Apricot Cakes

Scald a pound of nice ripe apricots, and peel them, and take out the stones as soon as the skin will come off. Then beat them in a mortar to a pulp; boil half a pound of double refined sugar, with a spoonful of water, and skim it exceedingly well. Then put in the pulp of the apricots, let them simmer a quarter of an hour over a slow fire and stir it softly all the time. Then pour it into shallow flat glasses, turn them out upon glass plates, put them into a stove, and turn them once a day till they are dry.

Quince Cakes

Take a pint of the syrup of quinces, and a quart or two of raspberries. Boil and clarify them over a gentle fire, taking care to skim it as often as may be necessary. Then a pound and a half of sugar, and as much more brought to a candy height, which must be poured in hot. Constantly stir the whole about till almost cold, and then spread it on plates, and cut it out into cakes.

Orange Cakes

Quarter Seville oranges that have very good rinds, and boil them in two or three waters until they are tender, and the bitterness gone off. Skim them, and then lay them on a clean napkin to dry. Take all the skins, and seeds out of the pulp, with a knife shred the peels fine, put them to the pulp, weigh them, and put rather more than their weight of fine sugar into a tossing-pan, with just as much water as will dissolve it. Boil it till it becomes a perfect sugar, and then, by degrees, put in the orange peels and. pulp. Stir them well before setting them on the fire; boil it very gently till it looks clear and thick, and then put them into flat-bottomed glasses. Set them in a stove, and keep them in a constant and moderate heat: and when they are candied on the top, turn them out upon glasses.

Lemon Cakes

Take the whites of ten eggs, put to them three spoonsful of rose, or orange flower water, and beat them an hour with a Whisk. Then put in a pound of beaten and sifted sugar, and grate into it the rind of a lemon. When well mixed, put in the juice of half a lemon, and the yolks often eggs beaten smooth. Just before putting it into the oven, stir in three quarters of a pound of flour, butter the pan, put it into a moderate oven, and an hour will bake it. Orange cakes may be made in the same manner.

Bride Cakes

Take two pounds of loaf sugar, four pounds of fresh butter, and the same quantity of fine well dried flour ; pound and sift fine a quarter of an ounce of mace, the same of nutmegs, and to every pound of flour put eight eggs; wash four pounds of currants, and pick them well, and dry them before the fire; blanch a pound of sweet almonds, and cut them length-ways very thin; a pound of citron, a pound of candied orange, the same of candied lemon, and half a pint of brandy. First work the butter to a cream with the hand, then beat in the sugar a quarter of an hour, and beat the whites of the eggs to a very strong froth. Mix them with the sugar and butter, beat the yolks half an hour at least, and mix them with the cake. Then put in the flour, mace, and nutmeg, and keep beating it well till the oven is ready. Put in the brandy, and beat the currants and almonds lightly in. Tie three sheets of paper round the bottom of the hoop, to keep it from running out, and rub it well with butter. Then put in the cake, and lay the sweetmeats in three layers, with some cake between every layer. As soon as it is risen and coloured, cover it with paper before the oven is covered up. It must be baked three hours. If approved, put an icing on it. - See Icing.