Gelatine Icing
1 tea-spoon gelatine
1 table-spoon cold water
2 table-spoons hot water
1 cup icing sugar
Soak the gelatine in the cold water for half-an-hour. Add to it the hot water and dissolve it in the same. Add it to the sugar and beat till smooth and firm.
Icing without Eggs
1 cup powdered sugar
5 table-spoons milk
Add the milk to the sugar in a saucepan. Stir it till it boils. Then set it where it can boil gently for five minutes. Do not stir. Take off the fire. Put into a basin. Flavour. Beat constantly until cold.
Almond Icing
2 whites of eggs
¹⁄₂ lb. powdered sugar
¹⁄₂ lb. sweet almonds
5 bitter almonds
Rose water
Blanch the almonds and let them dry. Pound them in a mortar and moisten them with a little rose water. When perfectly smooth and fine add them to an icing made as above (see [p. 65]), of the sugar and white of egg. Spread thickly upon the cake. Place it near a sunny window, allow it to dry partly and cover with a coating of plain sugar icing.