When going to make pies or cakes (or do any other baking), the first thing to be done is to build your fire, and get the oven just right. Let the heat of the oven be regular and moderate. The next thing is to put yourself in order; secure the hair in a net, or other covering, to prevent any from falling, and brush the shoulders and back to be sure none are lodged there that might blow off; make the hands and finger-nails clean; (you should use separate towels when cooking), roll the sleeves up above the elbows, and put on a large, clean, white linen apron, which you should have especially for that purpose. Get your ingredients together; in warm weather it is best to place eggs in cold water for a few minutes, as they will make a finer froth; be sure your eggs are fresh, as stale ones will not make a stiff froth; have the flour sifted, sugar rolled, yolks of eggs well beaten (beat them till they cease to froth, and are thick, as if mixed with flour), set the whites away in a cool place until you are ready for them, then beat them vigorously, in a cool room, till they will remain in the dish when turned upside down. Grease the pans with fresh lard, which is much better than butter; line the bottom with paper, using six or eight thicknesses, if the cake is large, greasing the top one well. (In some ovens, however, fewer thicknesses of paper would be needed on the bottom, and, in some, the sides also should be lined with one or more thicknesses). Use none but the best materials for making cake. Be very particular to stir the butter and sugar to a cream, and beat the eggs well. Cakes are often spoiled because this rule is not followed. All kinds of cakes are better for having the whites and yolks of the eggs beaten separately. In winter, soften but do not melt the butter. Never add fruit till ready to bake, and in -aised cake, spread it on top only a little below the surface, or it will settle to the bottom. Never stir cake in tin; the stone china washbowls are very good for this purpose. You can often find odd ones at the crockery stores. Have the dishes cool that you are going to beat the eggs in. Use none but silver or wooden spoons to stir the cake. In using milk, note this: That sour milk makes a spongy, light cake; sweet milk, one that cuts like pound cake; remember, that with sour milk, soda alone is used; while with sweet milk, baking-powder or soda and cream-tartar are to be added. In recipes where milk is used, never mix sweet and sour milk, as it makes cake heavy, even when either alone would not do it. Butter in the least degree strong, spoils cake. An oven, to bake cake well, must have a good heat at the bottom, and not too hot on the top, or the cake will be heavy. For layer cake, you want a quick oven; if too slow, your cake will run over. Streaks in the cake are caused by unskillful mixing, too rapid or unequal baking, or a sudden decrease in the heat before the cake is quite done. As these recipes have all been proved, if they fail to make good cake, the fault is in the baking. Never move the cake, if possible, while baking, as it is liable to fall. If it browns too fast, put a paper on top. Cake should rise to full height before the crust forms. Never place cake in a draught or take it out of the pan when first taken from the oven. Many fail to have good cake because they do not take pains, and are too lazy or careless to beat the eggs well. Cream the butter and sugar, and measure the ingredients. The mixing and baking have oftentimes as much to do with success as the recipe.

Most women in making fruit cake think it quite incomplete without wine or brandy, but it can be made equally as good by substituting one cupful of cold, strong, green tea. The flavor of tea is excellent in mince pie and fruit cake.

To facilitate the operation of seeding raisins, pour warm water on a few at a time, and take out the seeds with your fingers. This will not injure the fruit or cake. When you cut the citron, slice it thin, and do not leave the pieces too large, or they will cause the cake to break apart in cutting. Currants should be prepared for use as follows: Wash in warm water, rubbing well, pour off, and repeat until the water is clear; drain them in a sieve, spread on a cloth, and rub dry; pick out bad ones, dry carefully in a cool oven, and set away for use.

The best way to put in fruit is to sprinkle flour over it, then put in a layer of cake at the bottom, half an inch thick, then a layer of fruit, taking care that it does not touch the sides of the pan, and thus dry up; then a little more cake, then another layer of fruit, and thus till the cake is three inches thick (not more), and let the top layer be cake. Always dissolve soda or saleratus, in warm (not hot water), as milk does not perfectly dissolve it, and thus there will be yellow specks made. Hot water kills the life out of it.

To save repetition in cake recipes, I give below a formula which will be well to follow in making all kinds of cake in which butter is used.

Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, then add the spices if any are to be used, next the yolks of the eggs, then part of the flour with the baking-powder or cream-tartar, next the milk in which soda has been added, if soda is used, then the remaining flour with the whites of the eggs added alternately, and if fruit is used, let that always be the last thing. Be sure to flour the fruit well before adding it.

In making all kinds of delicate cake, rub the butter to a cream add the sugar gradually, next part of the flour with the baking-powder or cream-tartar, next the milk with the soda, if any is used, then the rest of the flour, and beat hard fifteen minutes; add the whites of the eggs just before putting it in the oven. There is a great "knack" in beating cake; don't stir it, but beat thoroughly, bringing the batter from the bottom of the dish at every stroke; in this way the air is driven into the cells of the batter instead of out of them, but the cells will be finer if beaten more slowly at the last. Remember, the motion is always upward.