Chapter XIII: Part 13

For cookies, use 2 whites of eggs only and make dough stiff enough to roll.

=Molasses Cake=

4 large eggs
3 level tablespns. butter
½ cup molasses
½ cup sugar, brown or white
1 teaspn. lemon juice
1½ teaspn. grated orange peel
1½ tablespn. browned flour
1 cup pastry flour

Beat eggs and lemon juice in bowl set in boiling water, add sugar, then boiling molasses, with butter and orange peel, and lastly the flour.

=Molasses Sugar Cakes=

4 eggs
⅓ cup (4½ level tablespns.) butter
⅞ cup molasses sugar
⅓ teaspn. lemon extract
1 cup pastry flour
1½ tablespn. browned flour
1 teaspn. lemon juice

Mix butter and sugar and add to beaten yolks, beating well; slide on to this the whites beaten with salt and lemon juice, then sift over gradually the two flours mixed, chopping and folding them in with the whites. Bake in small cakes in moderate oven 15-20 m. Use grated maple sugar for maple cakes.

=★ Molasses Bread or Hard Molasses Cake--no eggs=

1¾ qt. (7 cups) flour
1 cup butter (part oil)
1¼ cup pressed down, medium brown sugar
1 cup molasses
1 teaspn. ground anise seed
salt

Cream butter and sugar, add anise and molasses, beat well and add flour; turn mixture out on floured board, mold up and put into flat tins about 1 in. deep, wash over with milk and bake in a very slow oven.

When done, wrap or cover with damp cloths and keep at least 4 days before using. If necessary, moisten the cloths again, and perhaps again. The cakes will be hard and dry when taken from the oven, but keeping them for a few days in damp (not wet) cloths makes them nice and tender. Grated orange peel and vanilla, together or separate, may be used for flavoring; but the delicate flavor of anise is especially agreeable.

By weight, the ingredients are 1½ lb. pastry flour, ½ lb. butter, ½ lb. brown sugar, ⅞ lb. molasses.

YEAST CAKES

It is especially important to use pastry flour in cakes made with yeast.

A good liquid yeast gives better results in cake, but compressed yeast may be used.

=★ Saffron Cake--no eggs=

2 cups milk
4 tablespns. yeast
8½ cups flour
2 cups (1 lb.) butter
2½ cups sugar
¼ cup domestic saffron, not more than 1 teaspn. of imported
1 cup water in which saffron has been steeped ½ hr.
3 cups currants
2 cups fine cut or ground citron
1 teaspn. lemon extract

⅔-1 cake compressed yeast dissolved in a very little water, with sugar, may be used instead of soft yeast, and 1 extra tablespn. of water added to the sponge.

Make a sponge at night of the milk (just warm), yeast and 4½ cups of flour, and in the morning add the cup of warm saffron water. Cream the butter and sugar with a little flour, add the sponge gradually, mixing and beating, then the remainder of the flour warm (except a little which has been used to dust the fruit), beat well, add the extract and warmed, floured fruit, mix and pour into 3 good sized paper lined cake pans. Let stand until bubbles appear in the batter, usually 2-3 hrs. with soft yeast; not so long, perhaps, with compressed; when light, put into a slow oven; let cakes come up slowly and bake very moderately until they stop singing, 1½-2 hrs., depending upon the heat of the oven, but they must bake slowly.

When cake is started in the morning, 6 tablespns. of soft, or a whole cake of compressed yeast may be used. The quantity of flour may need to be varied a little according to the brand.

=Citron and Cocoanut Cakes--no eggs=

1 cup milk
2 tablespns. yeast, (or ⅓-½ cake compressed yeast
with extra ½ tablespn. of water in sponge)
4¼ cups flour
1 cup butter
1¼ cup sugar
½ cup water
¾-1 cup ground citron
¼ teaspn. weak extract rose
1 cup shredded cocoanut
1 teaspn. vanilla

Prepare as in preceding recipe (of which it is just half) and at the last divide into 2 parts, add the citron and rose to one, and the cocoanut and vanilla to the other. The loaves will not be very large.

=White Fruit Cake--no eggs=

The whole of the above recipe, using only ¾ cup of butter, with ¾-1 cup of citron, 1 cup of cocoanut and ⅔ cup of almonds, all ground.

=★ Dried Apple Cake--yeast=

Cut 2 cups dried apples into small pieces with shears, soak over night in 1½ cup water, then cook in ¾ cup molasses until transparent.

_Sponge_--1 cup water, 1 cake compressed yeast, 2½ cups flour.

_When light_, add ⅔ cup butter (or half oil) and ½ cup sugar creamed together, the dried apples, grated rind of orange or lemon, 2 beaten eggs and 2 cups flour.

One egg only may be used; the cake is excellent with no eggs.

=★ Washington Cake--no eggs=

Remember to lay flour lightly into cup.

_Sponge_--

1 pt. milk
1 cake yeast
½ cup sugar
1 qt. flour

_When light_--

salt
1-1¼ cup sugar
1 cup water in which a little saffron has been steeped
1½ cup oil and butter, half of each
¾-1 teaspn. lemon extract
6½ cups flour

Prepare same as saffron cake and bake in not too thick loaves.

=Washington Pie--no eggs=

Bake Washington cake in rather thin, flat loaf, split and put the following cream between and around, or put cream over and around cake without splitting.

_Cream_--

1½ tablespn. cooking oil
2½-2¾ tablespns. flour
1 pt. milk
salt
large ½ cup sugar
yellow color
1 teaspn. vanilla

Heat oil, add flour, then hot milk, salt and sugar, stirring smooth at different stages. Steep a trifle of saffron in the milk. Add vanilla when cold.

_Another Cream_--

1 tablespn. butter
2½ tablespns. flour
1 pt. boiling milk
⅓ cup sugar
salt
1 egg
flavoring

=Elizabeth’s Raised Cake=

_Sponge_--

5-5¼ cups flour
½ cup sugar
2 tablespns. yeast (or ½ cake compressed yeast)
1½ cup milk

_When light_--

1½ cup sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup raisins
⅓ cup citron

Make sponge at night with soft yeast or early in the morning with compressed.

When light, add the butter, well creamed with the sugar, and beaten eggs. Beat all very thoroughly and put into the tins. When partly risen, stick the fruit in all over the top; let rise about 1½ hr., or until bubbles may be seen; bake 1 hr. in moderate oven. The cake is excellent without fruit.

=German Almond Loaf=

_Sponge_--

¾ cup milk
3 tablespns. liquid yeast or 1 cake compressed yeast
3 cups flour

_When light_--

4 yolks of eggs
1 cup sugar
¾ cup butter
¾ cup of warm milk
3-4 cups flour
halved blanched almonds or halves of pecans or walnuts
grated rind of 1-1½ lemon

Beat yolks with sugar and add to butter which has been creamed with part of the flour; then add the flavoring, the sponge, the milk and the flour alternating, beating until the flour is all in. Butter tube mold or other pans thick with cold butter and stick almonds to sides in regular rows. Do not put any in the bottom. Half fill pan with batter and let rise until pan is nearly full; bake 1 hr., or until cake stops singing, in moderate and slow oven so as not to burn nuts.

=Cake Without Chemicals=

(Mrs. W. W. Wheeler, Ambato, Ecuador.)

1 large cup thin bread sponge
3 eggs, save out 1 white or yolk
1 cup sugar
5 tablespns. oil
⅔ cup flour

Beat eggs and sugar, add oil, then the sponge, lastly fold in the flour; put into 3 layer cake pans and let stand for 2 or 3 hours in a not very warm place. Bake in moderate oven.

Filling--Beat the white of egg stiff, add 1 tablespn. sugar and 2 tablespns. thick cream, or, make a cream sauce of the yolk.

=Maple Loaf Cake=

1 cup bread dough
½ cup butter
1 egg
1 cup maple sugar

Cream the butter, add the sugar and beaten egg and mix all thoroughly with the dough; add a little flour, turn into tin and let rise ½ hr. or longer before baking.

=Raised Molasses Cake--no eggs or two whites=

_Sponge_--2 cups skimmed milk, 4 tablespns. yeast, 4½ cups flour.

_When light_--2 cups (1 lb.) butter, 2 cups molasses which has been boiled and cooled to lukewarm, 3 cups (not too fine) nuts, raisins, citron or cocoanut or combinations of same, 4-4½ cups flour, part for fruit. The whites of 2 eggs may be used with the 4 cups of flour.

Attend to sponge and cake as soon as light. Steam or bake.

=German Coffee Cake--no eggs=

1 pt. milk
1 tablespn. butter
2 tablespns. sugar
½-1 cake compressed yeast
salt
flour for soft dough

Let rise, knead, spread on flat tin with floured hand, ¾-1 in. thick, spread with butter, sprinkle with sugar and ground coriander seed; or, spread with an egg beaten with a teaspn. of sugar, sprinkle with sugar and chopped or split blanched almonds; let rise; bake in moderate oven.

Use universal crust dough if a more tender cake is desired.

=★ Royal Sponge Cake=

3 eggs
⅔ cup sugar
1 tablespn. lemon juice
1 tablespn. ice water
⅔ cup pastry flour
3 drops extract rose

Put together and bake same as nut and citron cake except for the nut meal. This makes 1 loaf or 2 small layers. 3 times the quantity makes 2 large square loaves, or 4 large layers.

May use 1½ tablespn. of orange juice with yolks of eggs and ½ tablespn. lemon juice with whites in place of the water and lemon juice. Flavor sugar with oil of orange and add ½ teaspn. vanilla to the cake. Finished with royal filling and icing, this makes a cake suitable for a royal occasion.

=Variations of Royal Sponge Cake=

(1) Use 2 tablespns. of cream in cake instead of lemon juice and water, with or without 1 teaspn. of lemon juice in whites of eggs.

(2) Use ⅔ cup of molasses in place of the sugar, no water, 1 teaspn. only, of lemon juice in the whites of eggs, 1 cup of flour and 1-2 teaspns. ground coriander seed.

(3) Use brown sugar in place of white, and orange or vanilla flavoring.

=★ Sponge Layer Cake=

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 tablespns. water
1-1½ cup flour

Boil sugar and water till syrup will thread, pour hot syrup slowly over beaten yolks; beat until cool, chop in stiffly-beaten whites and flour; flavor if desired. 2 small layers.

The sponge layer cake and all sponge cakes containing the yolks of eggs may be put together as follows: Break the eggs into a cake bowl, set the bowl into a pan of boiling water on the table and beat until light; add hot water (if any) and the sugar (or the hot syrup) gradually, beating. When light, remove from water, add flavoring and fold in flour lightly.

=★ Old Friend Sponge Cake=

1½ cup granulated sugar flavored with oil of lemon
large ½ cup cold water
7 eggs
1-1½ tablespn. lemon juice
2½ cups flour, sifted 5 or 6 times after measuring

Pour cold water over sugar, heat and boil slowly until perfectly clear; cool, beat yolks of eggs, add syrup and half the lemon juice and beat very light; slide whites of eggs beaten to a stiff froth with the remainder of the lemon juice on to mixture, sift flour over, a little at a time, and chop in with whites until all the flour is in. Bake ¾-1 hr. in slow oven until just done, no longer. 1 large loaf in deep square tin.

=Cocoanut Sponge Cake. 1846=

6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
a trifle of salt
1½ cup grated fresh cocoanut
lemon or vanilla flavoring

Put together as nut and citron cake, or beat eggs in dish set in hot water, add sugar, cocoanut and flavoring, then flour. Put mixture 1½ in. deep in pans lined with buttered paper.

=Rice Flour Sponge Cake. 1846=

6 eggs
½ cup sugar
flavoring
⅔ cup rice flour
scant ⅓ cup pastry flour

Beat eggs in dish set in hot water, add sugar, flavoring and rice and pastry flour mixed. Bake in moderate oven.

=Angel Cake=

1 cup of egg whites 8 large or 10 small eggs
1¼ cup granulated or 1½ cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour
1-2 tablespns. lemon juice
a pinch of salt
1 teaspn. vanilla

Sift 2 or 3 cups of sugar twice; measure out 1 cup; sift a sifter of flour 4 times; measure out 1 cup and mix it with the cup of sugar; put both in the sifter and sift once, return to the sifter and set in cold place; separate the eggs, putting the whites into the dish in which they are to be beaten and set them in a cold place for 15-20 m.; when cool, add the salt to the eggs and begin beating with a long slow stroke, gradually increasing the velocity until the eggs begin to stiffen, then pour the lemon juice over and beat more rapidly for a time; continue beating until whites are stiff and feathery, then add flavoring; sift flour and sugar mixture over gradually, chopping and folding it in carefully; when all is in, drop by spoonfuls evenly into the pan and bake in slow oven 35-50 m., testing with broom straw. When done, turn the pan upside down with the sides resting on two saucers (unless you have the pans with projections for that purpose), so that a current of air will pass under and over the cake.

=Tri-Colored Layer Cake=

Angel cake--½ white flavored with vanilla; ½ pink flavored with rose, 3 or 4 large layers. Other layers, of sponge layer cake lemon flavored, or some nice light brown cake such as molasses sugar cake or sponge layer cake with part browned flour. Filling of raisin dressing.

=Miss Lubey’s Cream Puffs. 1 doz.=

1 large cup boiling water
½ cup butter or oil
1 cup pastry flour
3 eggs
salt

Add dry flour all at once to boiling water and butter; stir quickly over the fire until mixture forms a ball which leaves the pan; remove from fire and stir till partly cool; add beaten yolks of eggs, part at a time, beating well, then slightly beaten whites; beat; set in cold place, covered, for 1 hr. or more; drop by spoonfuls about 2 in. apart on oiled and floured tin, flatten with brush or fingers dipped in milk (may leave without shaping); have oven rather quick at first, then slower until there is no “singing”. Puffs are light weight when done. They will keep for several days. Reheat before filling. To fill, cut open at the side with shears.

The butter and flour may be creamed together first, and the boiling water poured over, then the whole cooked as before.

_Cream_--

1 pt. milk
½ cup sugar
1 tablespn. flour
2 eggs
salt
1 teaspn. vanilla

Mix sugar and flour, pour boiling milk over, boil up well; pour over beaten eggs, return to fire until just creamy, not boiling, cool; add salt and flavoring.

If cream is preferred thicker, use ½ cup of flour and cook in double boiler 15 m. before adding the eggs.

Whipped cream may be used for the filling, but does not harmonize as well with the shells.

These shells are sometimes used for trumese and celery salad, or for creamed meat dishes.

Dainty little puffs filled with different creams may be used for garnishes for desserts, or piled on fancy plates for cakes.

Additions to Cookies and Small Cakes

Caraway or anise seeds, ground coriander or anise seed; chopped shelled nuts; grated or shredded cocoanut; grated orange or lemon rind; English currants; fine cut or ground raisins, citron, figs and dates; sometimes a raisin or half a blanched almond or half of a pecan or hickory nut meat in the center of each.

Suggestive Combinations

Coriander, English currants and English walnuts; raisins in molasses cookies; almonds chopped without blanching, and raisins; almonds same, and caraway or ground coriander seed.

Graham flour cookies with English currants; 1 part raisins and ⅓ part each of nuts, cocoanut and citron, with or without vanilla or lemon.

All cooky dough should be set in a cold place for 2 hrs. or longer before rolling out. Roll out in cool room on well floured board. Cut the cakes all out, put on tins and set in cold place before beginning to bake them as the baking will require all one’s attention.

Very thin dough may be cut oblong, round or in any desired shape and some of the following fillings placed between each two pieces before they are baked--

Ground or mashed dates or figs rolled thin and cut with the same cutter that the dough was cut with; raspberry or other fruit jams and jellies or orange marmalade, also some of the suitable cake fillings.

It may sometimes be more convenient to cut the dough into strips 4 in. wide, spread half the width with the fruit, fold the other half over, pinch down the edge and cut into 3 in. lengths.

Tops of cookies may sometimes be brushed with white of egg and water or with syrup of ½ cup each sugar and water boiled together; or, sprinkled with sugar, coriander, chopped nuts or suitable fruits.

Instead of sprinkling cookies with different materials, brush the tops with milk and turn them on to any preparation or mixture desired.

Grated and sifted maple sugar may be used in place of other sugar in cookies by using a somewhat smaller quantity.

Oil and flour pans for baking cookies.

It is a good plan to bake cookies on the bottom of inverted dripping pans. This prevents them from burning on the bottom and it is easier to remove them from the tins.

=★ Rich Small Cakes--Cookies=

(_From an old recipe book of my auntie’s, published in 1846_)

1 cup butter
scant 1¼ cup sugar
2⅔-2⅞ cups pastry flour
2 eggs
vanilla, almond or any desired flavoring

_By weight_--

½ lb. butter,
½ lb. sugar,
10 ozs. flour.

Cream butter, add sugar, beaten eggs, flavoring and flour; let stand in cold place until thoroughly cold; roll ⅜-½ in. thick. Bake in oven which is moderately hot at first, so cakes will not spread. Be careful not to burn.

A little more flour may be used if preferred, also half oil instead of all butter, and brown sugar instead of granulated.

For _Jumbles_, break off pieces of dough the size of a walnut and make into rings by rolling out rolls as large as the finger and joining the ends; or, cut in rings; dust with sugar.

=Yolk Jumbles=

¼ cup butter
½ cup sugar
lemon flavoring
yolks 4 eggs
scant pint of flour
salt

Poach yolks of eggs dry and mealy; rub them smooth and add butter gradually, creaming; add sugar and flavoring, then flour, a little at a time; cool, roll thin, cut with doughnut cutter, dust with sugar, bake.

=★ Cream Cookies=

1½ cup sugar
1 cup thin cream
1 teaspn. vanilla
yolks of 3 eggs
scant ¾ cup butter and oil half and half
about 4½ cups flour

Cream butter and sugar, stir in a little flour, add beaten yolks, beat well, then add the cream gradually with the flavoring, and lastly, all of the flour. Handle after mixing the same as rich small cakes. Fruits, nuts or seeds maybe added. These cookies will keep almost indefinitely.

=Lunch Cakes=

Take ½ the sugar and a little more flour in rich small cakes, or cream cookies, and roll to ½ or 1 in. in thickness. Cut of the size to fit tins, crinkle edges or press with fork, crease in squares and bake in moderate oven. Caraway or other flavoring may be used. Chopped nuts, a little sugar and ground or shredded citron may be mixed on a board or flat pan and one side of the cakes pressed into the mixture before baking. Set in cold place before rolling out.

=Anise Wafers, or German Christmas Cakes=

½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
¾ teaspn. ground anise seed or 1 teaspn. whole seed
flour for soft dough

Cream butter, add sugar and a little flour, with seeds, then the yolks of the eggs, one at a time, and the stiffly-beaten whites, with flour, folding together lightly; knead in flour for soft dough, cover and set in cold place; roll rather thin, cut cakes about the size of a half dollar.

=Sour Cream Cookies--no soda=

1½ cup sugar
1 cup thick sour cream
yolks 3 eggs
scant ¾ cup oil or butter
any desired flavoring, fruits nuts or seeds
5-5½ cups pastry flour

Mix lightly, set in cold place, roll rather thin.

=Honey Wafers=

1 cup honey boiled and cooled
⅔ cup butter
2 small eggs or 1 large one
pinch salt
5 cups flour

Cream butter with a little flour, add beaten egg and honey, then remainder of flour.

=Molasses Cookies=

¾ cup molasses
2 eggs
1 cup butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½-¾ teaspn. lemon extract
2 tablespns. browned flour
about 3½ cups pastry flour

Heat molasses to boiling and pour slowly, stirring, over well beaten eggs; cool; cream butter and sugar, stir in browned flour mixed with a little of the white flour, add flavoring with eggs and molasses, then the remainder of the flour or enough to make a not too soft dough. Set in cold place and roll out the same as small cakes. Care must be taken in baking, as molasses burns easily.

Or, boil and cool molasses, cream butter and sugar, add beaten eggs, a little flour, then molasses gradually, beating well, and finally, the flour.

Browned flour may be omitted and a few drops of rose extract used in flavoring.

=★ Molasses Cakes--no eggs=

1¼ cup oil or butter
2 cups molasses
orange or lemon rind or
coriander, anise, rose or vanilla flavoring
pastry flour

Cream butter with a little flour, add molasses which has been boiled and cooled, with flavoring, and flour for stiff dough, about 2¼ qts. Mix as little as possible, cover and set in cold place for several hours. Shape into small thick cakes, or, roll about ½ in. thick, prick with fork or crease and cut into small cakes. Bake in moderate oven. Remove from tins as soon as baked.

With nice flavored molasses, no other flavoring is necessary. More shortening may be used.

=★ Molasses Snaps--no eggs=

½ cup oil or butter, or half of each
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 cups molasses
flavoring
more flour

Cream butter, sugar and the 2 cups of flour, pour hot molasses over, add flavoring and flour for stiff dough, perhaps about 6 cups; press together lightly, set in cold place for several hours; roll thin, bake in moderately quick oven and remove from tins at once. These cakes will be brittle when first made and will grow softer with time. One cup of butter may be used for richer cakes.

=Nut Wafers=

1 cup chopped English walnut, pecan or hickory nut meats
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
4 level tablespns. flour
salt

Beat eggs, add sugar gradually, beating well; then add flour, salt and nuts. Mix, spread as thin as possible on buttered pans, set in cold place, bake in quick oven. When nearly cold, cut into squares.

=Nut Cakes--Bro. Hurdon=

1 cup chopped nut meats
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 egg

Mix, drop on well oiled tins some distance apart, bake. Remove from tins when taken from the oven.

=Hard Sponge Cakes=

Cream together ¼ cup butter and 1 cup sugar, add 1 well beaten egg and 1 cup of flour to which has been added a pinch of salt; stir in 1 cup chopped nut meats; drop in spoonfuls on buttered tins and flatten or shape a little; bake in moderate oven.

=Risen Doughnuts--Baked=

_Sponge_--

1 cup milk
⅔ cake compressed yeast
2 cups flour

Add dissolved yeast and flour to warm milk, beat well, let rise.

_When light_--

½ cup sugar
5 tablespns. oil or melted butter
vanilla, lemon, coriander or anise for flavoring
2-2½ cups flour
¼ teaspn. salt

Beat oil and sugar together with a little flour, add flavoring, salt and light sponge, gradually, beating; then enough flour for a moderately stiff dough; knead a little and let rise. When well risen, roll ½ or ¾ in. thick, cut with doughnut cutter and place on floured, oiled tins some distance apart. Let rise, bake.

Roll in sugar with or without ground coriander seed or chopped nuts before laying on tins, if desired, or moisten with sugar syrup or white of egg and water and roll in sugar after baking.

Another half-spoon of oil may be added to sponge, with 1 white and 2 yolks of eggs well beaten, but eggs are not necessary. If a yellow color is desired, use a little saffron. Mix softer when eggs are used.

=Risen Doughnuts=

_Sponge_--

1 cup skimmed milk
⅔ cake compressed, or
2 tablespns. soft yeast
2 cups flour

_When light_--

3 tablespns. oil or melted butter
½ cup sugar
salt
flavouring
yolk of 1 egg or not
flour for rather stiff dough

Proceed as in baked doughnuts, lay on floured board, cover; when very light, fry in cooking or olive oil, hot enough for the cakes to rise to the top almost instantly. Turn at once with a fork. ⅓ of a cup of oil may be used in the cakes and 1 whole well beaten egg.

Our grandmothers’ twisted doughnuts are dear to all our hearts.

Sometimes roll the dough thin, cut with biscuit cutter and put a teaspoonful of some jelly or jam on one side, fold the other side over, having moistened the edges, press well together, fry when light, roll in sugar. Baked doughnuts may be prepared the same.

=Crullers=

⅓-½ cup butter
⅓-½ cup sugar
3 eggs (separate if desired)
flour for soft dough

Mix, chill, roll thin, cut in strips 3½ in. long and 2 in. wade; cut 2 slits in each piece and give each strip of dough a twist. Fry in oil or bake in oven. When to be fried, use the smaller quantity of butter and sugar.

Crullers may have 4 incisions made lengthwise to within ⅓ of an in. of each end. To fry, take up the second and fourth strips and let the others separate in the middle from those in the hand as you drop them into the hot oil. For baking, it is better to twist the strips.

=Fried Cakes=

1 cup milk
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
salt, flour
3 tablespns. oil or melted butter

Add sugar and yolks of eggs to cold milk, agitate with wire batter whip until full of bubbles, sprinkle flour in gradually, keeping up the agitating motion. When the batter is quite stiff, beat in the oil gradually, and chop in the stiffly-beaten whites of eggs. Add flour for rather stiff dough and set in cold place for 2 hrs. or longer. Shape and fry the same as risen doughnuts.

ICINGS AND FILLINGS FOR CAKES

Starch, which is changed into sugar in the process of digestion, and cane sugar, form so large a part of all cakes as to furnish in themselves an excess of that element; so why should we put a coating of almost solid sugar over the outside? Certainly not for hygienic reasons. If a cake is well baked, the icing only hides its beauty, and the excessive sweetness destroys the flavors of the finest cake. Let us not use it. Protest and recipes are both given.

Instead of icing, sometimes sift granulated, brown or powdered sugar over the top of the loaf of cake, or over one layer to be used for the top, before baking.

Glaze the top of molasses cookies or cakes before baking with a mixture of 1 yolk of egg and 2 tablespns. of milk.

Sprinkle half a cup of chopped or ground blanched almonds or other nuts over the top of the cake just before it goes into the oven, and cover the cake until nearly done to prevent browning the nuts.

The tops of cakes may be brushed after baking with equal parts of molasses and milk mixed.

=Water Icing=

The simplest of icings is granulated, powdered or xxxx confectioner’s sugar formed into a paste so that it will run just smooth, by the addition of hot or cold water. That made from granulated sugar must be made with hot water and be pretty stiff. It takes longer to dry and is more likely to run; that from powdered sugar is also quite likely to run. The icing made from confectioner’s sugar is the most satisfactory. It is usually made with cold water, but one authority recommends hot water very positively.

One recipe for granulated sugar frosting is--

1 cup sugar, 1 tablespn. boiling water, beat until it will spread.

=Fruit Juice Icing=

Stir rolled and sifted confectioner’s sugar into any desired fruit juice until of the right consistency to spread; use a knife dipped in cold water to smooth the icing; 1-1½ tablespn. of liquid will be enough for the top of a medium sized loaf of cake.

If you have never made such an icing, you will be surprised to see how much sugar a little liquid will take. More icing is quickly made if you do not have enough.

When juices of different fruits are used in their season, the top of the cake may be decorated with the fruit whole, in halves or in slices. For instance, slices from the heart of strawberries, or, halves of red raspberries. The fruit may also be placed between the layers of the cake.

=Cream Icing=

Stir confectioner’s sugar into cream, plain or whipped, for both filling and icing.

If you have a little of these icings left over, cover it and set in a cold place, and add more liquid and sugar to it the next time.

=White of Egg Icing--Miss Stokes=

white of 1 egg
1 tablespn. ice water
speck of salt
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
flavoring

Beat white of egg with water, flavoring and salt to a stiff dry froth; add sugar until of the right consistency to spread, if too stiff, add quickly 1 teaspn. of cream or a few drops of water.

The icing is sometimes made by mixing the water and egg without beating and stirring the sugar in, making a smoother and more tender frosting. May use powdered sugar.

=White of Egg Icing with Lemon Juice=

white of 1 egg
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespn. lemon juice
½ teaspn. vanilla

Put the white of egg into a bowl and add the sugar by degrees, beating; when the sugar is all in, add lemon juice and vanilla.

=Golden Icing=

Yolks of 2 or 3 eggs and powdered sugar to make stiff enough to spread, about 1 cupful for 3 yolks; vanilla or orange flavoring or both. Beat until thick and creamy.

For an orange cake, use the juice and grated rind of a small orange to 3 yolks with the powdered sugar, and use for filling and icing. Sections of orange may be laid on top. Confectioner’s sugar may be used.

=★ Butter Frosting--almost like whipped cream=

Work together 1 cup confectioner’s sugar and 1 level tablespn. of butter. Flavor with vanilla. Add 1¼-1½ tablespn. of milk. Beat well.

=Jelly Icing=

Beat a glass of jelly, a little at a time, into the whites of 2 eggs. If the jelly is very tart, use 2-3 tablespns. powdered sugar. Prepare the icing some little time before it is to be used and set on ice. Elder-berry jelly gives a delightful flavor and beautiful color. Quince is also nice.

=Boiled Icing=

1 cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup water
white of 1 egg
½ teaspn. vanilla, or the proper proportion of any desired flavoring

Stir sugar and water together over the fire until sugar is dissolved, then boil without stirring until the syrup will spin in threads when dropped from the tines of a fork, or until a hard ball is formed when dropped into cold water. Pour slowly over the stiffly-beaten white of egg, beating briskly, until stiff enough to spread. If the icing gets too stiff, set over hot water or thin with a trifle of lemon or other fruit juice, or hot water. ½-1 teaspn. of lemon juice added to the white of egg when about half beaten will make the icing more creamy. Some beat the white of egg slightly, only.

2 or 3 whites may be used with this quantity of syrup. One writes that she turns her syrup on to a platter and allows it to become perfectly cold before beating in the eggs, and she thinks it is much smoother and nicer.

One combination of flavors is, ¼ teaspn. each vanilla, orange and strawberry, or 1 or 2 drops of rose in place of strawberry.

Bro. Cornforth’s directions are excellent: “Boil the sugar and water till it threads well, not just till it begins to thread; then set the dish off the stove and cover tight while you beat the whites stiff; then pour the hot syrup in a small stream into the whites, beating continuously; beat till it becomes cool enough to spread on the cake.”

=Boiled Milk Icing--no egg=

1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespns. milk, with or
without a little butter
or 1½ cup sugar and ½ cup milk

Boil 5 m., or until syrup stiffens in cold water; stir until thick enough to spread.

=Caramel Icing--no egg=

1½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup cream. Boil until syrup stiffens when dropped in water. Substitute ⅔ cup sour cream for sweet, with brown or granulated sugar.

=Boiled Maple Icing--no egg=

Add ¾ cup sweet cream to 2 cups rolled or grated maple sugar. Boil slowly until mixture will thread. Cool about half, stir in ½ cup chopped English walnut meats, beat until creamy, and spread over cake.

Half granulated sugar may be used, and ½ cup of milk with a little butter substituted for the cream.

=Maple Syrup Icing and Filling=

Boil ¾-1 cup of maple syrup until it will form a soft ball in cold water. Pour over beaten white of egg. Beat until stiff enough to spread. If desired, stir in ½ cup of rolled butternut meats just before spreading on the cake. The syrup may be boiled until it threads.

=Whipped Cream=

Flavored with vanilla is delightful, of course, on the top of thin loaves of cake cut in squares. Or, for filling, with chopped, blanched almonds, dry, fine-cut stewed prunes, or slices of banana.

Molasses cake baked in layers, with whipped cream between the layers and over the top, with or without a sprinkling of grated cocoanut, is considered a great treat in some households.

=Cocoanut Cream=

1 cup cream, whipped.
⅓ cup sugar
1½ cup fresh grated cocoanut

Two layers and on top of cake, with cocoanut sprinkled over top. Some additional flavoring if desired.

=Butternut Filling=

1 cup sweet cream, ½-¾ cup sugar and 1 cup rolled butternut meats, mixed without whipping cream. Flavoring if desired.

=★ Sour Cream Filling=

Before I gave up cake I used to think this filling had no equal:

½ cup thick sour cream
½ cup sugar
1½ cup chopped blanched almonds
1 teaspn. vanilla

Whip cream (ice-cold), sugar and vanilla together until just thick, taking care not to whip too long as sour cream turns to butter more easily than sweet; add the almonds, spread quickly between layers of cake and roughly on top. The nuts may be sprinkled over the layers of cream instead of being mixed with it. The white of an egg beaten stiff with part of the sugar is sometimes added to the whipped cream. Shellbark, English walnut or rolled butternut meats may be substituted for almonds.

=Creamed Apple=

White of 1 large egg, 1½ cup granulated, powdered or confectioner’s sugar, 2 or 3 medium sized apples. Peel apples and grate on to unbeaten white of egg and sugar in large bowl; beat for 20 m.; or until light and creamy. Lemon, rose or strawberry may be used if flavoring is desired. Spread between layers and on top of cold cake. Bananas, peaches and other fruits rubbed through a fine colander may be used the same as apples.

Steamed quarters of apples may be used.

=Cocoanut Filling=

Spread under and upper sides of layers of warm cake with soft icing. Sprinkle tops with fresh grated cocoanut and put other layers on. Use plenty of icing on top of last layer and sprinkle well with cocoanut.

=Date Filling=

Stone and skin dates after boiling a moment, mash or grind them, and add water if necessary; spread between layers of cake. Cover the top of the cake with coffee icing with cream. Chopped nuts may be mixed with the dates and sprinkled over the top of the cake.

=Pineapple Filling and Icing=

Chop fresh pineapple and sprinkle with sugar; drain after 3 or 4 hrs; add beaten whites of 2 eggs, ⅔ cup sugar and 1 teaspn. lemon juice to 1 cup of pineapple and place between layers. Use some of the juice with confectioner’s sugar for icing the top and sides of the cake. When using confectioner’s sugar with pineapple omit whites of eggs.

Drain canned pineapple very dry, chop and add lemon juice and confectioner’s sugar, when fresh pineapple is not obtainable.

=Imperial Filling=

Spread layers of cake with jelly and the following:

_Filling_--

1 cup chopped raisins
½ cup chopped almonds
½ cup grated cocoanut
white of 1 egg

Beat white stiff, add other ingredients and spread.

=Coffee Icing=

Add confectioner’s sugar and vanilla to strong cereal coffee, with or without a little heavy cream.

=Fig Jelly Filling=

1 lb. figs, chopped fine
1 cup sugar
½ cup boiling water

Boil to a jelly, stirring constantly, or cook in double boiler until thick.

=Prune Filling=

Stew ½ lb. of prunes in a very little water, rub through colander or cut fine, add whites of 2 eggs beaten to a stiff froth with 2 tablespns. of sugar.

=Nut and Raisin Filling=

1½ cup sugar
½ cup water
white of 1 large or 2 small eggs
1 cup each of chopped or ground raisins and nut meats
1 teaspn. vanilla

Boil sugar and water till the syrup will form a soft ball in cold water; pour it into the stiffly-beaten white of egg, add nuts and raisins and spread while warm between the layers.

Raisins or nuts alone may be used. Shellbarks or butternuts are especially enjoyable. Figs or dates may be substituted for the raisins or for the nuts.

=★ Cream Filling=

1 cup milk
⅓-½ cup sugar
2¼ tablespns. (¼ cup) flour
1 egg or 2 yolks, or 1 egg and yolk of another
½ teaspn. vanilla

Mix sugar and flour dry, pour boiling milk over, boil up, turn over beaten eggs, stirring, return to fire and heat until creamy but do not boil; set dish at once into cold water, add flavoring.

Use ½ tablespn. less of flour for Washington Pie, and ¼ cream (or a small piece of butter) in the milk.

½ cup of flour is sometimes used. Add cocoanut for a cocoanut cake.

=Royal Filling and Icing=

¼ cup milk
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup flour
½ cup sugar
yolk of 1 egg
oil from rind of half an orange
6 drops vanilla
1 drop rose

Flavor sugar with oil of orange, make cream according to directions for cream filling and add rose and vanilla when partly cool. Icing of cream and confectioner’s sugar, tinted with pink.

I have usually used this for Royal Sponge Cake and this quantity is sufficient for one large layer.

=Filling for Lemon Pie Cake and Washington Pie=

¾-1 cup sugar
1½ tablespn. corn starch or 2 of flour
1 teaspn. butter
1 cup water
yolk 1 egg
3 tablespns. lemon juice
2-6 drops lemon extract or grated rind of ½ a lemon
salt

Mix sugar and corn starch or flour, drop the teaspoon of butter on and pour the boiling water over gradually, stirring; boil up well and add 2 or 3 tablespns. to the yolk of egg stirring; then add yolk to the mixture and cook like custard. Remove from fire and when partially cooled add flavoring. Use sometimes for the filling of a cake with whipped cream on the top.

=Lemon Cheese for Cakes=

¼ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
2 whites and 3 yolks of egg
3 tablespns. lemon juice
grated rind of 1 lemon

Cook in double boiler, cool, spread between layers of sponge or other cake or on crisp pastry, or put it into cream puff shells; or, without cooking put into pastry in patty pans and bake in moderate oven.

=Marshmallow Filling=

1 oz. (about 4 tablespns.) sifted powdered gum arabic, 4 tablespns. water, ½ cup sugar, whites 3 eggs, 1 teaspn. vanilla. Soak gum arabic in water for 1 hour, add sugar, cook in double boiler ½ hour, add stiffly-beaten whites of eggs and vanilla, beat until stiff and white.

Nice for 2 or 3-days old angel cake split in halves or thirds.

ICE CREAM AND FRUIT ICES

Neither very hot nor very cold foods should be taken at meals. If foods are too hot, the stomach is debilitated, and if they are very cold, vitality must be drawn from the system to warm them before the work of digestion can be carried on; so it would be better to take ice cream and all ices by themselves rather than as a dessert.

When ices are served for dessert, they should be eaten very slowly.

Water ices, sherbets and frozen fruits, without large quantities of sugar, are invaluable in cases of fever.

I am not going into the subject of ice cream exhaustively for there are plenty of books on that subject already, but will give you my own recipe which must be tried to be appreciated.

The little flour in it gives it a smoothness and creaminess with one third to one half milk equal to all cream without it; and does not give the disagreeable flavor of corn starch; also, made by this method, the cream and milk are sterilized.

Try the cream without any flavoring and see how delicious it is.

Use wet snow instead of ice for freezing in the winter. It works even better and is less trouble.

Beat the cream well with a wooden spoon after removing the dasher.

Add fruit or nuts to cream when removing the dasher, so that they will not become hard as they would do if frozen with the cream.

For freezing, have the ingredients cold. Have the ice very fine; the finer it is, the better the results. One-third as much rock salt should be at hand. The ice and salt may be mixed, or may be put around the freezer in the proportion of 3 inches of ice to 1 inch of salt.

First, adjust the freezer, having the mixture to be frozen in the can. Fill not over ⅔ full to allow for expansion. Then pack with the ice and salt, turning the handle around once in a while during the operation, to keep the mixture from freezing to the sides of the can. Have a stick to pound the ice and salt down well around the can.

Turn slowly at first to make a fine grain, then more rapidly as the cream thickens.

Before removing the cover to take out the dasher, scrape away the ice and salt and wipe off the water on the lid and near the top of the can, so that none can possibly get into the cream. Beat the cream and replace the cover, with a clean cork in the top. Drain off a part of the water and repack the can, using less salt than at first, sometimes not any, so as not to have the cream too hard. To be at its best, cream should be stiff enough only to hold its shape. Cover with paper, a blanket or carpet and let stand to “ripen” for 2 hours or longer. This part is important, as the flavor and texture are perfected only by standing.

If possible, open the can in an hour and a half and stir the cream so that the soft center comes to the edge of the can. Repack and cover the same and let stand for 2 or 3 hours.

Save the salt from the bottom of the freezer to use another time, and it is a good plan to save a little of the thick salt water to use instead of the last layer of salt near the top of the can for the next freezing, as it facilitates the work very much.

In serving, dip the spoon into hot water each time before putting it into the cream; this, with care, will give a nice shaped serving.

Pop corn without butter or salt is more suitable to serve with ice cream than cake.

Sugar syrup gives a finer, smoother and more substantial grain to frozen fruits, sherbets and water ices than sugar and water, and they do not melt as quickly when exposed to the air.

Pack all ices the same as creams and let stand the same after freezing, to become smooth and mellow.

For water ices, do not turn the crank continuously. Turn slowly and rest between, until the ice becomes quite stiff. This is the rule, but for a change the freezer may be turned rapidly and continuously, with a different result.

Stir sherbets constantly. Serve both sherbets and water ices in glasses.

Vegetable gelatine is an improvement to ices, giving body to them.

There is a great difference in freezers. Be sure to get a good one. The construction of the dasher has much to do with the texture of the cream. Those that freeze the quickest are not necessarily the best.

Do not buy a small freezer: you can freeze a small quantity in a large freezer, but you cannot freeze a large quantity in a small freezer.

=★ The “Laurel” Ice Cream=

2½ pts. heavy cream
2½ pts. whole milk
2 cups sugar
4 or 5 tablespns. pastry flour

Stir the flour smooth with some of the cold milk and heat the remainder of the milk, with the cream and sugar, in a double boiler and when hot, set over the fire. Let it boil up quickly, stir in the flour and when boiling all through, return to the double boiler for a few minutes, beating well. Or, heat the milk and cream only in the double boiler and pour gradually, stirring, over the sugar and flour which have been mixed together. Return to boiler and cook for 10-15 m. Turn through a fine wire strainer into a large pan to cool quickly; stir while cooling.

Do not take too large measures of flour.

Any kind of cream may be made from this. Flavor with vanilla for vanilla cream, or tint pink and flavor with ¾-1 teaspn. of strawberry extract for strawberry cream, or with a few drops of rose, for rose cream. Tint green and flavor with almond and vanilla for pistachio cream, using only a few drops of almond to a teaspn. of vanilla. This may have a few shredded almonds stirred into the frozen cream.

Sometimes sprinkle fresh grated cocoanut over each serving of cream, or the cocoanut may be stirred in as other flavorings are.

A very pretty cream is one with citron and candied cherries cut into tiny pieces and added when the dasher is removed.

We make a fruit and nut cream which is liked very much, by adding well washed English currants, raisins cut in quarters, citron in small pieces and coarse chopped English walnuts or pecans. Omit the nuts for a fruit cream.

For coffee cream, steep (not boil) cereal coffee in milk for 10 to 20 m. Strain through a cloth and use as plain milk with the cream. Flavor with vanilla.

One quart of sweetened, crushed strawberries or raspberries added to the recipe makes the right proportion for fruit cream. Drained, finely-shredded or grated pineapple makes a general favorite in cream.

=Maple Ice Cream=

1 qt. genuine maple syrup
1 qt. heavy cream
1 qt. light cream
¾ qt. milk
7 tablespns. flour

=Lemon Ice=

8-12 tablespns. lemon juice
1 orange
2½ cups sugar
1 qt. water including the gelatine
⅛ oz. vegetable gelatine

Soak and cook gelatine according to directions (p. 335), add water to make 1 cup, keep warm; cook sugar and 3 cups of water together for 5 minutes and strain into the gelatine. Prepare the lemon and orange juice, and if desired, shave off a little of the thin yellow rind and let it stand in the juice for a few minutes, then strain it out. When the gelatine mixture is partially cooled, add the juice gradually, stirring. The orange may be omitted.

Or, omit gelatine, boil sugar with 1 qt. of water and when cool combine with the juice.

=Orange Ice=

1 pt. sugar
1 qt. water
1 pt. of orange juice
6-8 tablespns. lemon juice
⅛ oz. vegetable gelatine

Flavor juice with thin yellow rind of orange and proceed as in lemon ice, omitting gelatine if preferred.

=Raspberry Ice=

1 cup raspberry juice
¾ cup sugar (less if juice is already sweetened)
1 pt. water
2 tablespns. lemon juice
1 sixteenth oz. vegetable gelatine, or not

Cook sugar and water together and add to prepared gelatine. When nearly cool, add raspberry juice and stir occasionally until cool. Freeze.

=Currant and Raspberry Ice=

2 cups currant juice
1 cup raspberry juice
1 pt. water
1-1½ cup sugar
⅛ oz. gelatine, or not

Proceed as in Raspberry Ice.

Use cherry, strawberry, quince, gooseberry, grape or pineapple for ices, varying the proportion of sugar and water according to the sweetness of the fruit. Pineapples should be grated and with the lemon juice added to cold syrup and strained through a sieve. Pineapple is one of the most delightful ices.

=Mint Ice=

Add fine cut or chopped spearmint to lemon ice mixture just before freezing, or to orange ice for orange mint ice.

=★ Grape Sherbet=

1½-1¾ cup sugar
1 qt. water, scant
scant ¼ oz. vegetable gelatine
5-6 tablespns. lemon juice
2 cups grape juice
whites of 2 eggs
2 tablespns. powdered sugar

Flavor the sugar with oil of lemon if desired, and boil with the water for 5 m. only. Prepare the gelatine with a scant cup of water, and add to warm syrup; cool; add lemon and grape juice, stirring. Put into freezer and stir for 15 m. Beat the whites of eggs until light but not stiff; add the powdered sugar and beat 2 m., add to the sherbet in the freezer and finish freezing. Ripen from 2 to 4 hours. This sherbet is of a beautiful lavender color when finished.

Substitute other fruit juices for the grape, varying the quantity of sugar. Red raspberry is better in water ice, as the whites of the eggs spoil its flavor.

=★ Mint Sherbet=

1 qt. water
1½ cup sugar
5-7 good-sized stalks of mint
⅓-½ cup lemon juice
white of 1 large or 2 small eggs
1½ tablespn. powdered sugar
scant ¼ oz. vegetable gelatine
scant cup of water

Boil sugar and water and add to gelatine prepared with the scant cup of water. When cool, add stirring, the lemon juice and fine cut or chopped mint. Stir in freezer 15 m. Add whites of eggs beaten with powdered sugar as in grape sherbet and finish freezing. Ripen.

=Pineapple Sherbet, or Frozen Pineapple=

1¾ pint fine ground pineapple
large 2½ cups sugar
1 qt. liquid, gelatine and all
¼ oz. gelatine
1½-2 tablespns. lemon juice
whites of 2 eggs
2 tablespns. powdered sugar

Shred and grind nice, ripe pineapples. Prepare gelatine with 1 cup of water and add more to make 1½ cup. Cook sugar and 2½ cups of water together for 5 m. and add to gelatine. When nearly cool, combine with pineapple and lemon juice; cool; stir in freezer for 15 m. Add whites of eggs beaten with powdered sugar and finish freezing. Ripen.

=Mina’s Lemon and Orange Sherbets=

_Lemon_--

4 lemons
4 oranges
1 lb. sugar
1 qt. water
whites of 4, or less, eggs
⅛ oz. of vegetable gelatine

_Orange_--

10 oranges
1 lemon
1 pt. sugar
1 qt. water
whites of 4, or less, eggs
⅛ oz. vegetable gelatine

Follow directions for Grape Sherbet.

=Frozen Strawberries=

1 qt. berries
2 cups sugar
3 or 4 tablespns. lemon juice
1 qt. water

Add 1 cup of sugar and the lemon juice to well mashed berries. Let stand in ice box 1-2 hours. Boil water and remaining sugar together for 5 m., cool, add to berry mixture, freeze, ripen. Serve plain or with whipped cream.

=Frozen Peaches=

1 qt., in pieces, of nice ripe peaches
1-1½ cup sugar
1 qt. water
1-2 cups cream

Rub measured peaches through colander; add cold syrup made by boiling sugar and water together for 10 m. Freeze. Stir in cream whipped and slightly sweetened, when dasher is removed. Repack and ripen.

=Frappés=