FILLING FOR LAYER CAKES
NUT AND RAISIN FILLING
Use the recipe for plain icing, and add a half-cup of chopped raisins mixed with a half-cup of chopped almonds or English walnuts.
FIG FILLING
Mix a cup of chopped figs with the same icing.
ORANGE FILLING
1 cup powdered sugar.
1 tablespoonful boiling water.
Grated rind of 1 orange.
1 tablespoonful orange juice.
Put the sugar in a bowl, add the rind, then the water and juice, and spread at once on the cake. This icing must be very thick when made, and if it seems thin put in more sugar.
CARAMEL FILLING
2 cups brown sugar.
½ cup cream or milk.
Butter the size of an egg.
½ teaspoonful vanilla.
Mix all together and cook till it is smooth and thick.
EASY FRUIT-CAKE
Margaret’s Other Aunt begged to have this in the book, because she said it was so simple any little girl could make it, and all the family could help eat it, as they were especially fond of fruit-cake.
1 cup butter.
2 cups sugar.
1 cup milk.
1 cup currants.
1 cup raisins.
1 egg.
1 teaspoonful soda.
2 teaspoonfuls mixed spices.
3 cups flour.
Wash and dry the currants. Buy the seeded raisins and wash these, too, and then chop them. Cream the butter and sugar, add the egg, beaten well without separating, then the sugar with the soda stirred in it, then the milk, then the spice. Measure the flour, and then take out a half-cup of it, and stir in the raisins and currants, to keep them from going to the bottom of the cake when it is baked. Stir these in, add the rest of the flour and beat well. Bake in two buttered cake-tins.
PLAIN ICING
Put the white of one egg into a bowl with a half-teaspoonful of water, and beat till light. Then stir in a cup of sifted powdered sugar, and put on the cake while that is still warm, and smooth it over with a wet knife.
CHOCOLATE ICING
Melt one square of chocolate in a saucer over the tea-kettle, and put in two tablespoonfuls of milk and stir till smooth. Add two tablespoonfuls of sugar and a small half-teaspoonful of butter, and stir again. Take it off the stove and put it on the cake while both are warm.
CARAMEL ICING
½ cup milk.
2 cups brown sugar.
Butter the size of an egg.
1 teaspoonful vanilla.
Mix the butter, sugar, and milk, and cook till it is smooth and thick, stirring all the time and watching it carefully to see that it does not burn; take it off and put in the vanilla, and spread while warm on a warm cake.
DOUGHNUTS
Margaret’s mother did not approve of putting this recipe in her cook-book, because she did not want Margaret ever to eat rich things; but her grandmother said it really must go in, for once in a while very nice doughnuts would not hurt anybody.
1½ cups of sugar.
½ cup of butter.
3 eggs.
1½ cups of milk.
2 teaspoonfuls of baking-powder.
Pinch of salt.
Put in flour enough to make a very soft dough, just as soft as you can handle it. Mix, and put on a slightly floured board and make into round balls, or roll out and cut with a cutter with a hole in the centre. Take two cups of lard with one cup of beef suet which you have melted and strained, and heat till it browns a bit of bread instantly. Then drop in three doughnuts—not more, or you will chill the fat—and when you take them out dry on brown paper. It is much better to use part suet than all lard, yet that will do if you have no suet in the house.
TEA CAKES
2 squares of chocolate.
1 teaspoonful of sugar.
Bit of butter the size of a pea.
Melt the chocolate over the fire and stir in the sugar and butter and a couple of drops of vanilla, if you like. Take little round biscuits, and with a fork roll them quickly in this till they are covered; dry on buttered paper.
BREAD SAUCE FOR CHICKEN, TURKEY, AND GAME
Put into a saucepan the quantity of milk you think will be required. Put some stale bread through the wire sieve and put the crumbs into the milk—not a great deal at first, as the bread swells. Also put a small onion, with four cloves stuck in it, into the milk. Let it gently simmer until the bread swells, but if not fairly thick add more crumbs. Before serving take out the onion and add salt and pepper and a lump of butter.
BROWN SAUCE FOR FISH
One ounce of butter into a stewpan. Stir in a spoonful of flour (or more if a large quantity is required). Let these cook together for five minutes, then add some well-seasoned stock and stir till it boils; colour with some gravy colouring; add salt to taste. Add a glass of port or sherry, one teaspoonful of anchovy sauce, same of Worcester sauce, a little chopped parsley and mushrooms. Just before serving add a little lemon juice—about a teaspoonful; if it is put in at first it will turn the parsley brown.
COLD BRANDY SAUCE FOR PLUM PUDDING
4 oz. of butter.
4 oz. of castor sugar.
4 tablespoonfuls of brandy.
Beat butter to the thickness of honey, mix in the sugar and pour in the brandy by degrees, and see that all is well mixed.