THE RIGHT RECIPE

Evening Star, Issue 21630, 27 January 1934, Page 21

THE RIGHT RECIPE

THREE DECORATIVE CAKES FOR FESTIVE OCCASIONS. Orange Cake. One of the most delightful and fluffy of modern confections is the following “ orange cake. Beat together until thick two egg yolks, four tablespoonsful of orange juice, the grated rind of one orange, and half a tablespoonful of lemon juice. Gradually add three-quarters of a cupful of sugar, beating with an egg-beater. Fold in the whites of two eggs beaten until stiff. Then fold in lightly one cupful of Hour, two teaspoonsful of baking powder, and a quarter of a teaspoonful of salt, which have been sifted together tour times. Put into a greased, deep, round pan, and bake for half an hour in a moderate oven. Split, put cream filling between the layers, ancl cover the top and sides, with orange icing. T make orange cream filling, melt two tablespoonstul of butter. Add four tablespoons! ul ot cornflour, the grated rind of one orange, one cupful of orange juice, and one cupful of sugar. Bring to toiling point and stir occasionally. Cook for fifteen minutes over boiling water (in a double saucepan). Add half a teaspoonful of lemon juice. Cool and fold in half a cupful ,of whipped cream. Orange icing: Boil one cupful of sugar and one-third of a cupful of water without stirring until the syrup spins a thread when dropped from a spoon. Pour slowly cu to one egg white which has been beaten until stiff. Beat constantly with an eggbeater until the mixture holds its shape. Then gradually fold in one egg yolk,‘half a teaspoonful of orange juice and a little orange rind. Spread this on the cake. In making the icing, add the egg yolk very slowly until the right colour and consistency is obtained.

Strawberry Layer Cake. Three eggs, their weight in flour, their weight in sugar, 4oz butter, halfteaspoon baking powder, two tablespoons cold water. For the filling: 2oi icing sugar, I-foz butten f about six large strawberries. Cream the butter and sugar till it drops easily off the spoon, then beat in the eggs one at a time and very thoroughly. If the mixture appears to be curdling slightly, add a little flour with the eggs; if not, fold it in lightly afterwards. The baking powder must be sifted with the flour. Add also the water, and then pour half the mixture into each of two greased sandwich tins and bake in a fairly hot oven about twenty minutes. Then when the cakes are done tip them out on to a cake rack to cool. When quite cold (don’t, let them cool in a draught) they can be put together either with fresh strawberries mashed up with some whipped cream, or with the filling. To make it, simply cream the butter and icing sugar together and mash in the strawberries. For the strawberry icing you want 6oz icing sugar, about two or three dessertspoons strawberry juice. Sift the icing sugar and put into a basin, adding enough strawberry juice to make a thick paste. Then spread on top of the cake. Decorate with fresh berries or with crystallised ones if you wish to keep the cake a few davs.

Chocolate Eclairs. Here is a cake beloved of the French:—lngredients: Four eggs, 3oz butter, soz flour, 1 breakfast cupful boiling water, chocolate icing as described, custard as described. Method : Put the butter and water into a saucepan and boil up. When quite boiling, put 'in all the flour at once. Stir well, and heat until it leaves the side of the pan. Let it cook slowly at the side of the stove for lOmiu. Beat the eggs well, then add them by degrees to the mixture, beating all the time. Beat well for lOmin. Put the mixture into a forcing hag with a plain pipe and force it on to a greased baking dish into lengths about as long as a finger. Bake in a rather quick, steady oven for about half an hour. The oven should have a steady heat, and the door should not be opened for the first ISmin. When baked to a pale golden brown, take them out and set on a sieve to coll. When cool, cut a slit in the side of each with a sharp knife, and fill with pastry custard, finally masking with chocolate icing. Coffee icing and coffee cream also makes delicious eclairs. For the Custard.—lngredients: Two ounces of flour, two yolks of eggs, 2oz sugar, i pint milk, I pint cream, loz butter, 1 teaspoonful vanilla essence. Method : Put the flour and sugar into a pan and mix - them together. Then add the butter and yolks of eggs. Next, by degrees, add the milk and cream. When all are -mixed together, put on stove and stir till the mixture boils. Do not leave it, as it boils very readily. When cool, flavour with a tea-

spoonful of vanilla essence. For the Icing.—lngredients: One pound of best icing sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls grated chocolate, a few drops vanilla essence, tablespoonfuls boiling water. Method: Mix all the ingredi-' ents together in an enamelled saucepan and just warm over the fire. Do not let the mixture get hot. Mask the eclairs with this, after they have been filled with custard. This icing may require a little more water, as some • chocolates require more than others.