Plain Frostings

White of one egg, one teaspoonful of lemon juice, and one scant cup of powdered sugar. Put the egg and lemon juice in a bowl, and stir the sugar in gradually. Then beat, not stir, all together five minutes.

Boiled Icing

One cup of granulated sugar, one third of a cup of boiling water, white of one egg, and one salt-spoonful of cream of tartar. Boil the sugar and water without stirring, until the syrup taken up on a skewer will "thread" or" rope." When it is nearly at that point, beat the egg stiff, add the cream of tartar, and pour the boiling syrup over the egg in a fine stream, beating well. When it thickens and is perfectly smooth, pour it over the cake. It hardens quickly, and should be put on the cake before it stiffens enough to drop.

Golden Frosting

Beat the yolks of eggs and stir in powdered sugar till stiff enough to spread, not to run. Flavor with vanilla or wine.

Ornamental Frosting

Whites of three eggs, three cups of confectioner's sugar, sifted, and three teaspoon-fuls of lemon juice. Put the eggs in a large bowl; sprinkle with three teaspoonfuls of the sugar. Beat with a perforated wooden spoon, adding three teaspoonfuls of sugar every five minutes. When it begins to thicken add the lemon juice and beat as before. It should thicken by the beating of the egg, and not by the addition of too much sugar. Do not use all the measure of sugar unless needed. Beat with a long flop, over and over, and never stir. When stiff enough to leave a "clean cut," or not to run together when cut with a knife, spread a thin layer of frosting on the cake, and when this is hard put on another layer a quarter of an inch thick. When this is firm, mark it for cutting. To the remainder of the frosting add sugar more rapidly, until it begins to harden on the spoon and bowl. Put a confectioner's tube into the end of a pastry bag, fill the bag with frosting, twist the end tightly, and press the frosting through the tube on the cake in any design you wish.

Pink Frosting

Color a portion of the Ornamental Frosting with cochineal, adding it slowly till of the desired shade.

Chocolate Frosting

Melt a square of chocolate in a saucepan, and add to the Ornamental Frosting, using enough to color light or dark as you prefer.

Orange Frosting

Grate the thin rind of an orange, and soak it half an hour in three or four teaspoonfuls of the orange juice. Then squeeze the juice through a fine cloth, and use the same as lemon juice in Ornamental Frosting.