RECIPES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XI, Issue 43, 28 October 1893, Page 358

RECIPES.

" The Decorations of Cakes.—* No, I never send to the confectioner’s for a decorator to finish my cakes,' said an ambitious young woman. ‘ I have kept mv eyes open, and I find that with a little care, and pains I can do quite as good work as the average confectioner. I rather pride myself on my cakes and have for some years taken a little trouble to perfect myself in the finishing and trimming of them. It is easy enough—indeed, it takes less time than to send them away or employ an expert, costs but a trifle, and in addition I find that my cakes have an individuality that the baker never seems to get. I have invented a series of little appliances that answer my purpose admirably, and as they are within reach of everybody I don’t see why it should be necessary to send out of the house for such work. My first bit of machinery is some glass tubing about the size of the chimney of a student-lamp. Of this I have half a dozen pieces each aboutsixinches long. To one end of each of these pieces of tubing is attached a bit of folded oiled paper. This paper is very thick and strong, and was gummed into funnel shape before being oiled. An ordinary spool of suitable size with a piece of soft linen tied around it has a handle made of a piece of pine whittled out to fit the hole in the spool. This makes a sort of pusher or plunger. The frosting is put into these tubes, the spool is gently pressed over it, and as it fits the tube tightly, a tiny thread of the prepared icing comes out through the point in the paper funnel. These funnels have openings varying in size from a lead pencil to number eight cotton. With these I can from any decoration that it is possible to make with such

appliances. I have moulds for leaves and flowers, also a set of stencils which I prepared myself. For icing I take the whites of three eggs, add an equal amount of cold water, and stir in xxx confectioner’s sugar until of the right consistency. I spread this over the cakes, and w’hen the first coating is nearly dry, fill one of the tubes, usually the larger one, and holding it above the cake press gently through the plunger, allowing the stream to flow out in any pattern I may desire. I like a heavy edge around the cake; therefore, usually make an interlaced scallop pattern with one of the larger sizes ; then, with the smaller ones, I form all sorts of fanciful figures, letters, names, dates, leaf and flower outlines and the like If I want a bit of colour, I drop a coloured confection into each scallop while the frosting is still soft. For coloured icings, which I always prepare when there are youngsters or children, birthdays, holidays and visiting occasions, I put a drop or two of cochineal in a little water, allow it to boil a moment, then strain and set away to cool. By tf.e use of this, one may obtain all shades, from the palest pink to a colour as bright as is desirable. This is not at all objectionable, and adds greatly to the attractiveness of the cake.'

The Empress Tea Cake —Three quarters of a pound of flour, two ounces of white sugar, a good sized pinch of salt, a gill and a half of milk, two ounces of fresh butter, half an ounce of yeast, and one well-beaten egg. The flour, sugar, and salt are mixed together in a bowl, and the milk, which should be warmed, added afterwards with the yeast, egg and butter. All the ingredients are mixed together until they assume the consistency of a stiff dough. Two ounces of candied cherries chopped, are put in, and the mixture is left to rise for an hour and a half. It is then put into a buttered baking-tin and popped at once into a very hot oven, which is allowed to get cooler as the cake progresses towards perfection. —Home Lovers.