To Ice the Top of the Cake. — To begin with, the cake must be perfectly flat ; if there is not a coat- ing of almond paste to make it so, it will be better to trim the cake so as to make it stand evenly, and then to turn it upside down and ice the bottom. If cake icing is frequently done in a house, a rotation Cake Stand stand or cake drum should be bought, as this will simplify the process very considerably. Fix the cake on to the stand by means of a little icing, and 592 COOKERY FOR EVERY HOUSEHOLD then have it raised to a convenient height for the hand. Failing a proper cake stand, fix the cake on to the bottom of a cake tin turned upside down, always choosing the tin a size smaller than the cake itself, in order that the knife may pass freely round it while icing. Then pile on the top of the cake sufficient icing to cover it and spread it over, quite roughly at first, with a good-sized table knife. Now place the point of the knife to the centre of the cake, holding it horizontally and steadily with the right hand and, with the left, move the rotation stand round until a complete circle has been made, when the knife may be slipped off. It will require some practice to leave the surface smooth after one turn of the stand ; a little touching up may be neces- sary, but skill will be acquired by degrees. If the cake is being iced without a rotation stand, the knife must just be brought smoothly across it in one direction. If the top only of the cake is to be iced, allow it to dry, then decorate to taste and cover the sides with a silver or gilt paper band or with a coloured paper frill, and perhaps a band of ribbon. To Ice the Sides of the Cake. — Place some more icing on the bare parts, and spread it roughly round with a knife. Then hold the knife verti- cally and in a slanting position against the cake, seeing that it touches the complete width, and turn the stand round with the left hand. Any super- fluous icing should be carried off with a sweep of the knife when the circle is finished. If not smooth after the first attempt, repeat the process. Touch up the edges with the point of the knife, and allow the cake to dry. For a wedding cake, two, or even three coats of this icing are generally put on, but one coat must always be dry before another is added ; in fact, if more convenient, the cake may rest for several days between the coatings. To Decorate the Cake. — The simplest method of decorating a Christmas or birthday cake is to use bon-bons or preserved fruits, and these can easily be fixed in place with a little icing. The other style of decoration, known as “ piping,” is more elaborate and requires a considerable amount of practice. A few lessons from an experienced teacher would be an immense help to a beginner. For piping purposes paper bags and fancy forcing pipes are necessary. There is a special paper sold for the purpose, and this ought to be cut in triangular-shaped pieces, and twisted into little cone-shaped bags. Cut a small piece oS the end of the bag and slip in the pipe you wish to use. The pipes or tubes are made with various-shaped rpenings to give different forms to the icing pressed through them. Put some icing into this bag and fold down the top to keep it in.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

To Ice the Top of the Cake. — To begin with, the cake must be perfectly flat ; if there is not a coating of almond paste to make it so, it will be better to trim the cake so as to make it stand evenly, and then to turn it upside down and ice the bottom. If cake icing is frequently done in a house, a rotation Cake Stand stand or cake drum should be bought, as this will simplify the process very considerably. Fix the cake on to the stand by means of a little icing, and then have it raised to a convenient height for the hand. Failing a proper cake stand, fix the cake on to the bottom of a cake tin turned upside down, always choosing the tin a size smaller than the cake itself, in order that the knife may pass freely round it while icing. Then pile on the top of the cake sufficient icing to cover it and spread it over, quite roughly at first, with a good-sized table knife. Now place the point of the knife to the centre of the cake, holding it horizontally and steadily with the right hand and, with the left, move the rotation stand round until a complete circle has been made, when the knife may be slipped off. It will require some practice to leave the surface smooth after one turn of the stand ; a little touching up may be necessary, but skill will be acquired by degrees. If the cake is being iced without a rotation stand, the knife must just be brought smoothly across it in one direction. If the top only of the cake is to be iced, allow it to dry, then decorate to taste and cover the sides with a silver or gilt paper band or with a coloured paper frill, and perhaps a band of ribbon. To Ice the Sides of the Cake. — Place some more icing on the bare parts, and spread it roughly round with a knife. Then hold the knife vertically and in a slanting position against the cake, seeing that it touches the complete width, and turn the stand round with the left hand. Any superfluous icing should be carried off with a sweep of the knife when the circle is finished. If not smooth after the first attempt, repeat the process. Touch up the edges with the point of the knife, and allow the cake to dry. For a wedding cake, two, or even three coats of this icing are generally put on, but one coat must always be dry before another is added ; in fact, if more convenient, the cake may rest for several days between the coatings. To Decorate the Cake. — The simplest method of decorating a Christmas or birthday cake is to use bon-bons or preserved fruits, and these can easily be fixed in place with a little icing. The other style of decoration, known as “ piping,” is more elaborate and requires a considerable amount of practice. A few lessons from an experienced teacher would be an immense help to a beginner. For piping purposes paper bags and fancy forcing pipes are necessary. There is a special paper sold for the purpose, and this ought to be cut in triangular-shaped pieces, and twisted into little cone-shaped bags. Cut a small piece oS the end of the bag and slip in the pipe you wish to use. The pipes or tubes are made with various-shaped openings to give different forms to the icing pressed through them. Put some icing into this bag and fold down the top to keep it in.

Cookery for every household