The oldest form of spelling of the name of the cake is rcttan, and as such it occurs in De Varenne ; the deviations are very slight, namely, raclan and radon. It may be j)re- pared with either one dough or two doughs, a fermented one and a butter-and-egg stirred dough, both to be mixed before transfer to the baking mould. German culinary authors give many variations for the preparation of this favourite cake, all of which are of no essential importance ; they can all be ranged under the two typical processes which we have given above. The variations are practised mainly with regard to the additions, namely, currants, stoned raisins, pounded almonds, cinnamon, and candied peel. To our taste, the finest ratan cake is that of two doughs without any additions whatsoever ; in that state it is equal to the pure brioche, and, by the more equal distribu- tion of the pores, mechanically superior to it ; for the brioche is partly flaky and rises in layers, while the ratan is not so, and rises like sponge-cake in minute uniform bubbles. With the increase of the number and quantity of fruity and spicy ingredients, the ratan loses its original character, and may be changed beyond recognition ; but then it should also receive the names by which such derivates ought to be designated. Common cookery-books contain detailed recipes for many such variations, which uselessly increase the number of apparent recipes, teach nothing to the cook or general reader, and confuse more than enlighten a person who would study the theory of ratau cake with a view of having one now and then baked in his kitchen. Gom2)idgne Cake. — Cakes are not rarely named after places, which shows, at all events, that they possess, if not much specificity, at least an ancient reputation. We have little SAVOY AND BISCUIT CAKES 401 doubt that Bath buns date back to Eoman times, both as to composition and shape, the latter being that of the Latin l)laceiita. Savoy cake is the result of the culture which that land once enjoyed, when its gold-mines assisted the genius of its rulers. But of the name of Compiigue cake, which figures in modern French collections of recipes, we cannot give the raison d’etre, the less so as the current recipes for its production are either mere imitations of brioche and ratan cake, or so unintelligible as to require much technical interpretation. This cake, too, is to be drenched with a liqueur, and stratified with apricot jam✪ Compiègne Cake after being sliced, a treatment whereby it loses its character as a cake, and becomes, like its companion the false cake described above, a pudding. Biscuits are fine and light pastry composed of eggs, the whites of which are whipped to a snow or froth, with sugar, wheat-flour or potato-starch, or both, and some aromatic or colouring substances which are put into the paste. No fat is added to this paste, except in the case of the French bisctdt manq^ie, and the only fat which they contain is the oil naturally present in the egg-yolk. These cakes must never be baked brown, but remain of a pale-yellow colour. To effect this with certainty, their out- side is protected by a glace of very finely powdered white sugar. If the biscuit be baked in a mould, the latter must be covered with butter or suet fat, and this glaced with the powdered sugar. In the following are enumerated the principal forms of this remarkable pastry :

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The oldest form of spelling of the name of the cake is rattan, and as such it occurs in De Varenne ; the deviations are very slight, namely, raclan and radon. It may be prepared with either one dough or two doughs, a fermented one and a butter-and-egg stirred dough, both to be mixed before transfer to the baking mould. German culinary authors give many variations for the preparation of this favourite cake, all of which are of no essential importance ; they can all be ranged under the two typical processes which we have given above. The variations are practised mainly with regard to the additions, namely, currants, stoned raisins, pounded almonds, cinnamon, and candied peel. To our taste, the finest ratan cake is that of two doughs without any additions whatsoever ; in that state it is equal to the pure brioche, and, by the more equal distribution of the pores, mechanically superior to it ; for the brioche is partly flaky and rises in layers, while the ratan is not so, and rises like sponge-cake in minute uniform bubbles. With the increase of the number and quantity of fruity and spicy ingredients, the ratan loses its original character, and may be changed beyond recognition ; but then it should also receive the names by which such derivates ought to be designated. Common cookery-books contain detailed recipes for many such variations, which uselessly increase the number of apparent recipes, teach nothing to the cook or general reader, and confuse more than enlighten a person who would study the theory of rattan cake with a view of having one now and then baked in his kitchen. Compiègne Cake. — Cakes are not rarely named after places, which shows, at all events, that they possess, if not much specificity, at least an ancient reputation. We have little SAVOY AND BISCUIT CAKES doubt that Bath buns date back to Roman times, both as to composition and shape, the latter being that of the Latin placenta. Savoy cake is the result of the culture which that land once enjoyed, when its gold-mines assisted the genius of its rulers. But of the name of Compiigue cake, which figures in modern French collections of recipes, we cannot give the raison d’etre, the less so as the current recipes for its production are either mere imitations of brioche and ratan cake, or so unintelligible as to require much technical interpretation. This cake, too, is to be drenched with a liqueur, and stratified with apricot jam after being sliced, a treatment whereby it loses its character as a cake, and becomes, like its companion the false cake described above, a pudding. Biscuits are fine and light pastry composed of eggs, the whites of which are whipped to a snow or froth, with sugar, wheat-flour or potato-starch, or both, and some aromatic or colouring substances which are put into the paste. No fat is added to this paste, except in the case of the French biscuit manqué, and the only fat which they contain is the oil naturally present in the egg-yolk. These cakes must never be baked brown, but remain of a pale-yellow colour. To effect this with certainty, their outside is protected by a glace of very finely powdered white sugar. If the biscuit be baked in a mould, the latter must be covered with butter or suet fat, and this glaced with the powdered sugar. In the following are enumerated the principal forms of this remarkable pastry :

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Compiègne Cake

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