Christmas Fruit Cake

1/2 cup butter.

1 cup brown sugar.

3 eggs.

1 cup flour.

1/4 cup ground chocolate.

1 teaspoon each cinnamon and nutmeg.

1/2 teaspoon each cloves and allspice.

1/2 cup molasses.

1 teaspoon vanilla.

2 cups seeded raisins.

2 cups seedless raisins. 1/2 cup shredded citron. 1/4 teaspoon soda dissolved in 1 teaspoon cold water.

Mix fruit well; sift flour, spices and chocolate; cream butter until waxy; add sugar, gradually beating well; add beaten egg yolks, molasses, vanilla and flour, mixing well. Combine fruit and cake batter; when well mixed, fold in the stiffly beaten white of eggs and the dissolved soda. Line a baking pan with greased paper, pour in the cake batter and bake in a very slow oven about 2 hours.

Pound Cake

1 cup butter. 1 cup sugar. 5 eggs.

2 cups flour.

1 teaspoon each of lemon and vanilla flavoring.

Cream butter until waxy; add sugar gradually, creaming well. Separate eggs; beat yolks until thick. Add to butter and sugar mixture. Gradually add flour, beating batter constantly; add flavoring and carefully fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. No baking powder is required. Less beating will be necessary, however, if one scant tea-spoonful of baking powder is used. Bake in a shallow pan in a slow oven about 1 hour.

Spice Cake

1/2 cup shortening.

1 1/3 cups brown sugar.

2 eggs well beaten without separating.

2 cups flour sifted with 3 teaspoons of baking powder.

1 teaspoon cinnamon. 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. 1/4 teaspoon cloves. 1/4 teaspoon allspice. 1 teaspoon vanilla. 1/2 cup cold coffee.

Sift flour with spices and baking powder. Cream shortening; add sugar gradually, beating well; add beaten eggs then alternately the flour and coffee. Add flavoring and pour in a well-greased shallow pan and bake in a moderate oven between 45 and 50 minutes. One cup seedless or chopped seeded raisins may be added to this mixture.

Apple Sauce Cake

1/2 cup shortening. 1 1/3 cups sugar. 2 eggs well beaten.

1 cup seedless raisins. 1/3 cup chopped walnuts.

2 cups flour.

1 teaspoon soda.

1 teaspoon cinnamon.

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg.

1/4 teaspoon cloves.

1 cup hot apple sauce (strained).

Sift flour, spices and soda. Cream the shortening, beat in the sugar, beaten eggs, raisins and nuts. Add flour alternately with the apple sauce. Bake in a shallow well-greased pan about 1 hour, in a moderate oven.

Quick Cake

2 eggs.

1 cup sugar.

2 cups flour.

2 teaspoons baking powder.

1/2 cup milk or water. 1/3 cup melted shortening. 1 teaspoon vanilla. 1 teaspoon lemon.

Sift dry ingredients, except sugar; beat eggs until very light, add sugar gradually, beating with egg beater. When creamy, add dry ingredients alternately with liquid, mixing well. Add flavoring and melted shortening. Bake in 2 layers and put together with jelly or add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and bake in well-greased muffin pans.