This section is from the "The National Cook Book" book, by Marion Harland And Christine Terhune Herrick. Also available from Amazon: National Cook Book
Cream one cupful of butter with two of sugar, add the beaten yolks of three eggs, and a cupful of sour cream, or loppered milk, or buttermilk, with two teaspoonfuls of ginger and a tea-spoonful of cinnamon. Work in alternately with the whipped v whites four cupfuls of flour in which has been sifted a teaspoonful of soda. Add flour for a soft dough. Bake in two large cards; wash with white of egg while hot.
Warm a cupful of molasses until it will melt a scant half-cupful of mixed cottolene and butter, when they are beaten up in it. Whip until you have a coffee-colored cream, add a cupful of sour cream or milk, and two tablespoonfuls of ginger. Whip one minute and stir into the mixture two teaspoonfuls of soda sifted twice with four cupfuls of flour, or enough for soft dough. Roll out, cut into two cards the size of your baking-pans, or into round cakes, and bake.
Gingerbread is more likely to burn than other cake, when molasses is used.
Warm a cupful of molasses slightly and stir into it a cupful of sugar with a tablespoonful of butter and two teaspoonfuls of ginger mixed with half as much cinnamon. Beat all together until smooth; then whip into the mixture a cupful of sour cream. Lastly, add four cupfuls of flour in which have been sifted twice two teaspoonfuls of soda. Beat well, and bake in broad, shallow card-pans, well greased, or in small tins.
Make as in last recipe, adding at the last half a pound of raisins, seeded and chopped, or halved, well dredged with flour.
Cream a cupful of butter with one of sugar, and when light beat in a cupful of molasses with a tablespoonful of ginger and a teaspoonful of cinnamon. Warm them slightly and whip in a cupful of sour cream, or loppered milk, or buttermilk; next, the beaten yolks of two eggs, then, alternately with the frothed whites, four cupfuls of flour in which has been sifted twice a tea-spoonful of soda. Beat up from the bottom for five minutes and bake in a greased mould with a funnel in the middle. Take care that it does not burn. The batter should be of the consistency of pound cake. Half a pound of cleaned currants, or of seeded and halved raisins, dredged with flour, make an elegant cake of this.
 
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