Queen Cake
Made with the lady cake mixture, No. 5, except the milk. 1 pound of the greenest colored candied citron. 1/2 pound of almonds, blanched and split. 1/2 pound of sultana seedless raisins. 1/2 cup of sherry or maderia wine. The citron to be cut in fine shreds and floured together with the almonds and raisins before mixing in. This mixture also makes small queen cakes, baked in little patty-pans, and these frosted on top are among the finest possible. It is at these times they make the master of the house buy a cord of hickory wood and hire a man to saw it, because it makes such a nice steady heat to bake a cake with; and they send a boy on a horse to a friend's in the country to get some "right fresh eggs," because there are none in the whole town good enough. Then they have Julia to dry the flour, and Betsey to wash and pound the butter, and Susan and her little sister to beat the eggs, and it is bad for the poor cat if she gets in the way. We fellows who live in bakeries don't positively know that these things take place, but have picked up such impressions someway. But we do know how the cakes look when they get to the fair.