of warm milk, 3 eggs.
[Ill.u.s.tration: GINGERBREAD.]
_Mode_.--Put the flour into a basin, with the sugar, ginger, and allspice; mix these together; warm the b.u.t.ter, and add it, with the treacle, to the other ingredients. Stir well; make the milk just warm, dissolve the carbonate of soda in it, and mix the whole into a nice smooth dough with the eggs, which should be previously well whisked; pour the mixture into a b.u.t.tered tin, and bake it from 3/4 to 1 hour, or longer, should the gingerbread be very thick. Just before it is done, brush the top over with the yolk of an egg beaten up with a little milk, and put it back in the oven to finish baking.
_Time_.--3/4 to 1 hour. _Average cost_, 1s. per square.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
SUNDERLAND GINGERBREAD NUTS.
(_An Excellent Recipe_.)
1761. INGREDIENTS.--1-3/4 lb. treacle, 1 lb. of moist sugar, 1 lb. of b.u.t.ter, 2-3/4 lbs. of flour, 1-1/2 oz. of ground ginger, 1-1/2 oz. of allspice, 1-1/2 oz. of coriander seeds.
_Mode_.--Let the allspice, coriander seeds, and ginger be freshly ground; put them into a basin, with the flour and sugar, and mix these ingredients well together; warm the treacle and b.u.t.ter together; then with a spoon work it into the flour, &c., until the whole forms a nice smooth paste. Drop the mixture from the spoon on to a piece of b.u.t.tered paper, and bake in rather a slow oven from 20 minutes to 1/2 hour. A little candied lemon-peel mixed with the above is an improvement, and a great authority in culinary matters suggests the addition of a little cayenne pepper in gingerbread. Whether it be advisable to use this latter ingredient or not, we leave our readers to decide.
_Time_.--20 minutes to 1/2 hour. _Average cost_, 1s. to 1s. 4d. per lb.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
WHITE GINGERBREAD.
1762. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of flour, 1/2 lb. of b.u.t.ter, 1/2 lb. of loaf sugar, the rind of 1 lemon, 1 oz. of ground ginger, 1 nutmeg grated, 1/2 teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, 1 gill of milk.
_Mode_.--Rub the b.u.t.ter into the flour; add the sugar, which should be finely pounded and sifted, and the minced lemon-rind, ginger, and nutmeg. Mix these well together; make the milk just warm, stir in the soda, and work the whole into a nice smooth paste; roll it out, cut it into cakes, and bake in a moderate oven from 15 to 20 minutes.
_Time_.--15 to 20 minutes. _Average cost_, 1s. 3d.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
GOOD HOLIDAY CAKE.
1763. INGREDIENTS.--1-1/2d. worth of Borwick"s German baking-powder, 2 lbs. of flour, 6 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 1/4 lb. of lard, 1 lb. of currants, 1/2 lb. of stoned and cut raisins, 1/4 lb. of mixed candied peel, 1/2 lb. of moist sugar, 3 eggs, 3/4 pint of cold milk.
_Mode_.--Mix the baking-powder with the flour; then rub in the b.u.t.ter and lard; have ready the currants, washed, picked, and dried the raisins stoned and cut into small pieces (not chopped), and the peel cut into neat slices. Add these with the sugar to the flour, &c., and mix all the dry ingredients well together. Whisk the eggs, stir to them the milk, and with this liquid moisten the cake; beat it up well, that all may be very thoroughly mixed; line a cake-tin with b.u.t.tered paper, put in the cake, and bake it from 2-1/4 to 2-3/4 hours in a good oven. To ascertain when it is done, plunge a clean knife into the middle of it, and if, on withdrawing it, the knife looks clean, and not sticky, the cake is done.
To prevent its burning at the top, a piece of clean paper may be put over whilst the cake is soaking, or being thoroughly cooked in the middle. A steamer, such as is used for steaming potatoes, makes a very good cake-tin, if it be lined at the bottom and sides with b.u.t.tered paper.
_Time_.--2-1/4 to 2-3/4 hours. _Average cost_, 2s. 6d.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
LEMON CAKE.
1764. INGREDIENTS.--10 eggs, 3 tablespoonfuls of orange-flower water, 3/4 lb. of pounded loaf sugar, 1 lemon, 3/4 lb. of flour.
[Ill.u.s.tration: CAKE-MOULD.]
_Mode_.--Separate the whites from the yolks of the eggs whisk the former to a stiff froth; add the orange-flower water, the sugar, grated lemon-rind, and mix these ingredients well together. Then beat the yolks of the eggs, and add them, with the lemon-juice, to the whites, &c.; dredge in the flour gradually; keep beating the mixture well; put it into a b.u.t.tered mould, and bake the cake about an hour, or rather longer. The addition of a little b.u.t.ter, beaten to a cream, we think, would improve this cake.
_Time_.--About 1 hour. _Average cost_, 1s. 4d.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
LUNCHEON CAKE.
1765. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of b.u.t.ter, 1 lb. of flour, 1/2 oz. of caraway seeds, 1/4 lb. of currants, 6 oz. of moist sugar, 1 oz. of candied peel, 3 eggs, 1/2 pint of milk, 1 small teaspoonful of carbonate of soda.