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Cakes (Take a pound of sugar beat)

Take a pound of sugar, beat and sift it, a pound of well dried flour, a pound of butter, 8 eggs, and a pound of currants washed and picked; grate a nutmeg and an equal quantity of mace and cinnamon, work the butter to a cream, put in the sugar, beat the whites of the eggs twenty minutes, and mix them with the butter and sugar. Then beat the yolks for half an hour and put them to the butter. Beat the whole together, and when it is ready for the oven, put in the flour, spices, and currants; sift a little sugar over them, and bake them in tins.

Lemon Cakes.

Take 1 pound of sugar, of a pound of flour, 14 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of rose-water, the raspings and juice of 4 lemons; when the yolks are well beat up and separated, add the powdered sugar, the lemon raspings, the juice, and the rose-water; beat them well together in a pan with a round bottom, till it becomes quite light, for half an hour. Put the paste to the whites previously well whisked about, and mix it very light. When well mixed sift in the flour and knead it in with the paste, as light as possible; form the biscuits and bake them in small oval tins, with six sheets of paper under them, in a moderate heat. Butter the tins well or it will prove difficult to take out the biscuits, which will be exceedingly nice if well made. Ice them previous to baking, but very lightly and even.

Almond Cakes.

Take 6 ounces of sweet almonds, a pound of powdered sugar, 7 eggs, 6 ounces of flour, and the raspings of 4 lemons. Pound the almonds very fine, with whole eggs, add the sugar and lemon raspings, and mix them well together in the mortar. Take it out, put it in a basin, and stir it with the yolks of eggs, till it is white as a spongepaste; beat up the whites of the eggs to a strong snow, mix them very light with the paste, then take the flour and mix it as light as possible; on this the goodness of the cakes principally depends, as it is impossible to make a good cake with a a heavy paste; butter the mould, and bake in a slack oven for an hour, with ten sheets of paper under it and one on the top.

Fancy Biscuits.

Take 1 pound of almonds, 1 pound of sugar, and some orange-flower water. Pound the almonds very fine, and sprinkle them with orange-flower water: when they are perfectly smooth to the touch, put them in a small pan, with flour sifted through a silk sieve; put the pan on a slow fire, and dry the paste till it does not stick to the fingers; move it well from the bottom, to prevent its burning; then take it off, and roll it into small round fillets, to make knots, rings, etc., and cut it into various shapes; make an icing of different colors, dip one side of them in it, and set them on wire gratings to drain. They may be varied by strewing over them colored pistachios, or colored almonds, according to fancy.

Fine Cheesecakes.

Put a pint of warm cream into a saucepan over the fire, and when it is warm, add to it 5 quarts of new milk. Then put in some rennet, stir it, and water, and a pound of fine sugar. Mix all well together.

Almond Cheesecakes.

Put 4 ounces of blanched sweet almonds into cold water, and beat them in a marble mortar or wooden bowl, with some rose-water. Put to it 4 ounces of sugar, and the yolks of 4 eggs beat fine.

Work it till it becomes white and frothy, and then make a rich puff-paste as follows: Take a pound of flour, and of a pound of butter; rub a little of the butter into the flour, mix it stiff with a little cold water, and then roll out the paste.

Strew on a little flour, and lay over it, in thin bits, one-third of the butter; throw a little more flour over the bottom, and do the like three different times. Put the paste into the tins, grate sugar over them, and bake them gently.

Brioche Paste.

One pound of flour, 10 ounces of butter, an ounce of German yeast, a teaspoonful each of salt and sugar, about 7 eggs. Put part of the flour on a slab, spread it out to form a well, then place the yeast in the centre, and proceed to dissolve it with a little tepid water; when this is effected add sufficient water to mix the whole into a rather soft paste, knead this into the form of a round ball, put it into a stewpan capable of containing 3 times its quantity, score it round the sides with a knife, put the lid on and set it to rise in a rather warm place. In winter it may be put in the screen, but in hot weather the fermentation will proceed more satisfactorily if it is merely placed on the kitchen table or in some such place of moderate warmth. This part of the operation is termed setting the sponge. Next put the remainder of the flour on the slab and spread it out in the centre to form the well, then place the salt and sugar and a teaspoonful of water to dissolve these, after which the butter must be added; break in 6 eggs and work the whole together with the hands until well mixed, first working it between the hands and then rubbing it with both fists held flat on the slab and moving them to and fro, so as thoroughly to reduce any remaining lumps in the paste.

By the time the paste is mixed the sponge will probably have risen sufficiently; to be perfect it must rise to 3 times its original size. When spread out on the paste prepared to receive it, it should present the appearance of a sponge, from which it takes its name. Both the above should be then gently, but thoroughly mixed. A napkin must be spread in a wooden bowl or a basin, some flour shaken over it, and the brioche paste lifted into it; then shake a little flour over the paste, and after throwing the ends of the napkin over all, set the bowl containing the paste in a cool place free from any current of air. It is usual to make this kind of paste late in the evening previously to the day on which it is required for use. The first thing on the following morning, the brioche paste must be turned off the napkin on to the slab, then shake some flour under and over it and fold the paste over half a dozen times, pressing it down with the knuckles each time; put the paste back again into the bowl in the same way as before, and about three hours afterwards knead it again in a similar manner previously to its being baked. If the paste when finished appears to be full of small globules of air, and is when it is turned, put the curd into a linen cloth | perfectly elastic to the touch, it is certain to be well made, and when baked will be both light and of a bright clear color. or bag. Let the whey drain from it, but do not squeeze it too much. Put it into a mortar, and pound it as fine as butter. Add a pound of sweet almonds blanched, a pound of macaroons, or Naples biscuits. Then add 9 well beaten yolks of eggs, a grated nutmeg, a little rose or orange-in a plain mould or paper case (previously spread If the paste is intended to be made into one brioche only, take five-sixths of it; mould this into the form of a round ball or cushion and place it manner, the cake should be immediately put into the oven and baked of a light color. When done serve it cold for luncheon or otherwise. This kind of cake may be varied by introducing raisins, currants, or candied orange or lemon-peel. Brussels Biscuits, or Rusks. with butter) with the smooth surface uppermost; | fermentation has taken place in a satisfactory press it down in the case with the knuckles, and after moulding the remaining piece of paste in a similar manner, first wet the surface of the other part over with the paste-brush dipped in water, and then after inserting the pointed end of this into the centre of that portion of the brioche which has been already placed in the case, press the head down upon it with the back of the hand; egg the brioche over with a paste-brush, score the sides slightly in a slanting direction, place it on a baking-sheet and put it in the oven (at moderate heat). As soon as the brioche begins to rise and has acquired a slight degree of color, let it be covered over with a sheet of paper. About two hours will suffice to bake a large brioche of double the quantity of paste described in this article.