[793.] Fine Fruit Dumplings.— Pare and quarter some peaches, apples or pears and boil them in sugar syrup until done, but in such a way that the pieces stay whole; then take them out with a skimmer and lay on a long dish; in the meantime prepare some dumplings as follows:—Place 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoonful butter over the fire; as soon as it boils stir in 1 cup sifted flour and stir constantly until it has formed into a smooth dough and loosens itself from the bottom of saucepan; after the dough has cooled stir 1 tablespoonful butter to a cream and add by degrees the yolks of 3 eggs, the dough, 1 tablespoonful dry farina and lastly the whites beaten to a stiff froth; form the mixture with a tablespoon into dumplings and drop them into the boiling syrup in which the fruit was boiled; when done take them out with a skimmer and lay in a circle around the fruit; pour the syrup over them and serve. These dumplings may also be made with dried fruit.
[794.] Plain Suet Dumplings.— 1 pint bread crumbs soaked in 1 cup milk, ½ pound suet freed from strings and chopped fine, 4 eggs (whites and yolks beaten separately), 1 tablespoonful sugar, 1 teaspoonful salt and 1 cup prepared flour or flour with ½ teaspoonful Royal baking powder; work into a smooth dough and shape with floured hands into dumplings; boil them inclosed in little, square pieces of muslin or dumpling cloths that have been previously dipped in hot water, wrung out and floured on the inside; boil 40 minutes and serve with strawberry, cherry or wine sauce; or stir any kind of fresh fruit into ½ pint hard sauce and serve it with the dumplings.
[795.] Plain Dumplings (with stewed Apples).— Pare, core and cut into quarters 6 tart apples; boil 1 cup sugar with 2 cups water to a syrup, put in the apples and boil till tender, but do not allow them to break; when done take the apples out with a skimmer and lay them on a dish; mix 1 cup prepared flour with 1 egg, 1 teaspoonful butter and a little water into a thick batter, drop a small portion of the mixture with a teaspoon into the boiling apple syrup and boil 5 minutes; remove them, lay in a circle around the apples and pour the syrup over them. A few slices of lemon may be boiled with the syrup. This dish can also be made of pears, dried apples or apricots.
[796.] Apple Dumplings (with Rice).— Place ½ pound rice in a saucepan over the fire with cold water, boil 3 minutes and drain in a colander, rinsing with cold water; then put it back on the fire in the same saucepan with 1 pint milk, ½ teaspoonful salt, ½ teaspoonful sugar and a little piece of butter; boil until thick; remove from the fire and mix it with 2 well beaten eggs; dip the dumpling cloths in hot water, wring them out and flour well inside; put 2 spoonfuls of the boiled rice upon each cloth, spread it out smooth and lay in the center of each a peeled and cored apple; fill the opening left by the removal of the core with currant jelly or sugar; draw the 4 corners of the cloth together, bring them to the top of the apple and fasten with pins; drop them into boiling water and boil ½ hour; serve with sweet cream or vanilla, fruit or claret sauces.
[ CAKES.]
[797.] Plain Cake.— 1 cup butter, 1 cup milk, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups prepared flour, 4 eggs and the grated rind of 1 lemon; stir butter and sugar to a light white cream with your right hand; then stir with a silver spoon, add the eggs, 1 at a time, stirring a few minutes between each addition; next add the sifted flour and milk alternately; butter a large, round cake pan and line it with buttered paper; pour in the cake mixture and bake in a medium hot oven for 1 hour; to ascertain if cake is done thrust a knitting needle into center of cake; if it comes out clean the cake is done; if not, the baking must be continued; when done remove the cake from oven and let it stand 10 minutes; then turn it out of pan, remove the paper and set the cake in a cool place or put it when cold in a tin cake box. If plain flour is used take 1½ teaspoonfuls baking powder and sift it with the flour. Measure with a cup which holds half a pint.
[798.] Marble Cake.— Take the same mixture as for Plain Cake and divide it into 3 equal parts; add to one part some red sugar or a little prepared cochineal, to give it a fine pink tint; stir into another part 3 tablespoonfuls grated chocolate and leave the third part plain; butter a large cake pan and line it with buttered paper; fill the pan about ½ inch deep with the plain batter and drop upon this in 3 or 4 places 1 spoonful of the dark and pink batters; pour in more plain batter; then drop in the pink and brown the same way; continue until all is used; the pink may be omitted if the coloring is not handy; bake the same as Plain Cake; when done ice the cake with boiled chocolate glaze.
[799.] Nut Cake.— Prepare a cake batter the same as for Plain Cake, stir in 1 pint shelled walnuts broken into pieces and finish the same as Plain Cake; or stir 3 cups freshly grated cocoanut into the plain cake batter; or stir 1 pint shelled hickory nuts into the plain cake batter; or almonds cut into strips; Brazil nuts may also be used.
[800.] Citron Cake.— Cut ½ pound citron into fine slices and prepare a cake batter the same as for Plain Cake; butter a large, round pan and line it with buttered paper; pour in a layer of cake batter; then a layer of sliced citron; then batter and citron again; continue until all is used; bake in a medium hot oven till done, which will take about 1¼ hours; if the oven should be too hot cover the cake with buttered paper.
[801.] Lady Cake.— 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup milk, 3 cups prepared flour, the whites of 8 eggs and the grated rind and juice of 1 lemon; stir butter and sugar with your hand to a light white cream and beat the whites to a stiff froth; take a silver spoon and stir the whites, the lemon, sifted flour and milk alternately into the creamed butter and sugar; butter a large mould and line it with buttered paper; pour in the mixture and bake 1 hour. Note.—½ pound blanched almonds cut into strips may be stirred into the cake mixture and flavored with vanilla; or 1 pint shelled walnuts broken into pieces or ½ pound finely cut citron can be stirred into the batter and flavored with essence of almonds; ice with clear icing.