Lady Cake
Take one-half cup of butter; one and one-half cups of granulated sugar; one cup of lukewarm water; two and one-half cups of sifted flour; four eggs; whites only; one lemon, juice and rind, or two teaspoons of vanilla; two teaspoons of baking powder. Cream the butter in an earthenware dish with a silver spoon, stirring it until it is a light-colored cream; and then add the sugar, beating thoroughly. Sift the flour, and add one-half of it and the cup of water, adding a little water, then some flour, and so on in alternation. Beat the whites of the eggs stiff and dry, add one-half of them and then the rest of the flour. Again beat well, and add the juice and grated rind of the lemon, or the vanilla, as preferred, and next the baking powder and the balance of the beaten whites. Turn quickly into a deep, well-buttered tin and bake for three-fourths of an hour. The tin should be ready to use before the baking powder is placed in the cake, as the batter would rise during a slight delay and the good of the baking powder would be lost. When the cake is cold, cover with frosting.