These cakes require a very hot oven. They should cook in five minutes at the longest, and are not disturbed by being turned if one side is browning too fast for the other. Many people bake these cakes on the grate of the oven with good success, as the heat is stronger there. In making a layer cake that is to have a rich, sweet filling, like chocolate, half a cupful of sugar will be found sufficient, unless a very sweet cake is desired.

Plain Layer Cake

One-half cupful of butter. One cupful of sugar.

One cupful of milk.

One egg.

One and a-half tea-spoonful of baking-powder.

Flour to thicken.

Rub the butter and sugar together, and add the egg, well beaten, and then the milk. Stir the powder into a little of the flour, and add it, stirring it in quickly; then add enough more flour to make a not too thin batter. Place the batter in three well buttered tins, and bake. The batter for all layer cake should be so thick that the track made by the spoon in stirring it will not at once sink. back into the mixture. This is a good test. This quantity will make three medium-sized layers of cake. Place any of the fillings given (see page 544) between the layers.

Quickly Made Layer Cake

One-half cupful of butter.

One-half cupful of sugar.

Two eggs.

One-half cupful of milk.

Two tea-spoonfuls of baking-powder.

Flour to thicken.

The writer has often found this way of making layer cake more successful than when more time and pains are devoted to its making. Butter the three tins for the cake first, and be sure the heat of the oven is strong and steady. Rub the butter into the sugar, break into this the eggs, stir them in quickly without previously beating them, add the milk, and stir until smooth. Scatter the baking-powder over the top of the mixture, sprinkle some of the flour over it, and stir thoroughly, adding enough more flour to thicken; then pour the batter into the tins. Cake made in this way does not require more than five minutes' work after the materials are gotten together. Bake quickly, and spread any of the fillings given between the layers.

White Mountain Layer Cake

The following will make four large layers, thus forming a good-sized cake:

One cupful of butter.

Three cupfuls of sugar.

One cupful of milk.

Six eggs (whites).

One and a-half tea-spoonful of baking-powder.

One pint of flour (sifted).

Twenty drops of extract of bitter almond.

Rub the butter and sugar to a light cream, and add the milk and then the whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth. Sift the flour with the powder, and add it and the extract. Mix all well together, divide the batter among four tins, and bake in a quick oven. Spread plain frosting between the layers, and frost the top.

Ribbon Cake

This cake contains three large layers, the middle one having fruit through it. It is a large cake.

One cupful of butter.

Two cupfuls of sugar.

One cupful of milk.

Four eggs.

Three and a-half cupfuls of pastry flour.

Two tea-spoonfuls of baking-powder,

Separate the yolks and whites of the eggs. Rub the butter and sugar to a cream, add to this the well beaten yolks, stir well, and put in the milk and then the flour into which has been stirred the baking-powder. Lastly add the beaten whites. Have ready buttered three long, shallow tins of equal size. Divide the cake into three parts, and bake two of them plain. To the third add

One cupful of raisins. One cupful of currants. One-quarter of a pound of citron. Two tea-spoonfuls of molasses. Two tea-spoonfuls of brandy or wine. One-half tea-spoonful of mace. One-half tea-spoonful of cinnamon.

Seed the raisins and chop them coarsely, wash and dry the currants, and slice the citron fine; then put all the fruit together, and flour it well. Stir the fruit and spice into the third portion of batter, and bake in the third tin. When all the layers are done, arrange them with the fruit cake in the middle, spreading a coat of jelly between them. Press each cake lightly with the hand as it is laid on, to insure the layers sticking closely together. Trim the edges even, and frost with a plain or a boiled frosting.

Caramel Cake

To make three large layers allow

One cupful of butter.

Two cupfuls of sugar.

One cupful of milk.

Three cupfuls of flour.

Five eggs (whites.).

Two tea-spoonfuls of baking-powder.

Place the ingredients together the same as for plain layer cake, adding the whites of the eggs last. Bake in three well buttered tins, and when done, spread between the layers the caramel filling (see page 546).

White Layer Cake

One cupful of sugar.

One-half cupful of butter.

One-half cupful of milk.

Two cupfuls of flour.

Four eggs (whites).

One and a-half tea-spoonful of baking-powder.

Put the ingredients together, the same as in the preceding recipe. Bake in three layer-cake tins, well buttered, and spread frosting between the layers.

Variety Layer Cake

One cupful of sugar.

One table-spoonful of butter.

One cupful of milk.

Two eggs.

Two tea-spoonfuls of baking-powder.

Flour to thicken.

Make the same as plain layer cake, and bake in four layers. When done, spread between the first and second layers a coating of currant jelly, between the second and third simple melted chocolate, and between the third and fourth the cream filling (see page 545), and frost the top.