CAKES, CRULLERS AND ECLAIRS
ALMOND CAKES—One pound sifted flour, one-half pound butter, three-fourths pound sugar, two eggs, one-half teaspoon ground cinnamon, four ounces of almonds blanched and chopped very fine. Two ounces of raisins finely chopped. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then rub in the butter, add eggs and spices last of all, roll out half an inch thick, cut in fancy shapes and bake in a slow oven.
ALMOND CHEESE CAKES—Blanch and pound to a fine paste one cupful almonds. As you pound them add rose water, a few drops at a time to keep them from oiling. Add the paste to one cupful milk curd, together with a half cup cream, one cupful sugar, three beaten egg yolks and a scant teaspoonful of rose water. Fill patty pans lined with paste and bake in hot oven ten minutes.
AUNT AMY'S CAKE—Take two eggs, one and one-half cups of sugar, one cup of sour milk, one-half cup of butter, two cups of flour and one teaspoonful of soda. Spice to taste. This is a good cake and one which is also inexpensive in baking. Use a moderate oven and bake in loaves rather than sheets.
BALTIMORE CAKE—Beat one cupful of butter to a cream, using a wood cake spoon. Add gradually while beating constantly two cupfuls fine granulated sugar. When creamy add a cupful of milk, alternating with three and one-half cupfuls pastry flour that has been mixed and sifted with two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Add a teaspoonful of vanilla and the whites of six eggs beaten stiff and dry. Bake in three buttered and floured shallow cake tins, and spread between the layers and on top the following icing: Put in a saucepan three cups sugar, one cup water. Heat gradually to the boiling point, and cook without stirring until the syrup will thread. Pour the hot syrup gradually over the well beaten whites of three eggs and continue beating until of the right consistency for spreading. Then add one cupful chopped and seeded raisins, one cup chopped pecan meats and five figs cut in strips.
BALTIMORE CAKE—For this cake use one cupful butter, two cupfuls sugar, three and one-half cupfuls flour, one cupful sweet milk, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, the whites of six eggs and a teaspoonful of rose water. Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, beating steadily, then the milk and flavoring, next the flour sifted with the baking powder, and lastly the stiffly beaten whites folded in at the last. Bake in three layer cake tins in an oven hotter than for loaf cake. While baking prepare the filling. Dissolve three cupfuls sugar in one cupful boiling water, and cook until it spins a thread. Pour over the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs, stirring constantly. Add to this icing one cupful chopped raisins, one cupful chopped nut meats, preferably pecans or walnuts, and a half dozen figs cut in fine strips. Use this for filling and also ice the top and sides with it.
BREAD CAKE—Cream one cup of sugar and one-half cup of butter, add one-half cup of milk, two cups of flour sifted with three teaspoons of baking powder and last the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs and half a teaspoon of vanilla flavoring. Bake in one loaf.
BRIDE'S CAKE—One and one-half cupfuls of sugar, one-half cupful of butter, one-half cupful of sweet milk, two cupfuls of flour, one-quarter cupful cornstarch, six egg whites, one and one-half teaspoonfuls baking powder, one teaspoonful vanilla. Cream the sugar and butter, add milk, flour and cornstarch into which the baking powder has been thoroughly sifted, stir in the whites of eggs quickly with the flavoring.
BUTTERMILK CAKE—Cream three tablespoons of butter with one cup of sugar, add one cup of buttermilk, one well beaten egg, two cups of flour sifted with four teaspoons of baking powder and one-half cup of seeded raisins cut in pieces and rolled in flour.
CHOCOLATE CAKE—Beat one cup of butter to a cream with two cups of sugar, add the yolks of five eggs, beaten until light-colored, and one cup of milk. Sift three and one-half cups of flour with five level teaspoons of baking powder and add to the first mixture. Stir well and fold in the beaten whites of two eggs. Beat in layer cake tins and spread the following mixture between when the cakes are nearly cold. Beat one and one-half cups of powdered sugar, three level tablespoons of cocoa, one teaspoon of vanilla, and the whites of three eggs together until a smooth mixture is made that will spread easily. The exact amount of sugar varies a little on account of size of eggs.