1 breakfast-cupful of milk, ¼ of an oz. of caraway seeds, ¼ of a lb. of candied peel cut fine.
Method.—Put the flour and baking-powder into a basin; stir these together; then rub in the dripping, add the sugar, caraway seeds, and peel; whisk the eggs with the milk, and beat all together very thoroughly until the ingredients are well mixed. Butter a tin, put in the cake mixture, and bake it from 1 to 2 hours. Let the dripping be quite clean before using; to ensure this, it should be clarified. Beef-dripping is better than any other for cakes, etc., as mutton-dripping frequently has a very unpleasant flavour, which would be imparted to the preparation. The eggs are not necessary.
Time.—1½ to 2 hours. Average Cost, 1s. Sufficient for 1 cake.
3396.—PLAIN CAKE FOR CHILDREN.
Ingredients.—1 quartern of dough, ¼ of a lb. of moist sugar, ¼ of a lb. of butter or good beef-dripping, ¼ of a pint of warm milk, ½ a teaspoonful grated nutmeg, or an oz. of caraway seeds.
Method.—If bread is not made at home, procure the dough from the baker's, and as soon as it comes in, put it into a basin near the fire; cover the basin with a thick cloth, and let the dough remain a little while to rise. In the meantime beat the butter to a cream, and make the milk warm; when the dough has risen, mix with it thoroughly all the above ingredients, and well rub the mixture to obtain a smooth soft paste. Butter some cake-tins, half fill them, and stand them in a warm place to allow the mixture to rise again. When the tins are 3 parts full, put the cakes into a good oven, and bake them from 1¾ to 2 hours. A few currants, or sultanas, can be substituted for the caraway seeds, when the flavour of the latter is disliked.
Time.—1¾ to 2 hours. Average Cost, 11d. Sufficient for 6 or 8 small cakes. Seasonable at any time.
3397.—PLUM CAKE, COMMON.
Ingredients.—10 ozs. of flour, 6 ozs. of butter, or good dripping, 10 ozs. of moist sugar, 8 ozs. of currants or raisins, ½ an oz. of ground allspice, 1 oz. of distillery yeast, 1½ pints of new milk.
Method.—Rub the butter into the flour, add the sugar, currants or raisins, and allspice; warm the milk, and dissolve the yeast in it, mix the whole into a soft dough, knead it well, and put it into 6 buttered tins. Place them near the fire for 1 hour, or until they are light, then bake the cakes in a good oven from 1 to 1¼ hours. To ascertain when they are done, plunge a clean skewer in the middle, and if on withdrawal it comes out clean, the cakes are done.
Time.—1 to 1¼ hours. Average Cost, 1s. 8d. Sufficient to make 10 small cakes.
