CHRISTMAS ICINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19806, 29 November 1927, Page 7

CHRISTMAS ICINGS.

Almond Icing.—lngredients: Six lightly filled level teaspoonfuls of ground almonds, one level breakfast cupful of castor sugar, three level teacupfuls of sieved icing sugar, two whole eggs, one tublespoonful of lemon juice, vanilla, ratafia essence, and orange-flower water to taste. Rub the icing sugar through a hair-sieve and the almonds and castor sugar through a wire sieve. Beat the eggs slightly together, add them and the strained lemon juice and a sufficient quantity of the essences to flavour the paste. Mix it stiffly, knead well, and pound it in a mortar, or with the flat end of. a rollingpin, in an enamel basin, and it is ready for use. When baked, shape the cake neatly. Cover it evenly over with a good layer of almond icing. Leave this to dry. Blanch almonds. Arrange them in neat rows round the cake, pressifig them firmly into the almond paste. Colour some almond paste a pale green, shape it as much as possible likejeaves of mistletoe. Arrange them on top of the cake with small silver daggers to represent the berries. Royal Icing.—Required: One and a-half pounds of icintr sugar, three whites of eggs, juice of lemon. Rub the icing sugar through the sieve, add the lemon juice and the whites of the egs;s and mix until the sugar is absorbed. Beat for half an hour or until the mixture is white and pliable. The consistency of the icing should be'so stiff that a pattern could be impressed and remain without blurring, and yet at the same time the mixture must not be so stiff as not to be elastic, otherwise great difficulty will be experienced when piping Place the mixture a little at a time in a forciriC bail with tub 1 and decorate as one prefers. A coating of Royal icine should: be spread on the cake before decorating with fancy stars, etc. The tubes and bags are qu'te inexpensive, and great variety is possi tie. The icing is quite simple and a most interesting performance.