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Soda Cake

No. 1.--Rub a quarter of a pound of butter into a pound of flour; then add a pinch of salt, a quarter of a pound of stoned raisins, or half a pound of picked and dried currants, half a pound of powdered sugar, and a quarter of a grated nutmeg. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly. Dissolve a tea-spoonful of carbonate of soda in a tea-cupful of warm milk. Whisk three fresh eggs, and mix them with the milk. Beat all well together for a few minutes. Butter the tins, and line them with oiled paper. Pour in the mixture, and bake the cakes in a well-heated, steady oven. If a richer cake is required, the quantity of butter should be increased. As a variety, a quarter of a pound of candied peel or one ounce of pounded sweet almonds may be substituted for the currants, but then a little more soda will be needed. It should be remembered that the cake should be put into the oven immediately after the soda is added, and that it should be thoroughly baked. When done enough, turn it out carefully, and let it rest in a slanting position on the edge of a basin till cool. If liked, the batter can be spread half an inch deep in a shallow pan, then cut into squares when done enough. If this plan is adopted, the cake will be baked in twenty minutes. Time to bake, one large cake, one hour and three-quarters; two small cakes, one hour each. Probable cost, 8d. per pound.