beat in your sugar a quarter of an hour, beat the whites of your eggs to a very strong froth, mix them with your sugar and butter; beat the yolks half an hour at least, and mix them with your cake; then put in your flour, mace, and nutmeg; keep beating it till the oven is ready, put in your brandy, and beat the currants and almonds lightly in; tie three sheets of paper round the bottom of your hoop, to keep it from running out; rub it well with butter, put in your cake, and the sweetmeats in three lays, with cake betwixt every lay; after it is risen and coloured, cover it with paper before your oven is stopped up; it will take three hours baking.
Another Way.
Wash and rub seven pounds of currants, place them before the fire; take four pounds of flour, dry and sift it, six pounds of fresh butter, which work with your hand till it comes to a cream, two pounds of loaf sugar beat and sifted fine; blanch two pounds of almonds, pound them fine, a quarter of an ounce of mace, cloves and cinnamon, three nutmegs and some ginger; half a pint of sack, and the same quantity of brandy; sweetmeats, such as candied orange, lemon and citron; work the butter well into a cream, then put in your sugar; let the eggs, which must be eight to every pound of flour, be beat well, and strained through a sieve; put in your almonds, beat them well, then put in the sack, brandy and spices; shake the flour in by degrees; when your oven is ready, put in your currants and sweetmeats; tie a few sheets of paper at the bottom of the hoop, but rub it well with butter; it will take four hours baking.
