233. To make SHREWSBERRY CAKES.
Take two pounds of fine flour, put to it a pound and a quarter of butter (rub them very well) a pound and a quarter of fine sugar sifted, grate in a nutmeg, beat in three whites of eggs and two yolks, with a little rose-water, and so knead your paste with it, let it lay an hour, then make it up into cakes, prick them and lay them on papers, wet them with a feather dipt in rose-water, and grate over them a little fine sugar; bake them in a slow oven, either on tins or paper.
234. To make a fine CAKE.
Take five pounds of fine flour dried, and keep it warm; four pounds of loaf sugar pounded, sifted and warmed; five pounds of currans well cleaned and warmed before the fire; a pound and a half of almonds blanch'd beat, dried, slit and kept warm; five pounds of good butter well wash'd and beat from the water; then work it an hour and a half till it comes to a fine cream; put to the butter all the sugar, work it up, and then the flour, put in a pint of brandy, then all the whites and yolks of the eggs, mix all the currans and almonds with the rest. There must be four pounds of eggs in weight in the shells, the yolks and the whites beat and separated, the whites beat to a froth; you must not cease beating till they are beat to a curd, to prevent oiling; to the quantity of a cake put a pound and a half of orange-peel and citron shred, without plumbs, and half a pound of carraway seeds, it will require four hours baking, and the oven must be as hot as for bread, but let it be well slaked when it has remained an hour in the oven, and stop it close; you may ice it if you please.
235. To make a SEED CAKE.
Take one quartern of fine flour well dried before the fire, when it is cold rub in a pound of butter; take three quarters of a pound of carraway comfits, six spoonfuls of new yeast, six spoonfuls of cream, the yolks of six eggs and two whites, and a little sack; mix all of these together in a very light paste, set it before the fire till it rise, and so bake it in a tin.
236. To make an ordinary PLUMB CAKE.
Take a pound of flour well dried before the fire, a pound of currans, two penny-worth of mace and cloves, two eggs, four spoonfuls of good new yeast, half a pound of butter, half a pint of cream, melt the butter, warm the cream, and mix altogether in a very light paste, butter your tin before you put it in; an hour will bake it.
237. To make an ANGELICA CAKE.
Take the stalks of angelica boil and green them very well, put to every pound of pulp a pound of loaf sugar beaten very well, and when you think it is beaten enough, lay them in what fashion you please on glasses, and as they candy turn them.