The encyclopædia of practical cookery

Velvet Cake. — Beat fib. of warmed butter and lib. of caster sugar with the hand until it becomes like cream. Dissolve 1 teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda in 1 teacupful of cold water, and mix in with the butter and sugar. Put 2 teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar in lib. of flour, and sift gradually in with the other ingredients ; add five eggs, the whites and yolks beaten separately, flavour to taste, beat all well together, put in a greased tin, and bake for half-an-hour. Venice Cake. — (1) Beat up the yolks of twenty-eight eggs and 6oz. of sugar until quite light, then beat up the whites of four eggs to a stiff froth and mix in, adding 3oz. of blanched, shredded, sweet almonds, 6oz. of flour, and a little lemonpeel, and mix well together. Butter a mould, pour in the mixture, and bake until done in a moderate oven. (2) Take a large savoy Cake and cut it into slices transversely, of about fin. in thickness ; mask each slice with raspberry or apricot jam, or each jam alternately. Put the layers in their original places and ice the whole over. The icing should be allowed to run into the flutes and mouldings of the Cake. Place it just within the door of the oven to dry, but not to get discoloured. When dry enough decorate with piping. (3) Separate the yolks and whites of four eggs, put the yolks in a basin with 4 heaped table-spoonfuls of caster sugar, beat them well, and mix in gradually 6 table-spoonfuls of flour. Whisk the whites of the eggs to a stiff snow, and stir them in lightly and quickly with the above mixture. Line some small square boxes or tins with sheets of white paper, pour some of the above mixture into each, about two-thirds filling them. Dust over with caster sugar, and bake in a moderate oven. When baked, leave the Cakes until cold, then cut a small round piece out of the centre of each, fill the hollow with peaches or apricots that have been stewed in syrup, put two together, and arrange on a dish. Victoria Cake. — (1) Warm lflb. of butter in a basin and beat it to a cream, then add 6oz. of blanched almonds and two or three bitter ones well pounded in a mortar, fib. of dried cherries cut in halves, fib. of well-minced mixed candied peel, lflb. of flour, 1 pinch of salt, and four well-whipped eggs. Beat all together quickly for a few minutes and then add slowly, beating all the time, fib. of flour, eight well-beaten eggs, and a large wineglassful of brandy. Put lfoz. of fresh yeast into 1 table-spoonful of warm water and let it dissolve. Make a hole in the centre of the batter and pour in the yeast. Knead this thoroughly, and then add f pint of cream whipped to a froth. Butter a baking-tin and half fill it with the mixture ; put a cloth over it and place before the fire to rise. When it has risen to double its original bulk, bake it at once in a moderate oven until it is of a light brown, or so that a skewer if passed into it comes out again clean. This Cake may also be served as a pudding, with custard sauce poured over it. (*,) Take two lemons and rub the rinds off with pieces of For details respecting Culinary Processes , Utensils , Cakes — continued.