To ice a great cake.
TAKE the whites of twenty-four eggs, and a pound of double-refined sugar beat and sifted fine; mix both together, in a deep earthen pan, and with a whisk whisk it well for two or three hours together till it looks white and thick, then with a thin broad board or bunch of feathers spread it all over the top and sides of the cake; set it a proper distance before a good clear fire, and keep turning it continually for fear of its changing colour; but a cool oven is best, and an hour will harden it. You may perfume the icing with what perfume your please.
To make a pound cake.
TAKE a pound of butter, beat it in an earthen pan with your hand one way, till it is a fine thick cream, then have ready twelve eggs, but half the whites; beat them well, and beat them up with the butter, a pound of flour beat in it, a pound of sugar, and a few carraways. Beat it all well together for an hour with your hand, or a great wooden spoon, butter a pan and put it in, then bake it an hour in a quick oven. For change, you may put in a pound of currants, clean washed and picked.
To make a cheap seed-cake.
YOU must take half a peck of flour, a pound and a half of butter, put it in a sauce-pan with a pint o milk, set it on the fire; take a pound of sugar, half an ounce of all-spice beat fine, and mix them with the flour. When the butter is melted, pour the milk and butter in the middle of the flour, and work it up like paste. Pour in with the milk half a pint of good ale yeast, set it before the fire to rise, just before it goes to the oven. Either put in some currants or carraway-seeds, and bake it in a quick oven. Make it in two cakes. They will take an hour and a half baking.
To make a butter cake.
You must take a dish of butter, and beat it like cream with your hands, put two pounds of fine sugar well beat, three pounds of flour well dried, and mix them in with the butter, twenty-flour eggs, leave out half the whites, and then beat all together for an hour. Just as you are going to put it into the oven, put in aquarter
