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Seed Cakes, Superior

No. 1.--Beat half a pound of butter to cream. Work into it half a pound of powdered and sifted sugar, a pinch of salt, and, gradually, the well-beaten yolks of six eggs with the whites of four whisked till firm. Add three-quarters of a pound of dried and sifted flour, one ounce of caraway-seeds, and half a grated nutmeg. Put the mixture into a tin lined with buttered paper, and bake in a well-heated oven. Time to bake, about three-quarters of an hour. Sufficient for a moderate-sized cake. No. 2.--Beat half a pound of butter to cream. Shake half a pound of flour into it, and add a pinch of salt, six ounces of powdered sugar, half a grated nutmeg, and a tea-spoonful of caraway-seeds. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly. Whisk three eggs with a table-spoonful of brandy, and with this work the mixture to a smooth paste. Pour it into a well-buttered tin, and bake in a well-heated oven. Time to bake, one hour or more. No. 3.--Rub six ounces of butter to cream; add six ounces of good moist sugar, three-quarters of a pound of flour, a pinch of salt, and a small tea-spoonful of caraway-seeds. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly, and add three well-beaten eggs and as much milk as will make the mixture soft and smooth. Put it into a tin lined with buttered paper, and bake in a moderately-heated oven. Time to bake, about three-quarters of an hour. No. 4.--Beat three-quarters of a pound of butter to cream; add an equal weight of powdered and sifted sugar, and, very gradually, eight eggs, the whites and yolks having been whisked separately. Dredge in slowly three-quarters of a pound of dried flour, beat the mixture well, and work into it ten ounces of mixed candied peel finely shredded, two ounces of blanched sweet almonds chopped small, two table-spoonfuls of brandy, and two table-spoonfuls of rosewater. Line a baking-tin with buttered paper, and three-parts fill it with the mixture. Smooth the surface with a knife, and sprinkle comfits over the top. Bake in a moderately-heated oven. Time to bake, three-quarters of an hour to one hour. Probable cost, 3s. No. 5.--Beat half a pound of fresh butter to cream, and mix with it very gradually a quarter of a pint of orange-flower or rose-water. Add a pound of powdered sugar, twelve ounces of dried flour, three ounces of ground rice, two ounces of sweet almonds, and two ounces of blanched and pounded bitter almonds, an ounce of caraway-seeds, and nine well-beaten eggs. The ingredients should be added slowly, and the mixture beaten between every addition. Line a buttered cake-tin with oiled or buttered paper, three-parts fill it with the mixture, and then bake in a well-heated oven. Time to bake, about an hour and a half. Probable cost of these cakes, from 10d. to 1s. 6d. per pound, according to the particular recipe followed.