Cassell's dictionary of cookery

One very useful method of ornamenting dishes and particular cakes is what is known as icing. "We all know how very handsome, and at the same time how exceedingly rich, indigestible, and expensive, a wedding cake is. "We will, however, take the simple case of a child's birthday, and, naturally, a cake at tea is one of the features of the day's festivities. What parents should endeavour to do is as much as possible to please their children, but never at the expense of their health. Now a simple, plain cake can be bought, or made at home ; but what a difference if this simple, wholesome cake is "iced over! and, after all, what is icing] Nothing but sugar and white of eggs ; and sugar being rather good for children in moderation than otherwise, when the icing for the cake is home-made, and consequently unadulterated, there can be no harm in the children eating it. Icing for cakes can also be made into ornamental buttons, white and pink, by baking the icing on a sheet of paper, the pink buttons of course being coloured with cochineal. Icing is easily made as follows : — Take, say for a good large quantity, six whites of eggs, and j)lace them in a large basin, and have ready about a pound and a half of very finely powdered and sifted white sugar. Mix these well together -with a large wooden spoon, adding the sugar gradually, occasionally squeezing in a little of the juice of a fresh and rather green or acid lemon. This must be worked together with the spoon, and sufficient sugar added till the whole mass becomes a thick, but at the same time liquid,. and somewhat shiny substance. Of course the purity of the white is of great importance, and, consequently, care should be taken in the selection of the sugar, which should be the whitest that can be obtained. This icing can be now spread over any cake, and one of the best spreaders will be found to be an ordinary broad ivory paper knife. Place a large sheet of white paper over the cake to keep ofi" the dust, and place it in a warm place to dry; then ornament the top with any wholesome sweets you may think fit, such as candied fruits of various kinds, or dried cherries. Really, icing a cake is so simple and so cheap, and gives children so much delight, that it is to be regretted it is not more generally resorted to on festive occasions. One great advantage of the icing is that you can pass off a plain and consequently a wholesome cake for a very grand one ; by this means the children can have a good thick slice, and come two or three times, without being made bilious the following day. Oranges filled with jelly {see page 482) can be cut up to ornament the top of a plain cake for children. Fruit pies and puddings require but little comment. One word of warning, however, against that too common fault of mixing fruits indiscriminately. Of course some fruits are improved by mixing ; for instance, I consider currant and raspberry tart to be the very king of tarts, but some persons are disposed to mix apples and plums, apples and black currants, &c. As a rule, fruit pies are best when they only contain one fruit. Ixviii cassell's dictionary of cookery.