In making cake, it is very desirable that the materials be of the finest quality. Sweet, fresh butter, eggs, and good flour are the first essentials. The process of putting together is also quite an important feature, and where other methods are not given in this work by contributors, it would be well for the young housekeeper to observe the following directions: Never allow the butter to oil, but soften it by putting it in a moderately warm place before you commence other preparations for your cake; then put it into an earthen dish (tin, if not new, will discolor your cake as you stir it) and add your sugar; beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add the yolks of the eggs, then the milk, and lastly the beaten whites of the eggs and flour. Spices and liquors may be added after the yolks of the eggs are put in, and fruit should be put in with the flour.

The oven should be pretty hot for small cakes, and moderate for larger. To ascertain if a large cake is sufficiently baked, pierce it with a broom-straw through the center; if done, the straw will come out free from dough; if not done, dough will adhere to the straw. Take it out of the tin about fifteen minutes after it is taken from the oven, not sooner, and do not turn it over on the top to cool.

Chocolate Cake

1 cup of butter, 1 cup of milk, 3 cups of sugar, 4 cups of flour, 6 eggs, 1 tea-spoonful of soda. 2 tea-spoonfuls of cream of tartar; bake in layers like jelly cake. Icing for cake, to place between: 1 cup of sugar, 1 cake of chocolate, and the whites of 2 eggs whipped together

Cocoanut Cake

1 cup of butter, 3 of sugar, 1 of milk, 4 of flour, 1 tea-spoonful of soda, 2 of cream of tartar, 5 eggs; bake in layers like jelly cake. Icing to place between the layers: Half a lb. of white sugar to the whites of 2 eggs, whip the eggs, add the grated cocoanut, and place between the layers.

Wedding Cake

5 lbs. of seeded raisins, 2 lbs of currants, 1 lb. of citron, 12 eggs, 1 lb. of butter, 1 lb. of sugar (brown), 1 coffee-cup of molasses, a little brandy, 1 tea-cup of spices.

Cheap Good Cake

1 cup of sugar, one-fourth cup of butter, three-fourths cup of cold water, 1 3/4 cups of flour, whites of 2 eggs, 1 tea-spoonful of lemon, baking powder used.

Gold Cake

One-half cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, one-half cup of milk, 3 of flour, 3 tea-spoonfuls of baking powder, and yolks of 4 eggs.

For the silver cake use the same recipe, only in place of the yolks of eggs use the whites of 4 eggs.

For marble cake, same recipe, using 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of molasses, and some spices, and drop it in the dish on the white cake or silver recipe.

Jelly Cake

3 eggs, 1 small tea-cupful of sugar, 1 cup of flour, whites and yolks of the eggs beaten together; flavor, and bake in 2 layers, in a quick oven.

Fruit Cake

2 lbs. of stoned raisins, 2 lbs. of currants, 1 lb. of butter, 1 lb. of sugar, 1 1/4 lbs. of flour, 10 eggs, 1 wine-glass of brandy, 1 wine-glass of wine, 1 table-spoonful of cloves, 1 table-spoonful of allspice, 2 table-spoonfuls of cinnamon, 1 nutmeg, 1 tea-spoonful of sweet almond meats blanched and cut in slices, 2 oz. of candied lemon, 2 oz. of citron; a little molasses improves it, nearly a tea-cupful; flour the fruit, using that weighed out for the cake; put a half tea-spoonful of soda or 1 tea-spoonful of baking-powder with it on the fruit; bake 3 hours, slowly.

Frosting For Cake

1 cup frosting sugar, 2 table-spoon fuls of water, boiled together; take it off the stove and stir in the white of 1 egg beaten to a stiff froth; stir all together well; then frost your cake with it, and you will never want a nicer frosting than this.

Cream Filled Cakes

These delicious cakes are very easily made if care is taken to have the water boiling. Measure out one-half pt. and put in a small kettle; immediately after it comes to a boil again put in two-thirds of a cup of butter and 1 and one-half cups of frour; stir briskly for a moment, leaving it over the fire; remove this mixture and place in a dish where it will get entirely cold; beat 5 large fresh eggs very thoroughly, then stir in your cold mixture a spoonful at a time; stir it all until smooth and free from lumps; drop them upon a greased dripping-pan in small pear-shaped cakes; bake half an hour in a real hot oven; don't be afraid they will burn unless you see them doing so. When done they will be hollow inside, of a bright brown color; if not well done they will flatten. The oven must be hot when you put them in, and if kept so success is sure.

Filling or Cream: Put a little more than 1 pt. of milk in a pail and set it in boiling water; beat 2 eggs, two-thirds cup of corn starch, one full cup sugar, one-half tea-spoonful salt, and some vanilla, thoroughly together; add a full half cup of milk, and stir all into your boiling milk; it should be very thick; cut open your cakes near the bottom and fill very full of cream; be sure the cream is cold.