ECONOMICAL CAKES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19953, 10 November 1934, Page 14

ECONOMICAL CAKES

Though cheap, these small cakes are an asset to the afternoon tea table. Have a dozen small patty tins ready greased. Beat a heaped tablespoonful of butter to a cream, add half a teacupful of castor sugar, and beat until it is light and the sugar is dissolved. Add a beaten egg and a quarter of a teacupful of water, beating well all the time. Stir in gradually a teacupful of sieved self-raising flour, and beat again. An ounce of chopped currants, sultanas, glace cherries, or a mixture of these, can be added after the flour is beaten in, if desired. Half fill the tins with the mixture and bake in a hot oven for ten to fifteen minutes. TEA-STAINED BLANKETS If a cup of tea is accidentally upset in bed and the blankets are stained, the marks may be easily removed if they are dealt with at once. The stained portion must first be thoroughly soaked in cold water. It should then be gently squeezed, and dipped into a solution of borax and warm water, in the proportion of one ounce to one pint. It should be left in this for about ten minutes and then rinsed in clean water. If the stain is deep, the treatment may have to be repeated to ensure a good result. Care should be taken to keep the main portion of the blankets as dry as possible. STAINED WOODWORK Mantelpieces of light oak often become slightly blackened where they join the hearth. This staining may be removed by the application of a mixture of equal parts of methylated spirit, vinegar, and paraffin, shaken well together before use. The same mixture is good for removing all kinds of grease marks from furniture, or from polished floors, and for cleaning the discoloured woodwork round bellpushes and the slots of letter-boxes. To protect doors from such discolouration it is advisable to have a frame cut from cardboard or three-ply wood to fit exactly round the brasswork. If this frame is held in position while the brass is being cleaned, the woodwork is protected and the polishing process is made easier.