Note. When any fluid tends towards cold, the moving it quickly accelerates the cold; and likewise, when any fluid is tending to heat, stirring it will facilitate its boiling.
Icing for Tarts.
Beat the yelk of an egg and some melted butter well together, wash the tarts with a feather, and sift sugar over as you put them in the oven. Or beat white of egg: wash the paste, and sift white sugar.
Icing for Cakes.
For a large one, beat and sift eight ounces of fine sugar, put into a mortar with four spoonfuls of rose water, and the whites of two eggs beaten and strained, whisk it well, and when the cake is almost cold, dip a feather in the icing, and cover the cake well; set it in the oven to harden, but do not let it stay to discolour. Put the cake in a dry place.
CAKES.
Observations on making and baking Cakes.
Currants should be very nicely washed, dried in a cloth, and then set before the fire. If damp they will make cakes or puddings heavy. Before they are added, a dust of dry flour should be thrown among them, and a shake given to them, which causes the thing that they are put to, to be lighter.
Eggs should be very long beaten, whites and yelks apart, and always strained.
Sugar should be rubbed to a powder on a clean board, and sifted through a very fine hair or lawn sieve.