Roll thin, cut in small cakes and bake in a moderate oven.
HARD GINGERBREAD.
Two cups of Porto Rico mola.s.ses, one cup of brown sugar, one cup of b.u.t.ter, two tablespoonfuls of ginger, flour to make the dough stiff enough to roll. It requires to be kneaded thoroughly. It is better that the dough be made the day before the cakes are to be baked that it may dry a little, as they are spoiled if too much flour is added. Roll thin, cut in oblong cakes with a jagging iron, or in any way to suit the fancy.
BRANDY SNAPS.
One pound of flour, a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, a quarter of a pound of brown sugar, three-quarters of a pound of maple syrup. Mix the ingredients well together and drop on greased paper; if it runs too much add flour, if not enough add more maple syrup.
PEPPER NUTS.--No. 1.
Two pounds of flour, one and a half pounds of sugar, half a pound of b.u.t.ter, three eggs, two even teaspoonfuls of soda sifted with the flour, pepper to taste. Beat the b.u.t.ter to a cream, add the sugar and beat very light, then the eggs and flour. Roll out and cut in small, round cakes, bake a light brown. They will keep a long time.
PEPPER NUTS--No. 2.
Half a pound of b.u.t.ter beaten to a cream, then add three-quarters of a pound of sugar, three egg yolks beaten light, half a cup of cream, two ounces of almonds chopped very fine, half a teaspoonful of almond extract, a little fine cut citron, and one pound of flour sifted with an even teaspoonful of soda. Mix well together, roll out and cut in small, round cakes and bake a light brown.
TEA CAKES.
One pint of cream, four heaping tablespoonfuls of granulated sugar, two eggs, a little cinnamon; beat well together and stir into it enough flour to roll. Roll out about a quarter of an inch thick, brush over with white of egg and sift sugar and cinnamon over it, cut into cakes about a finger long and one inch wide. Bake a delicate brown.
FIG CAKE.
Half a cup of b.u.t.ter, one cup of granulated sugar, half a cup of milk, two cups of flour, two rounded teaspoonfuls of baking powder, the whites of four eggs. Beat the b.u.t.ter and sugar to a cream, stir the milk and one cup of the flour together and add to the b.u.t.ter and sugar. Sift the remaining cup of flour and the baking powder together, beat the whites of egg to a stiff froth and stir alternately with the flour into the other ingredients. Grease three layer cake tins well, divide the batter evenly and bake from seven to ten minutes.
FILLING.--Boil without stirring until it is clear one cup of sugar wet with a little water; remove from the fire and stir into it three-quarters of a cup of figs chopped fine and a quarter of a cup of currants, washed and dried. Spread two of the layers with this, put them together and ice top and sides with a plain icing made as follows: The whites of two eggs beaten to a froth and one and a half cups of powdered sugar stirred into it and flavored with almond extract.
GINGER LAYER CAKE.
Two cups of flour, one cup of Porto Rico mola.s.ses, one cup of milk, the third of a cup of b.u.t.ter, one egg, one slightly heaping teaspoonful of soda sifted with the flour, one heaping teaspoonful of ginger, one cup of currants. Beat the egg a little, add the mola.s.ses with the b.u.t.ter melted and stirred into it, then the currants, about half the milk, all of the flour, beat well and add the rest of the milk. Bake in two cakes in a quick oven from twelve to fifteen minutes. Use the chocolate filling, given for chocolate layer cake, and ice the top and the sides with the same.
ORANGE CAKE.
Beat to a cream the yolks of four eggs with one cup of granulated sugar, to which add the whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth, one-half cup of milk alternately with one and a half cups of sifted flour into which a teaspoonful and a half of baking powder has been well mixed.
Beat well and bake in three layers if the pans are large, or four if small, in a quick oven from seven to ten minutes, try with a broom straw, and when it comes out clean remove from the oven. Don"t let them bake a moment too long, or they will not absorb the icing.
FILLING.--The whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth, to which add a cup of powdered sugar, pouring it in all at once and beating hard, then the grated rind of an orange--select one dark in color--and the juice.
The mixture should be like a thick cream. Spread thickly on the cake while hot, and to what is left add enough sugar--about half a cupful--for frosting to harden. Ice the top and sides. This is a delicious cake, easily and quickly made.
PINEAPPLE CAKE.
Make the cake by the same recipe as for orange cake. Bake in three layers.
FILLING.--The whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth and a cup of powdered sugar. Grate enough fresh pineapple to have three-quarters of a cup of fruit. Strain, add the juice to the whites of eggs and sugar.
Divide it, and into one part add the fruit strained from the juice. Use this for the filling. To the rest beat in half a cup of sugar and half a teaspoonful of almond extract, and ice the top and sides of the cake. It should be done while the cake is hot. This, as well as the orange cake, will keep in tin fresh for a week.
CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE.
Half a cup of b.u.t.ter, two cups of sugar, three whole eggs, or the whites of six, one cup of milk, three cups of flour, two even teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar and one teaspoonful of soda. Beat b.u.t.ter and sugar to a cream, add the eggs beaten together, sift the cream of tartar and soda in the flour, add the flour alternately with the milk. Bake in four or five layers.
CHOCOLATE FILLING.--Take two unbeaten whites of eggs and a cup and a half of powdered sugar and beat them together. Stir over the fire until smooth and glossy two ounces of Baker"s unsweetened chocolate grated, with half a cup of powdered sugar and four tablespoonfuls of boiling water, remove from the fire and stir while hot into the eggs and sugar, and when it is cool spread the top and sides, and set the cake in the oven for a moment to dry the icing.
POOR MAN"S CAKE (a Norwegian Recipe).
Twenty yolks of eggs, five whites of eggs, a pound and a quarter of sugar, one pint of sweet cream or rich milk, a sherry gla.s.s of cognac, one cup of melted b.u.t.ter, a little pounded cardamom seed, and enough flour to roll thin. Beat the eggs together until light, add the sugar and beat again, then the cream, cognac and b.u.t.ter. Melt the b.u.t.ter and pour off from the salt. Cinnamon may be used instead of cardamom seed.
Roll the dough as thin as paper, cut with a jagging iron in oblong pieces, slit one end with the iron and pa.s.s the other end through it.
Fry in boiling fat, drain on paper, and when perfectly cold put in a stone jar. These cakes will keep for months.
VENISON CAKES (a Norwegian Recipe).
Six eggs beaten light with three-quarters of a pound of sugar, one cup of sweet cream or rich milk, a pound and a half of flour. When these ingredients are well mixed add four ounces of well washed b.u.t.ter, stir well together. Mix with the flour a little less than an even teaspoonful of ammonia, powdered fine--the cakes will rise better--and flavor with cardamom or cinnamon. Roll the dough with the hands until about the thickness of the little finger, cut in pieces about three inches long--the ends bias--lap them and snip with scissors or a knife around the outside to make points, then fry in boiling fat as crullers. These also keep a long time.
SEED CAKES.
A cup and a half of granulated sugar, a cup and a half of b.u.t.ter, four eggs, one tablespoonful of caraway seed and flour to roll. Beat the b.u.t.ter and sugar to a cream, add the yolks beaten light, then the caraway seed. Beat the whites of eggs to a stiff froth and add alternately with the flour--do not make the dough stiff. Roll thin, cut in small cakes and bake in a quick oven.
DROP CAKES.
A cup of b.u.t.ter, a cup and a half of sugar, four eggs, a pint of flour, a cup of currants, half a cup of sweet milk, a teaspoonful of baking powder. Drop with a teaspoon on greased pans and bake in a quick oven ten minutes.
LEBKUCHEN.
Half a pound of granulated sugar, half a pound of strained honey, half a pound of candied orange peel, half a pound of citron, half a pound of almonds blanched and cut fine, an even teaspoonful of bicarbonate of potash pounded very fine and a sherry gla.s.s of rum poured over it twenty-four hours before it is used, an even teaspoonful of cloves, an even teaspoonful of cinnamon, an even teaspoonful of powdered cardamom seed, the rind of half a lemon grated, and two eggs. Put the honey in a saucepan and let it come to a boil, pour it over the sugar in a mixing bowl and stir well, then add the flour, mix thoroughly, and set in a cool place for twenty-four hours. Then cut all the fruit fine and mix with the other ingredients thoroughly, beat the eggs and add to the mixture, put in the rum and potash last, stir well, and let it stand for an hour or two. Roll the dough out about a quarter of an inch thick, cut into cakes about three inches wide and five long, bake in a quick oven ten or fifteen minutes. Do not use more than two ounces of flour in rolling out the cakes. Ice them while hot.
ICING.--Half a pound of sugar and the juice of half a lemon and the same quant.i.ty of water as of lemon juice; stir together and spread on very thin.
MACAROONS (a Bavarian Recipe).
Blanch and chop fine half a pound of almonds. Beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff froth, add half a pound of sugar and then the nuts. Drop from a small spoon on paraffine paper on a baking sheet and bake a delicate brown in a cool oven.
CHOCOLATE MACAROONS (a Bavarian Recipe).