Harper's cook book encyclopædia

Nut Layer Cake. — One cupful of sugar, one cupful of milk, two cupfuls of flour, with two even teaspoonfuls of baking-powder sifted in, a piece of butter the size of an egg, two eggs, the white of one, however, being put aside for the frosting. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add the milk, the yolks of the two eggs and white of one, well beaten, and lastly the two cupfuls of flour, stirring the whole mixture thoroughly together. Then take out one-third into another dish, grate in sufficient chocolate to make it look dark, and flavor with vanilla. Flavor the remaining twothirds with lemon, put the chocolate mixture — which is to form the middle layer — into one pan to bake, and the light mixture into two others. For the filling, whip half a pint of thick cream, chop a cupful of walnuts fine, add a cupful of sugar, and stir both into the cream. Spread between the layers, and cover the top with an icing made of the white of egg reserved for the purpose, sifting shredded cocoanut over it. If nuts cannot be obtained, or several cakes are to be made and variety is desired, chopped figs or raisins can be used with the cream. Orange Cake. — Two cupfuls of sugar, a small half-cupful of butter, two cupfuls of flour, half a cupful of water, the yolks of five eggs and whites of four, a teaspoonful of bak- Peach Short Cake Plum Cake ing-powder sifted with the flour, the rind of one orange and the juice of one and a half. Beat the butter to a cream. Add the sugar gradually, then the orange, the eggs, well beaten, the water, and the flour. Bake in sheets for twenty - five minutes in a moderate oven, and, when cool, frost. Frosting : The white of an egg, the juice of one and a half oranges and the grated rind of one, one and a half cupfuls of powdered sugar, unless the egg and oranges are very large, in which case use two cupfuls. Another way : — Take two even teacupfuls each of sugar and flour, half a cupful of water, the yolks of five eggs, beaten very light, also the whites of four, the juice and grated rind of one orange, and two teaspoonfuls of baking - powder sifted with the flour. Bake in four layers. Take the juice and grated rind of one large or two small oranges, threefourths of a teacupful of sugar, and the white of one egg, beaten stiff. Spread this between layers, adding more sugar to that used for the top. For the filling, wash two large table-spoonfuls of butter until it is quite fresh, and put it on the range to melt with a cupful of granulated sugar. When these ingredients are melted, beat into them the wellwhipped yolks of three eggs and the white of one, all the juice of two oranges and the grated rind of one. Cook, stirring all the time, for five or ten minutes, or until very thick. When cold, spread this mixture between the layers of your cake, and make an icing for the top layer of the two remaining whites of eggs and powdered sugar, flavored with a little grated orange-peel and a few drops of orange-juice. An orange short cake makes a pleasant variation in the monotony of winter desserts, and is easy to prepare by the cook who understands the mystery of light biscuit dough. The fruit should be cut in small pieces and well sugared, and spread between and on top of the hot cake. Whipped cream is a great addition to this dish, or it may be served with a plain liquid sauce.