Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes Compiled during Her Visit Part 54

Boil all together three minutes, cool, then add 1 teaspoonful of soda and 1/2 teaspoonful of baking powder sifted with 2 cups of flour.

FRAU SCHMIDT'S "GERMAN CHRISTMAS CAKE"

Cream together in a bowl half a pound of pulverized sugar and half a pound of b.u.t.ter; then add yolks of five eggs, 1 grated lemon rind, 1 pint of milk, 1-1/2 pounds of flour sifted with 4 teaspoonfuls of baking powder, 2 teaspoonfuls of vanilla extract. Bake at once in a moderately hot oven. Mary baked an ordinary-sized cake by using one-half of this recipe. The cake was fine grained, similar to a pound cake, although not quite as rich, and she added a couple tablespoonfuls of thinly shaved citron to the batter before baking.

This is a particularly fine cake.

"AUNT SARAH'S" Sh.e.l.lBARK LAYER CAKE

1-1/2 cups sugar.

1/2 cup b.u.t.ter.

3/4 cup water.

3 eggs.

1-1/2 teaspoonfuls baking powder.

Flour to stiffen.

Save out white of one egg for icing. Bake cake in three layers. Chop 1 cup of hickory nut meats and add to the last layer of cake before putting in pan to bake. Use the cake containing nut meats for the middle layer of cake. Put layers together with white boiled icing.

IMPERIAL CAKE (BAKED FOR MARY'S WEDDING)

1 pound sugar.

1 pound b.u.t.ter.

3/4 pound flour.

1 pound raisins, seeded.

1 pound almonds.

1/2 pound thinly shaved citron.

1 lemon.

1 nutmeg.

12 eggs.

Mix ingredients as for pound cake. A fine cake, but expensive.

A LIGHT FRUIT CAKE (FOR CHRISTMAS)

1 pound b.u.t.ter, scant measure.

1 pound pulverized sugar.

1 pound flour (full pound).

10 eggs.

1 pound English walnut kernels.

1 pound raisins.

3/4 lb. citron, candied orange and lemon peel.

1 cup brandy.

1 teaspoonful baking powder.

Bake 2-1/2 to 3 hours. This is an excellent cake.

ENGLISH CAKE (SIMILAR TO A WHITE FRUIT CAKE)

5 eggs.

The weight of 5 eggs in sugar.

The weight of 4 eggs in flour.

1 cup raisins.

1 cup currants.

The weight of 3 eggs in b.u.t.ter.

1/2 teaspoonful baking powder.

2 tablespoonfuls of brandy.

1/2 cup finely shaved citron.

1/2 cup English walnut or sh.e.l.lbark meats.

Small quant.i.ty of candied orange and lemon peel.

This recipe was given Mary by an English friend, an excellent cook and cake-baker, who vouches for its excellence.

GRANDMOTHER'S FRUIT CAKE (BAKED FOR MARY'S WEDDING)

1 pound b.u.t.ter.

1 pound sugar.

1 pound flour.

2 pounds raisins.

2 pounds currants.

Spices of all kinds.

1/4 pound thinly sliced citron.

8 eggs.

1 tablespoonful mola.s.ses.

1 cup sour milk.

1 teaspoonful soda.

Mix together in ordinary manner. Cream b.u.t.ter and sugar, add yolks of eggs, sour milk and soda; add flour alternately with stiffly beaten whites of eggs. Lastly, the well-floured fruit. Bake two hours in a moderate oven. This quant.i.ty makes one very large cake, or two medium sized ones, and will keep one year. Line inside of pan with well-greased heavy paper to prevent bottom of cake baking too hard.

Aunt Sarah never cut this cake until one month from time it was baked, as it improves with age and may be kept one year.

AN OLD RECIPE FOR POUND CAKE

Cream together 3/4 pound b.u.t.ter and 1 pound sugar and yolks of 10 eggs. Then add 10 whites of eggs well beaten alternately with 1 pound of sifted flour.

Bake in a moderate oven with a steady heat. The bottom of pan should be lined with well-greased paper.

"BUCKS COUNTY" MOLa.s.sES CAKES (BAKED IN PASTRY)

Place in a bowl 1 cup of New Orleans mola.s.ses and 3/4 of a cup of sweet milk. Add 1 teaspoonful of baking _soda_. (For this cake Aunt Sarah was always particular to use the _Cow_-brand soda), dissolved in a very little hot water. Aunt Sarah always used B.T. Babbitt's saleratus for other purposes.

Stir all ingredients together well, then add gradually three even cups of flour, no more, and beat hard. The cake mixture should not be very thick. Pour into three medium-sized pie-tins lined with pastry and bake in a moderately hot oven. These are good, cheap breakfast cakes, neither eggs nor shortening being used.