A Plain Cake

Ingredients

1/2 lb. of good beef dripping (clarified), 1 1/2 lb. flour, 1/2 lb. sugar, 1/2 oz. caraway seeds, 1 pint of milk, 1 tablespoonful of carbonate of soda.

Method

Rub the dripping into the flour, add the sugar and caraway seeds, and mix all together with the milk, in which the soda has been dissolved. Bake at once for 1 1/2 hours.

Biscuits

Ingredients

1/2 lb. flour, 1/2 lb. pounded white sugar, 3 oz. butter, 1/2 teaspoonful of carbonate of ammonia, a few drops of essence of lemon, yolks of 2 eggs, white of 1 egg.

Method

Mix the dry ingredients well together, taking care that there are no lumps in the ammonia, then add the well-whisked eggs; roll out, cut into biscuits not very small, and bake in a brisk oven.

Christmas Cake

Ingredients

1 lb. flour, 1/2 lb. currants, 1/2 lb-butter, 1/2 lb. sugar, 2 oz. lemon peel, 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder, 3 eggs, 1/2 pint of milk.

Method

Mix the baking powder thoroughly in the flour, then rub in the butter, add the sugar, currants, and lemon peel, beat the eggs and mix them with the milk, and after mixing them all thoroughly together bake in a papered tin in a moderate oven.

Lunch Cake

Ingredients

1 1/4 lb. flour, 1/2 lb. currants, 1/2 lb. sugar, 6 oz. butter, 3 eggs, 4 teaspoonfuls of baking powder, 6 drops essence of lemon (or small quantity of grated nutmeg), a teacupful of milk.

Method

First well mix all the dry ingredients, lastly adding the eggs and milk; beat well for a few minutes, and bake at once. Sufficient for two medium-sized cakes.

Madeira Cake

Ingredients

1/4 lb. flour, 1 teaspoonful of baking powder, 21/2 oz. butter, 21/2 oz. sugar, 2 eggs.

Method

Cream the butter, add the sugar, then the flour, with which the baking powder has been mixed. Lastly, add the well-beaten eggs, and bake in a buttered tin for half-an-hour.

Pound Cakes

Ingredients

1/2 lb. flour, 1/2 lb. butter, 1/2 lb. whitepounded sugar, 4 eggs, peel if liked.

Method

Beat the butter to a cream, taking care to beat it all one way, add the sugar and flour, and lastly the eggs - well beaten. Beat the mixture for twenty minutes. Cover the sides and bottom of a cake-tin with well buttered paper, pour in the mixture, and bake in a moderate oven.

Queen's Buns

Ingredients

4 eggs, the weight of the eggs in flour and sugar, the weight of three eggs in butter, 4 drops of essence of lemon, 1/2 teaspoonful of baking powder, a few currants, if liked.

Method

Beat the butter and eggs to a cream, add the sugar and beat again well, add the essence, and lastly stir in the flour. Bake in tins for about a quarter-of-an-hour in a brisk oven, having strewed a few currants on the top of each bun before baking.

Rusks

Ingredients

1 lb. of flour, 3 oz. butter, 3 oz. lard, 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder, 1 teaspoonful of sugar, 1/2 teaspoonful of salt, 2 eggs, as much milk as necessary to make into a stiff paste.

Method

Mix with the flour the baking powder, sugar, and salt; rub in the butter and lard. Well beat the eggs, and add about a tablespoonful of milk; pour this into the middle of the flour, and mix with a fork. Boll out once only, till about half-an-inch thick, cut with a round cutter, and bake on a tin at once. When partly done, split each in half with a fork, and put back into the oven until slightly brown and crisp.