Chapter 21

782. +Baked Apple Dumplings, No. 3.+-- 1 pint flour, 1/2 teaspoonful salt, 1/2 cup cold water and 3/4 cup lard; mix flour, salt and water to a paste and work it for a little while on a board; roll it out into a square piece 1 inch in thickness; also shape the lard into a square piece, but smaller than the paste; fold the paste over the lard and set it for a little while in a cool place; then roll it out 1/2 inch in thickness and fold together so that it is 3 double; roll and fold it twice more; then roll it out 1/8 of an inch in thickness, cut into squares and finish the same as in foregoing recipe.

783. +Baked Apple Dumplings+ (with Baking Powder).--2 cups flour, 1 teaspoonful baking powder, 1/2 cup water or milk, 1/2 cup butter or lard and 1/4 teaspoonful salt; sift flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl, put in the butter and chop it fine; then mix the whole into a soft dough; roll it out 1/8 of an inch in thickness and cut it into squares; put a tart apple, pared and cored, onto each square and put into each apple a small piece of butter and a little sugar; bring the 4 corners of paste together on top of the apple, fasten them with a little white of egg, put in a long, shallow pan and set in a medium hot oven to bake till done; serve with hard or wine sauce; if the oven is too hot cover them with paper. To ascertain when dumplings are done thrust a knitting needle into them. If it penetrates through the apples easily they are done; if not, the baking must be continued until they are done.

784. +Apple Dumplings (bain-Marie).+-- 1 pound flour, 1 teaspoonful baking powder, 1/2 teaspoonful salt, 1 cup cream or milk and 3/4 cup butter; sift flour, salt and powder into a bowl, add the milk and mix it into a paste; roll it out on a floured board into a square piece about 1-1/2 inches in thickness; form the butter into a square piece and lay it in the center of paste; fold the paste over it, first from the right and left side, then from you and towards you; put it on a tin plate and set in a cool place for 1/2 hour; next roll it out 3 times as long as wide, fold it together and lay one end over the middle; then the other end over that, so the paste is 3 double; roll and fold it twice more the same way; then roll it out thin, butter and dust 8 cups with flour and line them with the crust; fill them with finely sliced tart apples and sugar, cover them with the same paste and set the cups in a pan of hot water; put them in the oven to bake; when done turn them onto a dish, dust with sugar and serve with 2 sauces--a wine or nutmeg sauce and a hard sauce. These dumplings can be made with any kind of fruit.

785. +Steamed Apple Dumplings.+-- Prepare a fine puff paste, cut it into squares and inclose in each square a nice peeled and cored, juicy apple; lay the dumplings into a steamer, cover tightly, set the steamer over boiling water and let them steam till done, which will take from 1 to 1-1/2 hours; serve with brandy, hard or sherry wine sauce. Instead of puff paste a fine pie crust may be used.

786. +Boiled Apple Dumplings, No. 1.+-- 1 cup finely chopped suet, 2 cups prepared flour, 1 egg and 3/4 cup water; mix this into a stiff dough, roll it out 1/8 of an inch in thickness and cut into squares; brush each square over with beaten egg and sprinkle over some finely sifted bread crumbs; put in the center of each a nice pared and cored juicy, tart apple; bring the 4 corners of the paste together on top of apple and press them together; brush the dumplings over with beaten egg and dust over them some fine bread crumbs; wring out some small, square pieces of muslin in hot water and dust them with flour; inclose each dumpling in a cloth, pin the 4 corners together, drop them into slightly salted boiling water and boil 3/4 hour; serve with cherry wine or nutmeg sauce, or hard or brandy sauce. Dumplings boiled in this way are dry and light. 1/2 cup of lard may be substituted for the suet.

787. +Boiled Apple Dumplings, No. 2.+-- 1/2 pound lard, 1 pound sifted flour, 1 teaspoonful salt and 1/2 cup cold water; put flour, lard and salt in a bowl and chop the lard fine with a knife in the flour; add the water and mix it with the knife into a stiff paste; put the paste on a floured board and roll it out about 1/2 inch in thickness; fold it up and roll it out again about 1/8 of an inch thick; cut into squares and lay in the center of each a pared and cored juicy, tart apple; bring the corners of the squares neatly together and press them lightly; inclose each dumpling in a small square cloth, bring the 4 corners together and fasten with a pin; each cloth should be previously dipped in hot water, wrung out and dusted with flour on the inside before the dumpling is put into it; drop them into boiling water which is slightly salted, boil 1/2 hour and serve with cherry wine sauce. NOTE.--A good pie crust can also be used for this purpose. Peach, plum and cherry dumplings are made the same way. The above ingredients will make about 8 dumplings. 1/2 pound finely chopped suet may be used instead of lard.

788. +Lemon Dumplings.+-- Mix 2 cups prepared flour with 2 eggs, 1 tablespoonful butter or 1/2 cup finely chopped suet, 1-1/2 tablespoonfuls sugar, the juice and half the grated rind of 1 lemon and finish the same as Orange Dumplings; serve with cherry wine sauce or prepare a sauce the same as for Orange Dumplings and flavor with lemon instead of oranges.

789. +Orange Dumplings.+-- 2 cups prepared flour, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoonfuls butter, 1 tablespoonful sugar and 1 cup water; mix this into a thick batter; pare 3 nice oranges, cut them into small pieces and remove the pits and all the skin, so that there is nothing left but the meat of the oranges; stir this into the batter; have a kettle of boiling water on the stove with a little salt; next drop the mixture with a tablespoon into the boiling water, taking care not to put too much in at once; cover the kettle and boil the dumplings just 10 minutes; remove them with a skimmer to a warm dish and serve at once with the following sauce:--Stir 2 tablespoonfuls butter with 1 cup powdered sugar to a cream and add by degrees 1 egg, 2 tablespoonfuls brandy or wine, the juice of 1 orange and a little grated rind. These dumplings should be removed from the water as soon as done, otherwise they will become heavy.

790. +Fruit Dumplings.+-- Stir 1 ounce butter to a cream and add by degrees 3 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls finely chopped almonds, a little grated lemon peel, 4 large apples peeled and cut into small slices and 1/4 pound bread that has been previously soaked in water and pressed out in a napkin; add cup of bread crumbs, mix all together, drop with a spoon dumplings from this mixture into slightly salted boiling water, boil until done and serve with wine sauce. Cherries, peaches, pears, plums, blackberries or huckleberries may be used instead of apples.

791. +Strawberry Dumplings.+-- 1 cup beef suet freed from strings and chopped fine, 3 cups sifted prepared flour, 1 tablespoonful sugar and 2 eggs; mix with 3/4 cup cold water to a soft dough; shape into large balls with floured hands, put into a dumpling cloth that is buttered and floured on the inside and fasten the 4 corners of the cloth together with a pin; drop into slightly salted boiling water and boil till done, which will take about 1/2 hour. The best way to ascertain if dumplings are done is to thrust a knitting needle into them. If no dough clings to it and the needle comes out clean they are done and must be instantly removed from fire, taken from the cloth, laid on a warm dish and served at once; serve with the same sauce as the following recipe.

792. +Strawberry Dumplings (another way).+-- 2 cups prepared flour, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoonful butter, 1 tablespoonful sugar and 1 cup milk or water; mix this into a stiff batter and stir in lastly 1 cup well washed and drained berries and finish the same as Orange Dumplings; serve with the following sauce:--Stir 2 tablespoonfuls butter with 1 cup powdered sugar to a cream and add the yolks of 2 eggs and 3 tablespoonfuls white wine; when this is well mixed stir 1 cup nice, ripe strawberries into it; put sauce into a glass dish; have the whites beaten to a stiff froth, spread it over the top of sauce and set nice, large strawberries around the edge of dish. These dumplings may be made of all kinds of fruit--peaches, cherries, plums, pears or apricots.

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, 1/2 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 1/2 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 1/2 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 1/2 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, 1/2 teaspoonful salt, 1/2 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 1/2 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 1-1/2 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 1/2 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 1/2 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 1-1/4 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.--1/2 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 1/2 pound finely cut citron can be stirred into the batter and flavored with essence of almonds; ice with clear icing.

802. +Dutchess Cake.+-- 1 cup butter, 1 cup milk, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups prepared flour, the yolks of 8 eggs and 2 teaspoonfuls peach extract; stir butter and sugar with the right hand to a light white cream; then stir with a spoon and add the yolks, 2 at a time, stirring a few minutes between each addition; next add the flavoring, 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 1 hour. NOTE.--1 pint shelled walnuts broken into pieces may be stirred into this cake mixture or Brazil nuts may be used; also peanuts broken into pieces.

803. +Fruit Cake.+-- Prepare a cake batter the same as for Plain Cake; remove the stones from 1/2 pound raisins; cut 1/4 pound citron into fine slices and mix the raisins and citron with 1/2 pound well washed and dried currants; dust the fruit with flour, stir it into the cake mixture and finish the same as Plain Cake.

804. +Rich Fruit Cake.+-- 2 pounds stoned raisins, 2 pounds seedless raisins, 2 pounds well washed and dried currants, 1 pound finely sliced citron, 1 pound butter, 1/2 pint good brandy, 1 pint molasses, 1 pound brown sugar, 2 teaspoonfuls grated nutmeg, 2 teaspoonfuls ground cinnamon, cloves and mace, 12 eggs and 1 pound flour sifted with 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder; dredge the fruit with flour; stir butter and sugar with the hand to a light white cream; then stir with a wooden spoon and add the eggs, 1 at a time, stirring a few minutes between each addition; next add the molasses, brandy, spice and sifted flour and lastly stir in the fruit; butter 2 large, round cake pans and line them with brown paper; fill in the mixture and bake in a medium hot oven from 3 to 4 hours. Great care must be taken that the oven is just right, as the cake burns very easily.

805. +Orange Layer Cake.+-- 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup milk, the whites of 3 eggs, 1-1/2 cups prepared flour and the grated rind of 1/2 orange; stir butter and sugar with your right hand to a light white cream and add the grated orange rind; beat the whites to a stiff froth; then add them alternately with the sifted flour and milk to the above mixture; butter 2 large jelly cake tins and line them with buttered tissue paper; put an equal portion of the cake batter into each pan; spread it evenly with a broad-bladed knife dipped in water and bake the cakes in a medium hot oven till a light brown and done, which will take from 15 to 20 minutes; to ascertain when cakes are done thrust a knitting needle into the center of them; if it comes out clean the cakes are done; if any dough adheres to it the baking must be continued; as soon as the cakes are done remove them from the oven; lay a clean cloth or paper on the kitchen table and dust over it some powdered sugar; turn the cakes out of pans upside down onto the cloth and let them lay till cold; in the meantime prepare the filling, as follows: Put in a small saucepan the juice of 1 orange, 1 teaspoonful lemon juice, a little grated orange peel, 1 teaspoonful butter and the yolks of 3 eggs; set the saucepan in a vessel of boiling water and stir the contents till they thicken; remove from the fire and when cold add 1/2 cup sugar; lay one layer of cake, bottom side up, on a jelly cake dish and spread over it the orange mixture; lay over the remaining layer, right side up, and dust with powdered sugar; or ice the cake with clear icing; or cover the top of cake with an orange glaze.

806. +Lemon Layer Cake.+-- 1 cup butter, 1 cup milk, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups prepared flour and the whites of 6 eggs; stir butter and sugar with the right hand to a light white cream, then stir it with a spoon; beat the whites to a stiff froth; add by degrees the sifted flour, the beaten whites and milk alternately to the above mixture; butter 4 good sized jelly tins and line them with buttered paper; then fill in a thin layer of the cake mixture, spread it smooth with a knife and bake in a medium hot oven to a light brown and well done; in the meantime prepare a filling as follows:--Put in a small saucepan the grated rind and juice of 1 lemon, the yolks of 6 eggs, 1 tablespoonful butter and 2 tablespoonfuls water; set the saucepan in a vessel of boiling water and stir till contents thicken; remove from fire when cold, add 1 cup sugar; when cake is done remove it from oven, lay a clean cloth on a table, dust over some powdered sugar and turn the cake out of pan onto the cloth; when cold put 1 layer on a jelly cake dish, bottom side up, and spread over 1/3 of the lemon mixture; put on another layer, upside down, and spread it with the mixture; then treat the third layer the same way; then put on the last layer, right side up, and cover the top with a lemon glaze or dust it with powdered sugar. NOTE.--If this cake is not wanted so large it may be divided into 2 cakes, taking 2 layers for each cake; or use half the quantities. Cream or jelly may be used instead of lemon filling.

807. +Chocolate Layer Cake.+-- 4 eggs, 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup milk, 3 cups prepared flour and 1 teaspoonful vanilla; stir butter and sugar to a light white cream and add the eggs, 1 at a time, stirring a few minutes between each addition; next add vanilla, the sifted flour and milk alternately; bake in paper lined jelly tins in a quick oven; make 4 layers; in the meantime prepare the following filling:--Beat the whites of 3 eggs to a stiff froth and add 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, 4 tablespoonfuls Baker's grated chocolate and 1 teaspoonful vanilla; mix all well together and put it between the layers and on top; or put boiled chocolate glaze between the layers and over the top (see Boiled Chocolate Glaze). The top of cake may be ornamented with blanched almonds laid in a circle around the top and some in the center.

808. +Chocolate Cream Cake.+-- 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1-1/2 cups prepared flour, 1 tablespoonful butter, 2 eggs and mix the same as in foregoing recipe; bake in 2 layers in jelly tins; for the cream:--Boil 3/4 cup milk and add 1/2 tablespoonful butter, 2 tablespoonfuls grated chocolate, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoonful cornstarch wet with a little cold water; stir and boil for a few minutes; remove from fire and mix with 1 beaten egg and 1/2 teaspoonful vanilla extract; when cold lay one of the cake layers on a flat dish and spread half the chocolate mixture over it; put on the other layer, spread over the top the remaining chocolate cream and decorate the top with shelled walnuts.

809. +Cocoanut Layer Cake.+-- 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1-1/2 cups prepared flour, the grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon, the whites of 3 eggs and 1/2 cup milk; stir butter and sugar to a light white cream; beat the whites to a stiff froth and add them by degrees alternately with the sifted flour and milk to the creamed butter and sugar; butter 2 good sized jelly cake tins and line them with buttered paper; put an equal portion in each tin, spread it evenly with a broad-bladed knife dipped in water and bake them in a medium hot oven to a delicate brown color; when done remove them from oven and let them stand for a few minutes; then turn the cakes onto buttered paper to cool; in the meantime grate 1 cocoanut and beat the white of 1 egg to a stiff froth; add 3/4 cup powdered sugar and the juice of 1/2 lemon; lay one cake layer, bottom side up, on a jelly cake dish, spread over half the white icing and sprinkle over a thick layer of the freshly grated cocoanut; put on the remaining layer, right side up, spread over the rest of icing, cover with a thick layer of the cocoanut and sift over some powdered sugar. This cake may be served as a dessert with vanilla sauce.

810. +Lemon Cream Cake.+-- 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, the whites of 3 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1-1/2 cups prepared flour and the grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon; stir butter and sugar to a cream; beat the whites to a stiff froth and add them alternately with the sifted flour and milk to the creamed butter and sugar; add lastly the lemon; butter 2 jelly tins and dust them with cracker dust; put in the mixture, spread it evenly with a knife and bake a light brown; when done put a napkin or clean cloth on the kitchen table and dust with powdered sugar; turn the cakes upside down onto the napkin and let them lay till cold; cream for filling:--Boil 3/4 cup milk with 2 tablespoonfuls sugar; dissolve 1 tablespoonful cornstarch in 1/4 cup cold milk, stir it into the boiling milk and boil a few minutes; add 1 teaspoonful butter, a pinch of salt and remove it from fire; beat up the yolks of 3 eggs with 1 tablespoonful cold milk, stir them into the cornstarch and add 1 teaspoonful essence of lemon; when cold put 1 layer of cake, upside down, onto a plate and spread over the cream; put the other layer over it, right side up, and dust the top with powdered sugar.

811. +Vanilla Cream Cake+ is made the same as Lemon Cream Cake, using vanilla flavoring instead of lemon.