To Flavour and Colour the Icing. — Take as much of the fondant as you require for the cake or cakes to be iced and put it into an enamelled saucepan. Warm this gradually over the fire, stirring care- fully, and adding a very little water if too thick. Be very careful not to make the icing too liquid, and it must on no account boil. The degree of thickness may be tested on the back of a wooden spoon ; if it coats that without running off too freely, it will coat the cake. Flavouring and colouring may be added according to taste, and the flavouring should always be suited to the colour, as for example : White Fcmdant Icing. — Flavour the fondant with vanilla, peppermint, ratafia, or maraschino. Pink. — Add a few drops of carmine or other red BREAD, BISCUITS, AND CAKES 593 colouring, and flavour with almond, raspberry, rose, or strawberry essence. Chocolate. — Use a little unsweetened chocolate, melting it first over the fire or in the oven, and then adding it. Flavour with vanilla. Coffee. — Add some strong coffee essence and flavour with vanilla. Oreen. — Colour with a little green colouring, and flavour with essence of almond, or some liqueur. Yellow. — Mix in some yellow colouring, and flavour with essence of lemon or orange. One colour may also be turned into another thus : Yellow into orange by adding a little red ; pink into purple by adding a little blue ; yellow into green by adding a little blue, and so on. If, after use, a little of this icing is left, it may be kept for a day or two by pouring some water on the top. Pour the water off before using again. To Use Fondant Icing Follow directions given for using Glac6 Icing (see p. 590). Arrange any decoration on the cakes while the icing is still soft, and place the cakes in a cool oven with the door open for a few minutes. There must just be sufficient heat to dry the icing and give it a gloss, but not to brown it. Some Cake Decorations The following are a few of the materials which may be used for decorating cakes : Coloured Sugars. — Put some coarse granulated sugar on to a stiff sheet of white paper, and pour a few drops of liquid colouring on the top. Work this in with the point of a knife until an even tint is obtained, and then leave the sugar to dry. Pink, green, yellow, &c., sugar may be made in this way, and these sugars will keep if put in corked bottles. Pistachio Kernels. — Put these into cold water, and bring them quickly to the boil. Then drain, and pour plenty of cold water over them. Rub off the skins, and dry the pistachios in a cloth. Shred or chop before using. Browned or Coloured Almonds. — First blanch the almonds, and dry them thoroughly. Then shred them finely, or chop them rather roughly. To brown the almonds, put them on a tin in a very moderate oven, and keep turning them over and over until very evenly and lightly browned. To colour them, sprinkle a few drops of colouring on the top, and rub it into the almonds. Pistachio nuts (which are much more expensive than almonds) may be imitated by colouring the almonds pale green. Cocoanut. — This may also be browned or col- oured in the same way as almonds, and used for decorating purposes.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

To Flavour and Colour the Icing. — Take as much of the fondant as you require for the cake or cakes to be iced and put it into an enamelled saucepan. Warm this gradually over the fire, stirring carefully, and adding a very little water if too thick. Be very careful not to make the icing too liquid, and it must on no account boil. The degree of thickness may be tested on the back of a wooden spoon ; if it coats that without running off too freely, it will coat the cake. Flavouring and colouring may be added according to taste, and the flavouring should always be suited to the colour, as for example : White Fondant Icing. — Flavour the fondant with vanilla, peppermint, ratafia, or maraschino. Pink. — Add a few drops of carmine or other red colouring, and flavour with almond, raspberry, rose, or strawberry essence. Chocolate. — Use a little unsweetened chocolate, melting it first over the fire or in the oven, and then adding it. Flavour with vanilla. Coffee. — Add some strong coffee essence and flavour with vanilla. Oreen. — Colour with a little green colouring, and flavour with essence of almond, or some liqueur. Yellow. — Mix in some yellow colouring, and flavour with essence of lemon or orange. One colour may also be turned into another thus : Yellow into orange by adding a little red ; pink into purple by adding a little blue ; yellow into green by adding a little blue, and so on. If, after use, a little of this icing is left, it may be kept for a day or two by pouring some water on the top. Pour the water off before using again. To Use Fondant Icing Follow directions given for using Glac6 Icing (see p. 590). Arrange any decoration on the cakes while the icing is still soft, and place the cakes in a cool oven with the door open for a few minutes. There must just be sufficient heat to dry the icing and give it a gloss, but not to brown it. Some Cake Decorations The following are a few of the materials which may be used for decorating cakes : Coloured Sugars. — Put some coarse granulated sugar on to a stiff sheet of white paper, and pour a few drops of liquid colouring on the top. Work this in with the point of a knife until an even tint is obtained, and then leave the sugar to dry. Pink, green, yellow, &c., sugar may be made in this way, and these sugars will keep if put in corked bottles. Pistachio Kernels. — Put these into cold water, and bring them quickly to the boil. Then drain, and pour plenty of cold water over them. Rub off the skins, and dry the pistachios in a cloth. Shred or chop before using. Browned or Coloured Almonds. — First blanch the almonds, and dry them thoroughly. Then shred them finely, or chop them rather roughly. To brown the almonds, put them on a tin in a very moderate oven, and keep turning them over and over until very evenly and lightly browned. To colour them, sprinkle a few drops of colouring on the top, and rub it into the almonds. Pistachio nuts (which are much more expensive than almonds) may be imitated by colouring the almonds pale green. Cocoanut. — This may also be browned or coloured in the same way as almonds, and used for decorating purposes.

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