Bread, cakes, and biscuits

Rheinischer Bund. — For this dish, which is a great favourite in many parts of Germany, the cook must be brisk over her work, as there should be no delay in the course of the preparations. Have ready to hand two tablespoonfuls of cornflour mixed with a little cold water (just enough to moisten it), the yolks of ten eggs, ^lb. of finely sifted sugar, the grated peel and the juice of one lemon, a sherry glassful of arrack or maraschino, and |lb. of macaroons with the wafers carefully scraped off. Bring the contents of one bottle of stillhock to a boil; as soon as it boils stir into it (over the fire) the cornflour, the eggs, sugar, peel, and lemon juice. When the mixture becomes rather thick, like a custard, put in the maraschino. Pour this preparation into a deep dish (in which it will also be sent to table), lay the macaroons lightly over the top, and stand it carefully in a very cold place. Meantime beat to a stiff froth the whites of ten eggs, adding to the same about fib. of sifted sugar. Put the froth and the macaroons over the custard when quite cold, and bake in a moderate oven for a quarter of an hour. Again stand in a cool place, and serve when quite cold. It may also be iced if desired. Savarin. — This is made in the same way as the baba, only omitting the spice and saffron, and using 2oz. of shred almonds instead of the muscatels. In all these cakes it is well to remember that the eggs should be worked in two or three at a time, beating the paste well till it leaves the sides of the pan clear each time. Butter the mould, strewing it well with sugar and chopped almonds, and bake the cake for about an hour in a moderate oven. When baked, turn it out and let it cool off for fifteen minutes or so before dishing it, or pouring over it the syrup or liqueur that abroad always accompanies this cake. A few drops of essence of almonds are an addition, if added with the other ingredients. Abroad this cake, like the glace cake, the baba, &e., is mostly used as a sweet entremets, and is there served with a rich sauce, or syrup, poured round it, and a garnish of fruit in syrup, or marinaded with liqueur, and sometimes, but more rarely, whipped and flavoured cream. Therefore, if wanted for use English fashion, dry, it would be well to add the liqueur as a flavouring as in the baba, making the syrup poured over the cake at the last stiff enough to form a kind of brittle glaze. Schnee Kuchen. — Beat 1/2lb. of butter to a cream, then work into it carefully 1lb. of potato flour and 1oz. caster sugar. Beat the yolks and whites of two eggs till the former are light and the latter a stiff froth, work in the yolks into the mixture and then the whites, beating it all well, but lightly, for twenty minutes. Bake slowly. The cake should be snow-white, whence its name, and quite crisp. Spice Cake. — Dissolve a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda in a tablespoonful of boiling water, and stir it into a full gill of molasses, then add to this half a pint thick sour cream, about 6oz. brown sugar, and rather less than lib. of flour ; beat it all well together, then add a tablespoonful each of allspice and powdered cinnamon, and lib. of stoned, minced, and floured raisins. Bake one hour in a moderate oven. (American.)