3584. Ginger Biscuits and Cakes.—Work into small crumbs three ounces of butter, two pounds of flour; add three ounces of powdered sugar and two of ginger, in fine powder; knead into a stiff paste, with new milk, roll thin, cut out with a cutter; bake in a slow oven until crisp through; keep of a pale color.
3585. Additional sugar may be used when sweeter biscuit is desired. For good ginger-cakes, butter six ounces, sugar eight, for each pound of flour; wet the ingredients into a paste with eggs; a little lemon-grate will give an agreeable flavor.
3586. Loaf-cake.—Six pounds of flour, three and one-half pounds of butter, three and one-half pounds of sugar, three pints of milk, six eggs, four pounds of fruit, one-half pint of yeast, three gills of wine, four nutmegs, and one and one-quarter ounce of mace citron. Stir butter and sugar to a froth; boil the milk, and turn in the wine; put the curds and whey warm, but not hot, into the flour; then add the eggs and yeast, and only one-third of the beaten butter and sugar; let it rise until very light, and then add the remainder of the butter and sugar, and let it rise again; when light, put in the spices, fruit, &c., bake it in a not very hot oven.
Another receipt leaves out one-half pound of butter and also one-half pound of sugar to the same quantity of flour, fruit, eggs, &c.
3587. Sponge-Cake.—Take three-quarters of a pound of white sugar, and pour one-half tumbler of cold water into it, and set it over the fire until it boils clear; beat up seven eggs, the whites and yolks separately, and, after the sugar and water has cooled, add the yolks, stirring them well; flavor it with the peel of a lemon, and half the juice of the same; add the whites of the eggs, and then sift in one half pound of flour. This cake has the advantage of remaining moist and spirited, longer than other sponge-cake.