The royal baker and pastry cook

For the old-fashioned short cake no eggs are needed, the dough being put together in the same way as for baking powder biscuit. Throughout the summer fresh fruit of all kinds can be used. With cold weather substitutes are found in tropical fruits such as bananas and oranges, stewed fruits such as prunes, dried, and all varieties of canned fruits ; but it is better to keep the fruit short cake for those seasons when ripe, fresh fruits are obtainable. The cake part for a fruit short cake may be made from any one of the following receipts: Short Cake. — 1 quart flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 heaping teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 pint milk. Sift the flour. salt, and powder together, rub in the butter cold ; add the milk and mix into a smooth dough, just soft enough to handle; divide in half, and roll out to the size of breakfast-plates ; lay on a greased baking-tin (fig. XIV), and bake in hot oven 20 minutes ; separate the cakes without cutting, as cutting makes them heavy. Short Cake, 2. — 1 quart flour, Vj cup butter, Vj teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 heaping teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, milk to make soft dough. Dlix as in first receipt, and bake. Short Cake, 3. — 1 pint flour, 3 tablespoons butter. Mi teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 scant teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, milk to mix to stiff batter. Sift dry ingredients ; add milk to make very thick batter in which spoon will stand upright. Turn into shallow greased pan (fig. XIII), and steam 30 minutes; place in not oven 10 minutes. When cold split in 2 or 3 thicknesses. Short Cake, 4. — Cream 1 cup butter and 1 cup sugar. Add 2 well-beaten eggs. Mi teaspoon salt ; then, alternately. Mi cup milk and 2 cups flour in which is sifted 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder. Bake in layer-cake tins and use when cold. Apple Short Cake. — Pare, core, and cut 8 sour apples into eighths. Put in earthen dish with 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Ml cup sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg. Cover and bake in moderate oven till dark red and tender. Wlien cold spread between layers of short cake and serve with plain or whipped cream or a cold boiled custard. Blackberry Short Cake. — Wash and drain 1 quart berries. Sweeten, spread between layers of short cake, and serve with cream or a cold custard. Strawberry Shortcake. — Pick, hull, wash, and drain berries. Sweeten, spread between bottom layers of short cake. Garnish top layer with large whole berries, dust with sugar, and serve with cream or custard. Raspberry Short Cake. — Prepare as for strawberry short cake. Cherry Short Cake. — Make as for strawberry short cake, using pitted sweet or tart cherries. Peach Short Cake. — Pare and slice peaches. Finish as for strawberry short cake. Banana Short Cake. — Peel and slice bananas. Finish as for strawberry short cake. Canned Fruit Short Cake. — Any canned fruit, drained from syrup, may be used in place of fresh fruit, finishing as for other short cakes. Huckleberry Short Cake.— 2 cups sugar. Ml cup butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 pint milk, 2 heaping teaspoons Royal Baking Powder sifted into 3 cups flour, 1 quart washed and welldrained huckleberries, more flour to make a very thick batter. Bake in greased drippingpan, break in squares, serve hot with butter.