The American Housewife Part 9

169. _Frosting for Cake._

Allow for the white of one egg nine heaping tea-spoonsful of double refined sugar, and one of nice Poland starch. The sugar and starch should be pounded, and sifted through a very fine sieve. Beat the whites of eggs to a stiff froth, so that you can turn the plate upside down, without the eggs falling from it--then stir in the sugar gradually, with a wooden spoon--stir it ten or fifteen minutes without any cessation--then add a tea-spoonful of lemon juice, (vinegar will answer, but is not as nice)--put in sufficient rosewater to flavor it. If you wish to color it pink, stir in a few grains of cochineal powder, or rose pink--if you wish to have it of a blue tinge, add a little of what is called the powder blue. Lay the frosting on the cake with a knife, soon after it is taken from the oven--smooth it over, and let it remain in a cool place till hard. To frost a common sized loaf of cake, allow the white of one egg, and half of another.

170. _Sponge Gingerbread._

Melt a piece of b.u.t.ter of the size of a hen's egg--mix it with a pint of nice mola.s.ses, a table-spoonful of ginger, and a quart of flour.

Dissolve a heaping table-spoonful of saleratus in half a pint of milk, strain and mix it with the rest of the ingredients, add sufficient flour to enable you to roll it out easily, roll it out about half an inch thick, and bake it on flat tins in a quick oven. Gingerbread made in this manner will be light and spongy if baked quick, and made of nice mola.s.ses, but it will not keep good so long as hard gingerbread.

171. _Hard Mola.s.ses Gingerbread._

To a pint of mola.s.ses put half a tea-cup of melted b.u.t.ter, a table-spoonful of ginger, and a quart of flour. Dissolve a tea-spoonful of saleratus in half a pint of water, and stir it in, together with flour sufficient to enable you to roll it out. Bake it in a moderately warm oven.

172. _Soft Mola.s.ses Gingerbread._

Melt a tea-cup of b.u.t.ter--mix it with a pint of mola.s.ses, a table-spoonful of ginger, a pint of flour, and a couple of beaten eggs.

Fresh lemon peel, cut into small strips, improves it. Dissolve a couple of tea-spoonsful of saleratus in half a pint of milk, and stir it into the cake. Add flour to render it of the consistency of unbaked pound cake. Bake it in deep pans about half an hour.

173. _Sugar Gingerbread._

Mix a pound of sugar with six ounces of b.u.t.ter. Beat four eggs, and stir them into the b.u.t.ter and sugar, together with three tea-spoonsful of ginger. Stir in gradually a pound and a half of flour--dissolve a tea-spoonful of saleratus in a wine gla.s.s of milk, and stir it in, and bake the gingerbread immediately.

174. _Ginger Snaps._

Melt a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, the same quant.i.ty of lard--mix them with a quarter of a pound of brown sugar, a pint of mola.s.ses, a couple of table-spoonsful of ginger, and a quart of flour. Dissolve a couple of tea-spoonsful of saleratus in a wine gla.s.s of milk, and strain it into the cake--add sufficient flour to enable you to roll it out very thin, cut it into small cakes, and bake them in a slow oven.

175. _Spice Cakes._

Melt a tea-cup of b.u.t.ter, mix it with a tea-cup of sugar, and half a tea-cup of mola.s.ses. Stir in a tea-spoonful of cinnamon, the same quant.i.ty of ginger, a grated nutmeg, and a tea-spoonful each of caraway and coriander seed--put in a tea-spoonful of saleratus, dissolved in half a tea-cup of water, stir in flour till stiff enough to roll out thin, cut it into cakes, and bake them in a slow oven.

176. _Cider Cake._

Stir together a tea-cup of b.u.t.ter, three of sugar--beat four eggs, and put into the cake, together with two tea-cups of flour, and a grated nutmeg. Dissolve a tea-spoonful of saleratus in half a tea-cup of milk, strain it, and mix it with the above ingredients--stir in a tea-cup of cider, and four more cups of flour.

177. _Bannock or Indian Meal Cakes._

Stir to a cream a pound and a quarter of brown sugar, a pound of b.u.t.ter--beat six eggs, and mix them with the sugar and b.u.t.ter--add a tea-spoonful of cinnamon or ginger--stir in a pound and three quarters of white Indian meal, and a quarter of a pound of wheat flour, (the meal should be sifted.) Bake it in small cups, and let it remain in them till cold.

178. _Rich Cookies._

Rub together, till white, a tea-cup of b.u.t.ter, two of sugar--then stir in a couple of beaten eggs, a little flour, grate in a nutmeg--dissolve a tea-spoonful of saleratus in a tea-cup of milk or water, strain it on to the cake, then add flour till stiff enough to roll out easily. If you cannot roll out the cake without its sticking to the board and rolling-pin, (which should be previously floured,) work in more flour, stamp and cut it into cakes--bake them in a moderately warm oven.

179. _Plain Tea Cakes._

Mix thoroughly a tea-cup and a half of sugar, half a tea-cup of b.u.t.ter, stir in a little flour, and half a nutmeg. Dissolve a tea-spoonful of saleratus in a tea-cup of milk, strain and mix it with the cake--add flour till stiff enough to roll out--roll it out half an inch thick, cut it into cakes, bake them on flat b.u.t.tered tins, in a quick oven. If baked slow, they will not be good.

180. _New Year's Cookies._

Weigh out a pound of sugar, three-quarters of a pound of b.u.t.ter--stir them to a cream, then add three beaten eggs, a grated nutmeg, two table-spoonsful of caraway seed, and a pint of flour. Dissolve a tea-spoonful of saleratus in a tea-cup of milk, strain and mix it with half a tea-cup of cider, and stir it into the cookies--then add flour to make them sufficiently stiff to roll out. Bake them as soon as cut into cakes, in a quick oven, till a light brown.

181. _Shrewsbury Cake._

Stir together three-quarters of a pound of sugar, half a pound of b.u.t.ter. When white, add five beaten eggs, a tea-spoonful of rosewater, or a nutmeg, and a pound of flour. Drop it with a large spoon on to flat tins that have been b.u.t.tered--sift sugar over them.

182. _Tunbridge Cake._

Six ounces of b.u.t.ter, the same quant.i.ty of sugar, three-quarters of a pound of flour, a couple of eggs, and a tea-spoonful of rosewater. Stir to a cream the b.u.t.ter and sugar, then add the eggs, flour, and spice.

Roll it out thin, and cut it into small cakes.

183. _Jumbles._

Stir together, till of a light color, a pound of sugar, and half the weight of b.u.t.ter--then add eight eggs, beaten to a froth, essence of lemon, or rosewater, to the taste, and flour to make them sufficiently stiff to roll out. Roll them out in powdered sugar, about half an inch thick, cut it into strips about half an inch wide, and four inches long, join the ends together, so as to form rings--lay them on flat tins that have been b.u.t.tered--bake them in a quick oven.

184. _Composition Cake._

Five tea-cups of flour, three of sugar, two of b.u.t.ter, five eggs, a tea-spoonful of saleratus, a tea-cup of milk, a wine gla.s.s of wine, or brandy, one nutmeg, a pound of raisins. Stir the sugar and b.u.t.ter to a cream, then add the eggs, beaten to a froth, and part of the flour and the spice--dissolve the saleratus in the milk, strain and mix it with the brandy, stir it into the cake, with the rest of the flour--add the raisins just before the cake is put into the pans.

185. _Rusk._

Melt half a pound of b.u.t.ter, and mix it with two-thirds of a pint of milk--flour to make a thick batter. Add three table-spoonsful of yeast, and set the batter in a warm place to rise. When light, beat two eggs, with half a pound of rolled sugar--work it into the batter with the hand, add a tea-spoonful of salt, a tea-spoonful of cinnamon, and flour to make them sufficiently stiff to mould up. Mould them up into cakes of the size you would make biscuit, lay them on flat tins, previously b.u.t.tered, let them remain till of a spongy lightness, before baking.

They will bake, in a quick oven, in the course of fifteen minutes.

186. _Whigs._

Mix half a pound of sugar with six ounces of b.u.t.ter, a couple of beaten eggs, a tea-spoonful of cinnamon. Stir in two pounds of flour, a tea-cup of yeast, and milk sufficient to make a thick batter. When light, bake them in small cups.

187. _Nut Cakes._

Heat a pint of milk just lukewarm--stir into it a tea-cup of lard, (the lard should be melted.) Stir in flour, till it is a thick batter, then add a small tea-cup of yeast. Set it in a warm place--when light, work in two tea-cups and a half of rolled sugar, four eggs beaten to a froth, two tea-spoonsful of cinnamon, and one of salt. Knead in flour to make it sufficiently stiff to roll out--keep it in a warm place, till risen again. When it appears of a spongy lightness, roll it out about half an inch thick, cut it into cakes with a wine gla.s.s, let them remain fifteen or twenty minutes before boiling them--boil them in a pot, with about a couple of pounds of lard. The fat should be hot enough to boil up as they are put in, and a brisk fire kept under the pot. It should be shaken constantly while they are boiling. Only a few should be boiled at once--if crowded, they will not fry well. If you wish to have them look nice, dip them into powdered white sugar as soon as fried. The same lard, with a little more added, will answer to fry several batches of cakes in, if not burnt.