WHITE FRUIT CAKE

Which is commonly called the Bride’s Cake.

  Eight ounces of creamery butter,
  Two cupfuls of sugar.

Cream together until frothy and like snow, and then add, one at a time, six eggs, then add

  Five cupfuls of sifted flour,
  Two level tablespoonfuls baking powder,
  One cupful of seeded raisins,
  One cupful of currants,
  One cupful of finely chopped citron,
  One and one-quarter cups of milk,
  One cupful of finely chopped nuts.

Beat to mix and then bake in a slow oven in a prepared pan one and one-half hours.  To prepare the pan, grease and flour the pan and then line it with greased and floured paper.

WHITE POUND CAKE

  Four ounces of butter,
  One and one-half cups of sugar.

Cream until light and frothy, and then add

  One cupful of milk,
  Three and one-half cupfuls of flour,
  Four teaspoonfuls of baking powder,
  One teaspoonful of almond extract,
  One-half teaspoonful of mace.

Beat for five minutes to blend and then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of five eggs.  Bake in prepared pans for one hour in a moderate oven.  Use the pans prepared the same as for the fruit cake.  Golden cake may be made from this recipe, using the yolks of seven eggs.

To use successfully you must use good shortening, pastry flour, granulated sugar and fresh eggs.  Exact care in measuring with the proper methods of compounding and finally careful baking are necessary.  Now for another point:  do not stir the cake after its final beating.

In filling the cake pan put the mixture well into the corners and leave a slight depression in the centre.  This will leave the cake perfectly smooth on top.  Now, if the oven is too cool when the cakes go into it the cake will rise over the top of the pans and become coarse-grained.  While, on the other hand, if it is too hot it will brown quickly on the top before the cake has had a chance to rise; then when the dough does attempt to rise it will break through and crack the crust.  Too much flour will also cause this.  Now to break the old hoodoos about cake-baking!  You may look at the cake after it is in the oven ten minutes if you will open and shut the oven door gently, and if necessary to remove the cake wait until it has reached its full height and is beginning to brown.  Then it may be removed carefully without danger of falling.  Sometimes it may be necessary to remove the cakes so that they may brown evenly.  Icing the cakes greatly improves their appearance.  Should the cake for any reason scorch, don’t trim it with a knife.  This spoils its appearance; instead use a grater and remove the scorched part.

Turn the cakes to cool upon a sieve or wire cake-rack.  Do not attempt to ice a cake until it is cool and then coat the entire cake over with a plain water icing.