Christmas Cakes

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 66, 10 December 1938, Page 7 (Supplement)

Christmas Cakes

Kick And Plain, To Suit

All 'Pastes

LJERE are some cakes, rich ajid plain, which could be adapted for weddings or Christmas. This is light, ami, therefore, suitable'for all but liny children, and it has the further advantage that it can lie baked much more quickly than the usual Christmas or wedding cake. Line two sandwich tins with greased paper. Sift together five ounces of self-raising flour, a pinch of salt, half a teaspoonful of mixed spice, half a teaspoonful of ground cinnamon, and a quarter of a teaspoonful of nutmeg. Beat to a cream four ounces of butter and four ounces of castor sugar, add two beaten eggs, and beat until creamy. Sift in the flour, then stir in the grated rind of a lemon, an ounce of glace cherries cut into pieces, two ounces each of currants and chopped raisins, and I'onr ounces of chopped sultanas. Divide the mixture between the two tins, and bake in a moderate oven for half an hour or a little longer. 'When cool, spread each cake with apricot jam, and put a thin layer of almond paste between the two and one on top. Then ice.

Here is a recipe for a rich, dark cake which will keep for months if iced and kept in a tin. Sift together ten ounces of self-raising flour, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoonful of mixed spice. Beat to a cream half a pound of butter and half a pound of soft brown sugar, add three eggs, and beat wellj Sift in the flour and mix thoroughly. Stir in half a pound of currants, twelve ounces of chopped raisins, two ounces of grated citron peel, the grated rind of an

orange, two ounces of blanched shredded almonds, and twelve drops of almond esenee. Then add half a teacupful of treacle, and mix to a fairly stiff dough. Put in a tin lined with three thicknesses of greased paper, and bake in a moderate oven for two and a half to three hours. Almond Paste. THIS is an easy cake to make, of good consistency. Beat seven ounces of butter and seven ounces of brown sugar to a cream. Sift in ten ounces of self-raising flour and a, pinch of salt, alternately with four large beaten eggs. Add the grated rind and juice of a small lemon, twelve ounces of sultanas, eight ounces of currants, two ounces of chopped glace cherries, two ounces of blanched chopped almonds, and two ounces of grated mixed candied peel. Put into a prepared caketin and bake in a moderate oven for three to four hours. All thesn cakes should be baked in tins of not less than eight inches in diameter, the tins should be well lined with greased paper, should be placed on a tray of salt or an asbestos mat, the top should be covered with paper after it begins to brown, and the oven heat should be reduced a little towards the end of the baking. The cake should be stored in a tin for a day or two before the almond paste is put on, and it should be left for another few days before being iced. Here is an easily-made almond paste of good flavour. Put into a bowl twelve ounces of ground almonds, four ounces of castor sugar, and eight ounces of icing sugar, and mix thoroughly. Beat two small eggs with a dessertspoon of lemon juice and twelve drops each of vanilla, almond, and orange essence. Add to the dry ingredients and make into a stiff paste, kneading well with the hands. Add a little more liquid if necessary. Brush the cake over with white of egg, roll out the paste to fit, and cover the cake with it. For the white icing use three whites of eggs to a pound of icing sugar. Beat the whites until frothy but not stiff, with a dessertspoonful of lemon juice. Sift the sugar into a bowl, add the whites of eggs, and continue beating for not less than fifteen minutes, until the icing is soft enough to pour over the cake. If it will not pour after being beaten for several minutes add a little more liquid. p