SPICE CAKE

For an inexpensive spice cake, take one-half cup of b.u.t.ter, one cup of sugar, one egg, (white beaten separately), one and one-half cups of flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, half a cup of milk, one-quarter teaspoonful ground cloves, one-quarter teaspoonful nutmeg, one teaspoonful cinnamon, half a teaspoonful vanilla. Cream the b.u.t.ter and sugar, add yolk of egg and beat very light. Sift flour and baking powder, and stir in alternately with the milk. Add spice and flavoring next, then the stiff white, and bake either in gem pans or in a loaf.

Half a cupful of seeded raisins or currants will be an improvement.

WARM GINGERBREAD

Stir together half a cup of mola.s.ses, half a cup of brown sugar, one teaspoonful of soda, one beaten egg, two tablespoons melted b.u.t.ter, half a cup of milk, two cups of flour, one tablespoonful of ginger, teaspoonful of cinnamon, one-quarter teaspoonful cloves, and a little nutmeg. Mix in the order given, pour in greased shallow pan, and bake from fifteen to twenty minutes.

When the little cook has learned to follow the foregoing recipes so that she understands all the details of mixing and is able to make nice light cakes, let her some time try the following, which by using the whites for a delicate cake and the yolks for a gold cake, will give her two choice cakes without extra expense. After bringing to the table, when ready to begin, the sugar can, the b.u.t.ter jar, the egg dish, the milk, the vanilla and the baking powder, so that everything will be convenient, and having well greased a pan for the gold cake (which will be baked in a loaf) and the two jelly tins for the white cake, she can then separate three eggs, and to the three yolks add one whole egg. On account of the baking it is best to make the white cake first, and then it can be iced and the dishes cleaned away while the loaf cake bakes.

WHITE CAKE

One even half cupful of b.u.t.ter and an even cupful of sugar, creamed until it is light and foamy. To one and one-half cupfuls of flour add two level teaspoonfuls baking-powder, and sift several times. Then into the creamed b.u.t.ter and sugar pour one-half cupful milk, alternately, a little at a time, with the flour. Before putting in the last of the flour, stir extra well, then put in one teaspoonful vanilla and the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs, mix as little as possible, to stir through, and then add the last of the flour. Bake either in a loaf or in two layer tins. The layers can be put together when cold with either the icing already given or this chocolate frosting:

CHOCOLATE ICING

To one cup of granulated sugar add one-third cup of boiling water, and stir to dissolve until it begins to boil, but no longer. Cook until it hairs from a spoon, then pour slowly on the stiff white of an egg, beating steadily. When the candy is well mixed through the egg, add two squares of chocolate, grated, and continue beating until cool and thick enough to spread. If the candy happens to be taken off too soon, the icing will not get thick, and in that event it can be made the right consistency by the addition of a little confectioner's sugar.

BOILED ICING

For the plain white boiled icing, simply omit the chocolate from the foregoing recipe, and flavor as desired.

After the two white layers have been put into the oven, if she will be very careful not to forget them, our little maid can go at her loaf cake.

GOLD CAKE

To one cupful of sugar, and a rounded tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter rubbed creamy, she can stir in the four yolks and one whole egg beaten together as light as the proverbial feather. Then after sifting one and one-half cupfuls of flour with two level teaspoonfuls baking-powder in a separate bowl, she can add, a little at a time, one-half cupful of milk and the flour in the same way that she did in mixing her white cake. Flavor with a teaspoonful of vanilla, or lemon, if preferred.

CITRON CAKE

If citron is liked, a quarter-cupful, cut very thin, and lightly floured, can be stirred through the batter made for the gold cake, the last thing. This cake will bake better if put in a pan having a funnel opening in the center. The oven should be a little cooler for a loaf cake, and it should bake from forty to forty-five minutes. When done, it will shrink slightly from the sides of the pan and should be a delicate brown. The best way to avoid the possibility of sticking, is to first cut a piece of paper to fit the bottom of the pan and grease it thoroughly. On removing from the oven, the loaf cake should stand a few moments and then be turned out on the bread board.

NUT CAKE

If desired, when the loaf is cool, it can be iced also, with a white icing, and it will look attractive if a few nut meats are scattered over the top before the icing hardens. If nuts are liked, a few can be stirred through the cake instead of the citron and thus by using either (or neither) our small cook can make three different cakes with the same recipe.

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

A delicious chocolate cake, sometimes called Devil's Food, is made as follows: cream three-quarters of a cup of b.u.t.ter with one cup of sugar, and add the beaten yolks of two eggs. Sift several times one and one-half cups of flour with two scant teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and stir in, alternating with half a cup of milk. Flavor with three tablespoonfuls of cocoa (or two squares of unsweetened chocolate, grated), and half a teaspoonful of vanilla, and lastly add the two whites, beaten stiff. Bake in two layers, and put together with white icing.

[Ill.u.s.tration: AFTERNOON TEA FOR TWO]

Any child with care and a little practice should be able to bake successfully any of the recipes given. They are not expensive, and yet if properly put together will make cake light and nice enough to offer any guest. The first, of course, is a trifle cheaper, but the others will give a good variety for any company, and when she has learned to make them so they turn out well every time, she will have made a great advance in her cooking lessons. Then by simply changing her icing she can have as many different kinds as the family desire.

BREAD

Home-made bread is one thing that everybody likes, and while it takes time and patience, it is not really hard to make. One little girl I knew took pride in making all the bread for a family of four, and it was fine, too. The recipe here given will make three large loaves, so if you prefer, you can use only half at first, until sure that you have learned to do it properly. Take three quarts of sifted flour, one even iron kitchen spoonful of salt, a rounded one of sugar, and one, also rounded, of lard melted in one cup of warm water--not hot. Dissolve one fresh compressed yeast cake in one cup of warm water, and add that, with two more cups of warm water. Mix this all well together, using your big spoon. When as smooth as you can get it that way, turn out on a floured board, and knead for fifteen or twenty minutes. Then set it away where it will not get chilled, and leave it to rise for from four to six hours, when it will be about double its original size. Then turn out on your bread board again, cut it in three parts, roll into nice smooth loaves, without more kneading, put in b.u.t.tered bread tins, leave again in a warm place for about two hours, then bake in a moderate oven until a pretty brown. When done, go lightly over the hard crust with a small white cloth dipped in cold water, roll in a fresh tea towel and allow to cool before cutting. If you wish, you can start your bread and give the first kneading at night, then cover and leave until morning.

LIGHT BISCUIT

For light biscuit, take one of the three parts cut for the bread, twist off little pieces the size of an egg, roll smooth without working, wet over the top with melted b.u.t.ter or milk, let rise to double their size, and bake in a hot oven from fifteen to twenty minutes.

CHAPTER XI

Desserts Good in Summer

For the hot days of summer, I know the mothers and little cooks will be deeply interested in cold desserts of all kinds--dishes that can be made early in the morning and set away, as well as various frozen dainties.

It is well to enjoy the delicious fruits and melons in their season (and really nothing finishes off a dinner better after a close, warm day), but still we all want to know how to make light puddings and jellies for a change.

FLOATING ISLAND

Floating island is a nice dessert, easily made by any child, with reasonable care. For six persons, have her take three even cupfuls of milk and one-fourth teaspoonful salt, and put on to heat in a double kettle. Then beat up the yolks of three eggs, add one-half cupful sugar, one-half teaspoonful vanilla, and pour in them slowly the hot milk, stirring all the time. Return to the double boiler and continue to stir until it thickens and gets creamy, coating the spoon. Do not allow to boil, or it will curdle. Cover and set aside to cool.

Next the whites should be beaten up very stiff, and sweetened with two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar. Have a pan filled with boiling hot water--but not bubbling--and into this drop the whites in heaping big spoonfuls. After standing a few moments they will puff up very light.

While they are cooking, pour the custard in a gla.s.s dish, then lift the whites with a skimmer, allow to drain and dot them over the top. Made in this way, the meringue tastes much better than when served uncooked. A half-teaspoonful of currant jelly on top of each "island" makes the dessert even more inviting, and it looks particularly nice when served in individual gla.s.s dishes or sherbet cups.

Gelatin forms the basis for many delicious, inexpensive puddings. It is well for the housewife to examine the recipes coming with the different brands, for while some boxes will make only one quart of jelly, others at the same price will make two, and therefore cost only half as much.

LEMON JELLY

For plain lemon jelly, the mother will instruct the child to soak two rounded tablespoonfuls of granulated gelatin in one-third cupful of cold water for fifteen minutes. Then add two cupfuls of boiling water, one cupful sugar, and the strained juice of two lemons. Pour in a shallow mold to set and when ready to send to the table turn onto a small platter and garnish with whipped cream, or serve with the custard used for floating island.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FRUIT JELLY WITH WHIPPED CREAM]

FRUIT JELLY

For a fruit jelly in winter, line the bottom of the mold or individual cups with pieces of banana, orange, or preserved cherries, fill up with the liquid lemon jelly and set away to harden. In berry season, however, flavor the gelatin with half a cupful of the pure berry juice strained (instead of using lemon), and pour into cups half filled with fine, whole berries. This is best served with whipped cream, one large berry decorating the top of each cup.