The American Pictorial Home Book
or Housekeeper's Encyclopedia - online book

A reference manual of household management in Victorian times.

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276
SWEET CAKES.
of moist sugar; 1 pint of molasses, 1 lb. of butter, 1 teaspoonful of saleratus, 1-2 pint sweet milk, 2 lbs. of Santona or seedless raisins, 3 lbs, Zante currants, 1 1-2 lbs. citron, 2 tablespoonfuls of ground cloves, 1 grated nutmeg, and 1 teaspoonful ground ginger; beat the eggs, sugar and butter to a cream ; add the molasses, sift in the flour and with it the saleratus ; add the milk, beat to a batter; cut the citron in thin strips, then add your fruit and spices to the mixture, stir well, and have your pans ready, lined well with buttered paper. Put in the mixture and bake in a slow oven.
Fruit Cake—(Mrs. Kendall's).—1 1-2 cups of butter, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of molasses, 1 cup sweet milk, 3 cups flour, 1 1-2 teaspoonfuls cream tartar, 1 teaspoon soda mixed with the flour, 1 nutmeg, 4 eggs, 2 lbs. raisins, 1 gill of wine, citron and cur­rants. Mix thoroughly and bake.
Mrs. Adams' Wedding Cake.—One lb. brown sugar, 1 of butter,
1   of flour, 12 eggs, 1 cup of molasses, 6 lbs. Valentia raisins, 3 lbs. currants, 2 lbs. citron, 1 oz. cinnamon, 1 oz. mace, 1 oz cloves, 2 gills of brandy, the juice and grated rind of 2 lemons,
2  nutmegs and sufficient flour to dust the fruit.
Mrs. Chilsey's Wedding Cake—(Four loaves).—2 1-2 lbs. of flour, 1 3-4 lbs. loaf sugar, 1 1-2 lbs. butter, 4 eggs, 4 nutmegs, 1 cup domestic yeast, 1 lb. seeded and clipped raisins, 1-2 lb. citron, and new, rich milk to make it stiff. All the flour, half the sugar and butter mixed over night with the yeast to raise it; mix to­gether until white; the remainder of the sugar and butter, let it stand ready-mixed to add next morning, when the fruit is thoroughly light. Bake slowly in a hot oven until done. Try with a knife.
Frosting for the Cake.—To the white of 1 egg add 9 heap­ing spoonfuls of double refined flour and 1 teaspoonful of Kings-ford's best corn starch pounded and sifted with the sugar, through a very fine sieve; eggs beaten to a froth, so that the flake can be turned over without the eggs slipping from it; stir in gradually with a wooden spoon ; afterwards stir for 15 minutes, then add a table-spoonful lemon juice. The whites of 1 1-2 eggs is allowed to a loaf.
Wedding Cake—4 lbs. each of well-dried, fine and sifted flour and fresh butter, 2 lbs. sugar, 4 oz. each of mace beaten fine and sifted, and nutmegs; allow 8 eggs to every lb. of flour. Wash, pick and well-dry 4 lbs. of currants before the fire, blanch and cut lengthwise very thin 1 lb. of sweet almonds, 1 lb. each of citron, candied lemon and orange, and 1 gill of brandy. Make these ready; work your butter to a nice cream with your hands, then beat in your sugar for 15 minutes, whisk the white of eggs to a solid frothy and mix them with your sugar and butter, beat the yolks