Part 26

Bake in not too rich crust in moderate oven 1½ hour. Use 1 cupful more of pumpkin if not dry, and if necessary, 1½ level tablespn. of white flour.

=Pumpkin Pies with Eggs--3 very large pies=

1 qt. rich dark dry pumpkin 2 qts. milk 6 eggs 1-1½ cup sugar or ¾ cup sugar and ¼ cup molasses 1 teaspn. salt 1½ tablespn. browned flour No. 3 or 3-6 tablespns. browned flour No. 2

Beat whites and yolks of eggs separate; bake slowly until firm in center. Use 1¼ qt. of pumpkin if not dry, and 1¾ qt. only of milk. May use a little less pumpkin when adding dates.

=★ One Pumpkin Pie=

1¾ cup moderately dry pumpkin ½ tablespn. browned flour No. 3, or 1-2 tablespns. browned flour No. 2 ½ level tablespn. white flour ¼ cup sugar 1 tablespn. molasses ½ level teaspn. salt 2⅓ cups milk 1 egg

Bake in moderate oven. ⅓ nice winter squash improves the pie.

One recipe says ¼ teaspn. ground coriander seed. Some of the best pies have no added flavoring.

1 teaspn. of butter or 1 or 2 tablespns. of thick cream in the filling will give a gloss to the surface.

Some prefer flour, a little granella or a few zwieback crumbs to eggs, for thickening when the pumpkin is not very thick.

=Grated Pumpkin Pie=

Grate pumpkin without peeling. If moist, put into a piece of cheese cloth and squeeze out the water; for each pie take:

1 cup pumpkin 2 eggs 2 tablespns. molasses 1 or 2 tablespns. sugar pinch of salt ½ tablespn. browned flour No. 3 or 1-2 of No. 2 1 teaspn. ground coriander, or ¼ level teaspn. ground anise seed, or 1 teaspn. vanilla, or no flavoring small piece of butter 2 tablespns. cracker or zwieback crumbs 1½-2 cups milk

Sprinkle top with cocoanut or not. Bake thoroughly.

=Carrot Pie=

1¾ cup mashed cooked carrot ½ tablespn. browned flour No. 3 or 1-2 tablespns. browned flour No. 2 1 level tablespn. white flour ⅓ cup sugar 1 tablespn. molasses ½ level teaspn. salt 2⅓ cups milk 1 egg dust with coriander

Or, use 3 tablespns. only of carrot, omit browned flour and flavor with lemon or vanilla.

=Turnip Pie=

1½-2 cups mashed turnip ⅓-½ cup brown sugar 2 tablespns. molasses 1 tablespn. melted butter 2 eggs (or 1 egg and scant ¼ cup of granella) ½-1 tablespn. browned flour No. 3 2 teaspns. ground coriander seed 2 cups milk salt

The turnip should be the sweet Swedish turnip.

CAKES

The fact that soda and cream of tartar are the ingredients of the best baking powders is well understood.

Dr. Lillis Wood Starr says: “Cream of tartar belongs to the same class with soda. Soda is bi-carbonate of sodium; cream of tartar is bi-tartrate of potassium. Sodium, potassium and calcium (lime) all belong to the same group of metals and are injurious to the tissues of our bodies.”

Dr. Lauretta Kress--“Cream of tartar or Potassium Bi-tartrate is a gastro-intestinal irritant like soda. By combining cream of tartar and soda, we have Rochelle salts. If needed as a cathartic, they are better given as such on an empty stomach; then the system quickly gets rid of them. If taken in food they are retained longer and become more irritating.”

“Sugar when largely used is more injurious than meat.”

Cake at its best is not to be recommended, but for those who have not yet discarded it, we give a variety of recipes for cakes without baking powder or soda: there are some, also, without eggs.

When a few more eggs are used in a cake than would be required with chemicals, remember that less of the nitrogenous is necessary in other dishes: also, that the health of your family is of the first importance and it would be better not to give them any cake at all than that which will poison their systems.

Suggestions

Use pastry flour for all cakes; and since different brands even of pastry flour differ, it is best to use the same brand when you find a good one and become accustomed to it.

Sift flour once before measuring; and from 3-5 times for angel and other sponge cakes after measuring. The best way to sift flour several times is to lay down two pieces of large letter or Manila paper and to sift the flour first on to one and then on to the other.

All measurements have the sifted flour laid lightly into the cup with a spoon. If the cup is shaken or knocked on the side with the spoon there will be too much flour.

Skimmed milk and oil may be used in cakes and the cream saved for other purposes.

At great altitude, more flour and less shortening and sugar will be required in cakes.

In recipes calling for cream of tarter, use lemon juice in the proportion of 1 tablespn. or more to each teaspoon of cream of tartar. A larger quantity of lemon juice makes the cake more tender.

2 whites of eggs are said to equal 1 rounded teaspn. of baking powder, for lightness.

Boil molasses or syrup before using in cakes.

Half oil instead of all butter may be used in nearly all cakes, and in some cases, all oil is better. Use salt with oil.

It is usually thought important to cream butter and sugar well together, but one professional cake-maker told me that cakes were lighter when the butter and sugar were just mixed.

Always add a little of the flour for cakes to the creamed butter or sugar and butter, before adding eggs, milk or other liquids.

Saffron is used for both color and flavor: a very small quantity only, is required of the imported for a deep color.

For variety, thin slices of sweet prunes or dates are nice in place of other fruits in cakes.

Round tube pans bake cake the most evenly, Turk’s head molds being the best of all.

Do not oil the tins, for cakes without shortening.

For cakes with shortening, oil the tins and sprinkle flour over, shaking off all flour that is loose; or, line tins with well oiled paper.

Some recommend dipping angel cake pans into cold water and filling while wet; then the cake falls out white when cold, leaving the crust sticking to the mold.

Always beat whites of eggs on a platter or in a large cake bowl or “bombe” with a whip, not with a revolving beater.

Chop and fold, never stir, the whites into cake, the flour also.

Have all ingredients and utensils for sponge cake cold, and if possible, put it together in a cold room.

For sponge cakes, follow directions for putting nut and citron cake together, or the hot water way following sponge layer cake.

Bake sponge cakes very slowly and evenly in an oven that bakes well from the bottom. They will retain their lightness better if carefully inverted in the tin after baking and left in that position until cool.

Bake cakes with shortening in a moderate oven.

Cool all cakes slowly. One colored cook told me that she always set her cakes on the stove hearth for a little while after taking them out of the oven. Of course they should be handled carefully.

Set warm layer and other cakes on a cloth wrung out of cold water and they will quickly loosen from the pan.

Loaf or layer cakes may be set in ice box in tins for 2 hrs. before baking.

3 or 4 rose geranium leaves laid in the bottom of the tin before the batter is poured in will flavor cake with rose, or the leaves may be laid between layers after baking, while cooling. If the loaf is one that will bear removing from the tin while warm, lay it on some of the leaves.

Cakes may be steamed instead of baked--sponge cakes 1 hour, fruit cakes longer. One recipe for fruit cake says, steam 4 hours and bake 1 hour. Use your judgment.

Sponge cakes--angel and others, are supposed to be broken apart with 2 forks, not cut.

If loaves of cake that are to be covered with whipped cream are cut before the cream is put on, the cake will look smooth and nice and the pieces will come out more neatly.

Cakes made with yeast require to be kept a little warmer than bread (unless you keep bread too warm), and flour, fruit and all ingredients should be warm when added.

=★ Nut and Citron Cake=

3 large or 4 small eggs 1 scant cup granulated sugar 1 tablespn. lemon juice 1 tablespn. ice water ⅔-¾ cup Brazil nut, almond, pecan or shell-bark meal ½ cup (¼ lb.) fine chopped or ground citron 1 cup pastry flour salt

Have all the ingredients as nearly ice cold as possible; sift the sugar, sift the flour twice and leave it in the sifter; beat the yolks of the eggs in a cake bowl with a revolving egg-beater (a large one if you have it), adding sugar gradually. When stiff, add part of the water and more sugar; beat, add more water, sugar and half the lemon juice, beating, until all the sugar is in.

Stir into this mixture half the nut meal, a pinch of salt and the citron. Rest the egg beater on a quart measure (or some dish of the required height) by the side of the bowl, and let it drain into the bowl while beating the whites of the eggs. It will drain much cleaner than it could be scraped, besides saving the time. Beat the whites of the eggs to a moderately stiff froth, add the remaining half tablespn. of lemon juice and whip till dry and feathery; let them stand a moment, then slide onto the yolk mixture; sprinkle part of the nut meal over them and sift on a little flour; chop in lightly, dipping from the bottom with a large thin spoon three times; add more meal and flour; chop; continue this until the flour is all in. Take care not to mix too much; the mixture must not get soft. Put into pan at once and bake slowly until the cake stops singing, or does not stick to a broom splint. Bake 1½ hours, according to the heat of the oven. The fine particles of citron give an unusually delightful flavor to the cake. Preserved orange peel, ground, may be used sometimes; or fine cut raisins or dried blueberries.

=★ Julia’s Birthday Cake=

2 cups sugar ½-1 cup butter 8 eggs 2 cups flour flavoring

Cream butter and sugar; add flavoring and a little of the flour, then the beaten yolks; beat well. Slide the stiffly-beaten whites on to this mixture, sift flour over gradually and chop together as for nut and citron cake; bake in moderate oven in 3 medium sized layers; sift a little sugar over one layer before baking, sometimes, to make a crust for the top. If possible, set in ice box for an hour before baking.

=Patty Cakes=

Use ⅓-½ cup of milk and 2½-2¾ cups of flour in preceding recipe, and bake in patty pans.

=Cocoanut Loaf or Layer Cake=

2 cups sugar 4 level tablespns. butter 8 eggs 2 cups fine grated or ground cocoanut 2 teaspns. lemon juice 1-2 teaspns. vanilla if desired 2 cups flour

Put together the same as “Julia’s Birthday Cake,” let stand on ice for 2 hours, or bake at once in loaf or layers.

If baked in layers, use Washington pie filling with it.

=Rich Loaf Cake=

1 cup butter 1⅔ cup granulated sugar 5 eggs 2-2¼ cups flour

Cream butter, add sugar and work very light; add 1 egg at a time and stir only until no yolk can be seen; mix in flour, turn into paper-lined pan and set in ice box for 2 hours. Bake in slow oven about an hour, or until the cake stops singing.

=Rice Flour Cake=

¾ cup butter 2 scant cups sugar 2¼ cups rice flour 6 eggs 2-3 tablespns. lemon juice with grated rind

Cream butter, add sugar, a little of the flour and beaten yolks with half the juice and all the rind of lemon.

Beat whites of eggs with a little salt, adding the remainder of the lemon juice when half beaten; slip on to cake batter, sift flour over gradually, and fold all lightly together. Put into pan to depth of not over 2 in. Bake in moderate oven.

=Fruit and Nut Cake. Unsurpassed=

1⅓ cup sugar ⅔ cup butter 1⅓ cup flour 6 eggs 4 cups (1⅓ lb.) seeded raisins 3 cups (1 lb.) currants 1½ cup (½ lb.) ground citron large ¾ cup blanched almonds, ground ¼-½ teaspn. extract rose, according to strength (rose leaves in their season)

Mix fruit with part of the flour, add nuts; cream butter with a little of the flour; beat together the sugar and yolks of eggs until very light and add with extract to creamed butter; beat well; whip whites of eggs with pinch of salt to stiff froth, add fruit and nuts to yolk mixture, chop in beaten whites and remainder of flour; bake in well oiled tin 1½-2½ hrs. in moderate and slow oven; cover when necessary.

The cake may be steamed 3-4 hrs. and baked ½-1 hr.

This cake will keep a long time with care and is unusually desirable. 3 times the quantity given will make 4 medium sized loaves.

=Corn Starch Cake=

6 eggs ½ cup butter (part oil) 1⅓ cup sugar 1½ cup flour 3 tablespns. corn starch flavoring

Beat yolks with half the sugar and cream butter with the other half; mix, beat. (Part of the flour and corn starch may be added to the butter and sugar.) Beat whites of eggs stiff, slide on to the mixture, add flour and corn starch (which have been sifted together) gradually, chopping and folding in with the whites; bake in moderate oven. Two thick round layers.

=★ Silver Cake=

1 lb. (2 cups and 3 tablespns.) sugar ¾ lb. (3⅛-3½ cups) flour 6 oz. (¾ cup soft) butter rose flavor 1½ cup citron or prunes in slices whites of 14 eggs

Cream butter and sugar, add flavoring, beaten whites and flour, lay slices of fruit in and on top of cake. One very large square, or two rather small round loaves.

=★ Scotch Short Bread--no eggs=

½ cup butter ½ cup granulated or brown, or slightly rounded ½ cup powdered sugar 1 teaspn. caraway seed or not 2 cups flour

Cream butter, add sugar and flour mixed, seeds also if used. A little of the flour may be saved for rolling.

Roll to about 1 in. thick, of the shape to fit your tin; crinkle the edges, press them with a fork or cut with pastry jagger, slide on to tin, prick lightly with fork and bake in a slow oven for 1 hour; or, roll ½ in. thick and bake ½ hour only. The cake is sometimes creased in squares before baking, or the dough may be cut in round cakes and the edges crinkled.

The cake is better with oil and ¼ teaspn. of salt in place of butter. One cup of sugar is sometimes used with ½ cup of butter or oil, and again, 1 cup of butter or oil with ½ cup of sugar, but the cake is very nice with the proportions given. By some, brown sugar is considered most suitable.

=German Light Cake=

1⅛ cup butter or 1¼ cup oil 1¼ cup granulated sugar 2½-2¾ cups flour ⅞ cup almonds, blanched and chopped 4 eggs grated orange rind ground coriander seed

Cream butter with a little flour, add eggs, one at a time, beating, add sugar (except a little for the top), rind and flour; spread thin in oiled pans, sprinkle with almonds, coriander and sugar, bake in moderate oven, cut in squares while hot, leave in pan to cool.

=★ Sister Elliott’s Plain Loaf Cake and Cookies=

½ cup oil 1½ cup sugar yolks 2 eggs 4½ cups flour 1 cup milk salt, flavoring whites 3 eggs

Cream oil and sugar, add a little flour, yolks of eggs, salt and flavoring, then milk and flour alternately; beat well and fold in the stiff whites of eggs. Chill, or bake at once thoroughly, in 1 large or 2 small loaves in moderate oven that bakes well from the bottom.

For cookies, use 2 whites of eggs only and make dough stiff enough to roll.

=Molasses Cake=

4 large eggs 3 level tablespns. butter ½ cup molasses ½ cup sugar, brown or white 1 teaspn. lemon juice 1½ teaspn. grated orange peel 1½ tablespn. browned flour 1 cup pastry flour

Beat eggs and lemon juice in bowl set in boiling water, add sugar, then boiling molasses, with butter and orange peel, and lastly the flour.

=Molasses Sugar Cakes=

4 eggs ⅓ cup (4½ level tablespns.) butter ⅞ cup molasses sugar ⅓ teaspn. lemon extract 1 cup pastry flour 1½ tablespn. browned flour 1 teaspn. lemon juice

Mix butter and sugar and add to beaten yolks, beating well; slide on to this the whites beaten with salt and lemon juice, then sift over gradually the two flours mixed, chopping and folding them in with the whites. Bake in small cakes in moderate oven 15-20 m. Use grated maple sugar for maple cakes.

=★ Molasses Bread or Hard Molasses Cake--no eggs=

1¾ qt. (7 cups) flour 1 cup butter (part oil) 1¼ cup pressed down, medium brown sugar 1 cup molasses 1 teaspn. ground anise seed salt

Cream butter and sugar, add anise and molasses, beat well and add flour; turn mixture out on floured board, mold up and put into flat tins about 1 in. deep, wash over with milk and bake in a very slow oven.

When done, wrap or cover with damp cloths and keep at least 4 days before using. If necessary, moisten the cloths again, and perhaps again. The cakes will be hard and dry when taken from the oven, but keeping them for a few days in damp (not wet) cloths makes them nice and tender. Grated orange peel and vanilla, together or separate, may be used for flavoring; but the delicate flavor of anise is especially agreeable.

By weight, the ingredients are 1½ lb. pastry flour, ½ lb. butter, ½ lb. brown sugar, ⅞ lb. molasses.

YEAST CAKES

It is especially important to use pastry flour in cakes made with yeast.

A good liquid yeast gives better results in cake, but compressed yeast may be used.

=★ Saffron Cake--no eggs=

2 cups milk 4 tablespns. yeast 8½ cups flour 2 cups (1 lb.) butter 2½ cups sugar ¼ cup domestic saffron, not more than 1 teaspn. of imported 1 cup water in which saffron has been steeped ½ hr. 3 cups currants 2 cups fine cut or ground citron 1 teaspn. lemon extract

⅔-1 cake compressed yeast dissolved in a very little water, with sugar, may be used instead of soft yeast, and 1 extra tablespn. of water added to the sponge.

Make a sponge at night of the milk (just warm), yeast and 4½ cups of flour, and in the morning add the cup of warm saffron water. Cream the butter and sugar with a little flour, add the sponge gradually, mixing and beating, then the remainder of the flour warm (except a little which has been used to dust the fruit), beat well, add the extract and warmed, floured fruit, mix and pour into 3 good sized paper lined cake pans. Let stand until bubbles appear in the batter, usually 2-3 hrs. with soft yeast; not so long, perhaps, with compressed; when light, put into a slow oven; let cakes come up slowly and bake very moderately until they stop singing, 1½-2 hrs., depending upon the heat of the oven, but they must bake slowly.

When cake is started in the morning, 6 tablespns. of soft, or a whole cake of compressed yeast may be used. The quantity of flour may need to be varied a little according to the brand.

=Citron and Cocoanut Cakes--no eggs=

1 cup milk 2 tablespns. yeast, (or ⅓-½ cake compressed yeast with extra ½ tablespn. of water in sponge) 4¼ cups flour 1 cup butter 1¼ cup sugar ½ cup water ¾-1 cup ground citron ¼ teaspn. weak extract rose 1 cup shredded cocoanut 1 teaspn. vanilla

Prepare as in preceding recipe (of which it is just half) and at the last divide into 2 parts, add the citron and rose to one, and the cocoanut and vanilla to the other. The loaves will not be very large.

=White Fruit Cake--no eggs=

The whole of the above recipe, using only ¾ cup of butter, with ¾-1 cup of citron, 1 cup of cocoanut and ⅔ cup of almonds, all ground.

=★ Dried Apple Cake--yeast=

Cut 2 cups dried apples into small pieces with shears, soak over night in 1½ cup water, then cook in ¾ cup molasses until transparent.

_Sponge_--1 cup water, 1 cake compressed yeast, 2½ cups flour.

_When light_, add ⅔ cup butter (or half oil) and ½ cup sugar creamed together, the dried apples, grated rind of orange or lemon, 2 beaten eggs and 2 cups flour.

One egg only may be used; the cake is excellent with no eggs.

=★ Washington Cake--no eggs=

Remember to lay flour lightly into cup.

_Sponge_--

1 pt. milk 1 cake yeast ½ cup sugar 1 qt. flour

_When light_--

salt 1-1¼ cup sugar 1 cup water in which a little saffron has been steeped 1½ cup oil and butter, half of each ¾-1 teaspn. lemon extract 6½ cups flour

Prepare same as saffron cake and bake in not too thick loaves.

=Washington Pie--no eggs=

Bake Washington cake in rather thin, flat loaf, split and put the following cream between and around, or put cream over and around cake without splitting.

_Cream_--

1½ tablespn. cooking oil 2½-2¾ tablespns. flour 1 pt. milk salt large ½ cup sugar yellow color 1 teaspn. vanilla

Heat oil, add flour, then hot milk, salt and sugar, stirring smooth at different stages. Steep a trifle of saffron in the milk. Add vanilla when cold.

_Another Cream_--

1 tablespn. butter 2½ tablespns. flour 1 pt. boiling milk ⅓ cup sugar salt 1 egg flavoring

=Elizabeth’s Raised Cake=

_Sponge_--

5-5¼ cups flour ½ cup sugar 2 tablespns. yeast (or ½ cake compressed yeast) 1½ cup milk

_When light_--

1½ cup sugar 1 cup butter 2 eggs 1 cup raisins ⅓ cup citron

Make sponge at night with soft yeast or early in the morning with compressed.

When light, add the butter, well creamed with the sugar, and beaten eggs. Beat all very thoroughly and put into the tins. When partly risen, stick the fruit in all over the top; let rise about 1½ hr., or until bubbles may be seen; bake 1 hr. in moderate oven. The cake is excellent without fruit.

=German Almond Loaf=

_Sponge_--

¾ cup milk 3 tablespns. liquid yeast or 1 cake compressed yeast 3 cups flour

_When light_--

4 yolks of eggs 1 cup sugar ¾ cup butter ¾ cup of warm milk 3-4 cups flour halved blanched almonds or halves of pecans or walnuts grated rind of 1-1½ lemon

Beat yolks with sugar and add to butter which has been creamed with part of the flour; then add the flavoring, the sponge, the milk and the flour alternating, beating until the flour is all in. Butter tube mold or other pans thick with cold butter and stick almonds to sides in regular rows. Do not put any in the bottom. Half fill pan with batter and let rise until pan is nearly full; bake 1 hr., or until cake stops singing, in moderate and slow oven so as not to burn nuts.

=Cake Without Chemicals=

(Mrs. W. W. Wheeler, Ambato, Ecuador.)

1 large cup thin bread sponge 3 eggs, save out 1 white or yolk 1 cup sugar 5 tablespns. oil ⅔ cup flour

Beat eggs and sugar, add oil, then the sponge, lastly fold in the flour; put into 3 layer cake pans and let stand for 2 or 3 hours in a not very warm place. Bake in moderate oven.

Filling--Beat the white of egg stiff, add 1 tablespn. sugar and 2 tablespns. thick cream, or, make a cream sauce of the yolk.

=Maple Loaf Cake=

1 cup bread dough ½ cup butter 1 egg 1 cup maple sugar

Cream the butter, add the sugar and beaten egg and mix all thoroughly with the dough; add a little flour, turn into tin and let rise ½ hr. or longer before baking.

=Raised Molasses Cake--no eggs or two whites=

_Sponge_--2 cups skimmed milk, 4 tablespns. yeast, 4½ cups flour.

_When light_--2 cups (1 lb.) butter, 2 cups molasses which has been boiled and cooled to lukewarm, 3 cups (not too fine) nuts, raisins, citron or cocoanut or combinations of same, 4-4½ cups flour, part for fruit. The whites of 2 eggs may be used with the 4 cups of flour.

Attend to sponge and cake as soon as light. Steam or bake.

=German Coffee Cake--no eggs=

1 pt. milk 1 tablespn. butter 2 tablespns. sugar ½-1 cake compressed yeast salt flour for soft dough

Let rise, knead, spread on flat tin with floured hand, ¾-1 in. thick, spread with butter, sprinkle with sugar and ground coriander seed; or, spread with an egg beaten with a teaspn. of sugar, sprinkle with sugar and chopped or split blanched almonds; let rise; bake in moderate oven.

Use universal crust dough if a more tender cake is desired.

=★ Royal Sponge Cake=