Mrs. Maclurcan's cookery book

Mode. — Sift the flour and the baking powder well together on to a paper, cream the butter and sugar into a basin, add to them the yolks of the eggs, have the walnuts ready shelled and broken in small pieces, stir them into the butter, etc., add grated rind of lemon or two pieces of candied lemon peel finely chopped and the essence ; beat well together and then sift in the flour, adding a little milk at times to prevent it becoming too stiff, last of all stir in quietly and lightly the whites of the eggs beaten to a very stiff froth ; have ready a cake tin, lined with well greased paper, half fill with the mixture and bake in a steady oven one and a half to two hours, turn out on a sieve to cool, then spread over with soft icing, halve or quarter a few walnuts, scatter these over the top while the icing is soft and let set before using. Cakes 675— SOFT ICING. i lb. icing sugar Essence 1 teaspoonful cream of tartar Cold water. Mode. — Sift the icing sugar and cream of tartar to ensure its being free from lumps and stir into it sufficient water to make of a consistency that will spread lightly when poured on the cakes, boil for six minutes, any essence or flavoring may be added. Lemon juice is really the nicest. The iced cakes must be put into a nice cool place to allow the icing to set. Melted fondant makes a delicious soft icing. 676— CHOCOLATE ICING-. 3 ozs. chocolate 3 ozs. icing sugar Water Essence of vanilla. Mode. — Melt the chocolate in a tin by placing it in the oven, stir in the icing sugar, adding sufficient water to make it a stiff smooth paste, then add • the essence of vanilla ; spread this with a spoon over the cakes or whatever is to be used, and place in a cool place to set. 677—ICING FOR COFFEE CAKES. Mode. — Whip the whites of two eggs to a froth ; add six ounces icing sugar, a few drops of essence of vanilla ; beat it up thoroughly and spread on the cake with a knife which first dip in cold water. 678—DESDEMONAS AND OTHELLOS. 6 eggs 6 ozs. flour 6 ozs. sugar Essence Custard Chocolate icing Soft icing. Mode. — Separate the whites from the yolks of the eggs, beat the yolks and sugar well together, then the whites to a stiff froth ; beat all lightly together, sift the flour and stir in gently and quickly, then add any Cakes . essence preferred. Have ready a baking sheet lined with buttered paper and drop the mixture on this with a spoon (or run it through a bag with a tube attached) in little round cakes, take care they do not touch, bake fifteen or twenty minutes, take quickly off the paper ; scoop out a little of the centre of the flat side of each cake, fill this with custard and press two cakes together, coat half of them with chocolate icing, dotted with soft white icing, and the other half with white icing dotted with chocolate. The white cakes are called Desdemonas and the dark, Othellos. 679—GINGER CAKE. 1 lb. treacle 3 eggs J lb. sugar i lb. butter 2 ozs. ground ginger 1 J lbs. flour 2 teaspoonfuls carbonate of i oz. allspice soda i pt- milk Lemon,