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Cocoanut Caramels, White and Red

1 pound of granulated sugar. 8 ounces of desiccated cocoanut. A small half cupful of water. Coloring.

Set the sugar and water over the fire in a small bright kettle and boil about 5 minutes, or till the syrup bubbles up thick and ropes from the spoon, and do not stir it. Then put in the cocoanut, stir to mix, and begin at once and drop the candy by table spoonfuls on a buttered baking pan. Reserve a few spoonfuls, make it hot again and color with cochineal and thin with a spoonful of water. Drop a spot of the red on each of the white caramels. Should the candy become set in the kettle before all is used it may be dissolved by adding a spoonful of water and setting it on the range again. When fresh grated cocoanut is used the sugar needs to be boiled to the candy point, or 3 or 4 minutes longer.

The yolk of an egg may be mixed with a portion of the candy instead of red coloring as above to make a yellow color, and melted chocolate added for another variety.

We set out white cakes, fruit cakes, pound and yeast raised cakes, but if we may judge by the criterion of the quantity used where people have free choice, sponge cake and the numerous varieties from the same mixture, all made without butter, hold the first place as favorites. Italian cakes is the general term for the class; diet bread cake is the fanciful name for sponge cake sometimes found in old-time cook-books. The loaf cakes of this sort, whether large or small, are not so good when stale, and in some large confectionaries having reputations to keep up, it is made a rule never to sell any over a day old over the counter, but such stock is disposed of at a reduced rate to small dealers.

The good quality of all these varieties depends upon the same precautions being observed as in the case of meringues and macaroons, just fully explained in the preceding columns.