_Filling._--One pound sweet almonds, whites of four eggs whisked stiff, one heaping cup powdered sugar, two teaspoonfuls rose-water.
Blanch the almonds. Let them get cold and dry; then pound in a Wedgewood mortar, adding rose-water as you go. Save about two dozen to shred for the top. Stir the paste into the icing after it is made; spread between the cooled cakes; make that for the top a trifle thicker and lay it on heavily. When it has stiffened somewhat, stick the shred almonds closely over it. Set in the oven to harden, but do not let it scorch.
COFFEE CAKE.
One cup of brown sugar, one cup of b.u.t.ter, two eggs, one-half cup of mola.s.ses, one cup of strong, cold coffee, one teaspoonful of soda, two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, one teaspoonful of cloves, one cup of raisins or currants and five cups of sifted flour. Add the fruit last, rubbed in a little of the flour. Bake about one hour.
FEATHER CAKE.
One egg, one cup of sugar, one tablespoonful of cold b.u.t.ter, half a cup of milk, one and one-half cups of flour, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, half a teaspoonful of soda. A nice plain cake--to be eaten while it is fresh. A spoonful of dried apple sauce or of peach sauce, a spoonful of jelly, the same of lemon extract, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and spice--ground--or half a cupful of raisins might be added for a change.
ELECTION CAKE.
Three cups milk, two cups sugar, one cup yeast; stir to a batter and let stand over night; in the morning add two cups sugar, two cups b.u.t.ter, three eggs, half a nutmeg, one tablespoonful cinnamon, one pound raisins, a gill of brandy.
Brown sugar is much better than white for this kind of cake, and it is improved by dissolving a half-teaspoonful of soda in a tablespoonful of milk in the morning. It should stand in the greased pans and rise some time until quite light before baking.
CREAM CAKE.
Four eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately, two teacups of sugar, one cup of sweet cream, two heaping cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of soda, mix two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar in the flour before sifting. Add the whites the last thing before the flour and stir that in gently without beating.
GOLDEN CREAM CAKE.
Yolks of eight eggs beaten to the lightest possible cream, two cupfuls of sugar, a pinch of salt, three teaspoonfuls of baking powder sifted well with flour. Bake in three jelly-cake pans. Make an icing of the whites of three eggs and one pound of sugar. Spread it between the cakes and sprinkle grated cocoanut thickly over each layer. It is delicious when properly made.
DRIED APPLE FRUIT CAKE.
Soak three cupfuls of dried apples over night in cold water enough to swell them; chop them in the morning and put them on the fire with three cups of mola.s.ses; stew until almost soft; add a cupful of nice raisins (seedless, if possible) and stew a few moments; when cold, add three cupfuls of flour, one cupful of b.u.t.ter, three eggs and a teaspoonful of soda; bake in a steady oven. This will make two good-sized panfuls of splendid cake; the apples will cook like citron and taste deliciously. Raisins may be omitted; also spices to taste may be added. This is not a dear but a delicious cake.
CAKE WITHOUT EGGS.
Beat together one teacupful of b.u.t.ter and three teacupfuls of sugar, and when quite light stir in one pint of sifted flour. Add to this one pound of raisins seeded and chopped, then mixed with a cup of sifted flour one-teaspoonful of nutmeg, one teaspoonful of powdered cinnamon and lastly one pint of thick sour cream or milk in which a teaspoonful of soda is dissolved. Bake immediately in b.u.t.tered tins one hour in a _moderate_ oven.
WHITE MOUNTAIN CAKE No. 1.
Two cups of sugar, two-thirds cup of b.u.t.ter, the whites of seven eggs well beaten, two-thirds cup of sweet milk, two cups of flour, one cup of cornstarch, two teaspoonfuls baking powder. Bake in jelly-cake tins.
_Frosting._--Whites of three eggs and some sugar beaten together not quite as stiff as usual for frosting; spread over the cake, add some grated cocoanut, then put your cakes together; put cocoanut and frosting on top.
WHITE MOUNTAIN CAKE. No. 2.
Cream three cupfuls of sugar and one of b.u.t.ter, making it very light, then add a cupful of milk. Beat the whites of eight eggs very stiff, add half of those to the other ingredients. Mix well into four cups of sifted flour one tablespoonful of baking powder; stir this into the cake, add flavoring, then the remaining beaten whites of egg. Bake in layers like jelly cake. Make an icing for the filling, using the whites of four eggs beaten to a very stiff froth, with two cups of fine white sugar and the juice of half a lemon. Spread each layer of the cake thickly with this icing, place one on another, then ice all over the top and sides. The yolks left from this cake may be used to make a spice cake from the recipe of "Golden Spice Cake."
QUEEN"S CAKE.
Beat well together one cupful of b.u.t.ter and three cupfuls of white sugar, add the yolks of six eggs and one cupful of milk, two teaspoonfuls of vanilla or lemon extract. Mix all thoroughly. To four cupfuls of flour add two heaping teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar and sift gently over the cake stirring all the time. To this add one even teaspoonful of soda dissolved in one tablespoonful of warm water. Mix it well. Stir in gently the whites of six eggs beaten to a stiff foam.
Bake slowly. It should be put in the oven as soon as possible after putting in the soda and whites of eggs.
This is the same recipe as the one for "Citron Cake," only omitting the citron.
ANGEL CAKE.
Put into one tumbler of flour one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, then sift it five times. Sift also one gla.s.s and a half of white powdered sugar. Beat to a stiff froth the whites of eleven eggs; stir the sugar into the eggs by degrees, very lightly and carefully, adding three teaspoonfuls of vanilla extract. After this add the flour, stirring quickly and lightly. Pour it into a clean, bright tin cake-dish, which should _not_ be b.u.t.tered or lined. Bake at once in a moderate oven about forty minutes, testing it with a broom splint. When done let it remain in the cake-tin, turning it upside down, with the sides resting on the tops of two saucers so that a current of air will pa.s.s under and over it.
This is the best recipe found after trying several. A perfection cake.
WASHINGTON LOAF CAKE.
Three cups of sugar, two scant cups of b.u.t.ter, one cup of sour milk, five eggs and one teaspoonful of soda, three tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, half a nutmeg grated and two cups of raisins, one of currants and four cups of sifted flour.
Mix as usual and stir the fruit in at the last, dredged in flour. Line the cake-pans with paper well b.u.t.tered. This cake will take longer to bake than plain; the heat of the oven must be kept at an even temperature.
[Ill.u.s.tration: MAKING THE PIES.]
RIBBON CAKE.
This cake is made from the same recipe as marble cake, only make double the quant.i.ty of the white part, and divide it in one-half; put into it a very little cochineal. It will be a delicate pink.
Bake in jelly-cake tins and lay first the white, then the dark, then the pink one on top of the others; put together with frosting between.
It makes quite a fancy cake. Frost the top when cool.
GOLDEN SPICE CAKE.
This cake can be made to advantage when you have the yolks of eggs left, after having used the whites in making white cake. Take the yolks of seven eggs and one whole egg, two cupfuls of brown sugar, one cupful of mola.s.ses, one cupful of b.u.t.ter, one large coffeecupful of sour milk, one teaspoonful of soda (just even full) and five cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of ground cloves, two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, two teaspoonfuls of ginger, one nutmeg and a small pinch of cayenne pepper; beat eggs, sugar and b.u.t.ter to a light batter before putting in the mola.s.ses, then add the mola.s.ses, flour and milk; beat it well together and bake in a _moderate_ oven; if fruit is used, take two cupfuls of raisins, flour them well and put them in last.
ALMOND CAKE.
One-half cupful b.u.t.ter, two cupfuls sugar, four eggs, one-half cupful almonds, blanched--by pouring water on them until skins easily slip off--and cut in fine shreds, one-half teaspoonful extract bitter almonds, one pint flour, one and one-half teaspoonful baking powder, one gla.s.s brandy, one-half cupful milk. Rub b.u.t.ter and sugar to a smooth white cream; add eggs, one at a time, beating three or four minutes between each. Sift flour and powder together, add to the b.u.t.ter, etc., with almonds, extract of bitter almonds, brandy and milk; mix into a smooth, medium batter; bake carefully in a rather hot oven twenty minutes.
ROCHESTER JELLY CAKE.
One and one-half cups sugar, two eggs, one-half cup b.u.t.ter, three-fourths cup milk, two heaping cups flour with one teaspoonful cream of tartar, one-half teaspoonful of soda, dissolved in the milk.
Put half the above mixture in a small shallow tin, and to the remainder add one teaspoonful mola.s.ses, one-half cup raisins (chopped) or currants, one-half teaspoonful cinnamon, cloves, allspice, a little nutmeg and one tablespoonful flour. Bake this in same kind of tins.
Put the sheets of cake together, while warm, with jelly between.