- 1 pound of flour.
- 1 pound of sugar.
- 1 pound of butter.
- ½ pound of candied citron (sliced).
- 4 pounds of currants.
- 4 pounds of raisins (stoned and chopped).
- 9 eggs.
- 1 tablespoonful of ground cinnamon.
- 1 tablespoonful of mace.
- 1 tablespoonful of nutmeg.
- 3 gills of brandy.
Mix the fruit together and flour it; mix the spices with the sugar. Cream the butter and sugar; add the beaten yolks, then the whipped whites and the brandy, then the flour, and lastly the fruit. Put the mixture in two large tins lined with double paper, and bake in a moderate oven for three hours. If preferred, add the sliced citron in layers as the mixture is poured into the pans. One pound of chopped almonds may be substituted for one of the pounds of currants. This cake will keep any length of time, therefore the quantity may not be too great to make at one time.
CREAM CAKES AND ÉCLAIRS
These are made of cooked paste, and are very easy to prepare. The cream cakes differ from the éclairs only in form and in not being iced.
CREAM CAKES
- 1 cupful of water.
- 1 tablespoonful of sugar.
- 2 tablespoonfuls of butter.
- 1½ cupfuls of flour (pastry flour preferred).
- 3 to 4 eggs.
- ½ saltspoonful of salt.
Put the water, sugar, salt, and butter in a saucepan on the fire. When the butter is melted remove; add to it the flour, and beat until it is a smooth paste; return it to the fire, and stir vigorously until the paste leaves the sides of the pan; then remove; let it partly cool, and then add the eggs, one at a time, beating each one for some time before adding the next. When all are in, beat until the batter is no longer stringy. It should be consistent enough to hold its shape without spreading when dropped from the spoon on a tin. Three eggs make it about right unless they are very small or the flour very dry. The batter is better if it stands for an hour or two before being used; but this is not essential. Put the mixture into a pastry-bag with a tube of one half inch opening; press the batter through into balls one and a half to two inches in diameter. A spoon can be used, but does not give the cakes as good shape. Brush the tops with egg. Put them in a slack oven and bake slowly for about forty minutes. They will feel light when done, and be puffed very high. Oil and flour the pans or baking-sheets as directed on page [464]. When the puffs are cool make an incision in the side and fill with cream filling as given for layer cakes, page [468]. The whipped whites of the eggs may be added to this filling if it is wanted thinner and lighter.
These cakes are good made very small, filled with jam and a little whipped cream, and the tops dipped in sugar boiled to the crack, then sprinkled with chopped burnt almonds.