Bread, cakes, and biscuits

Cake, Russian. — Prepare a Genoese or Madeira mixture as you choose, and divide this into three parts ; flavour one part with a little maraschino, the second part is mixed with grated or melted chocolate, and the third coloured with a drop or two of carmine, and a flavouring of essence of vanilla ; bake each part separately in a well buttered and floured flat tin. When baked turn these cakes out on to a sieve or rack till cool. Have ready a square or oblong loaf tin, thinly lined with almond paste, spread a layer of melted and sieved apricot jam on this, cut the cakes into long straight sticks about half inch thick, and arrange a layer of these in the tin alternating the colours, then cover this with more warm jam, and repeat these layers till the tin is full, when you spread the top with jam and lay on it a sheet of almond paste. Press this lightly on to it, and set the mould away in a cool place for an hour or so. When wanted turn it out carefully and slice it neatly cross wise, as thickly as you please. The secret of this cake lies in the careful mixing of the colours. Cake, Saffron. — Boil together 1lb. of butter and a pint of milk, then skim off the butter, and mix it with 2lb. of flour, with a little of the milk ; now stir three-quarters of a pint of yeast with the rest of the milk, and work this into the flour, &c. Next add a good dust of pounded cinnamon, cloves, and mace, 1.oz. carraway seeds, -loz. rose water, and about the same of saffron water (made by infusing a good pinch of saffron in half a gill of boiling water), 1lb. of sugar, and three whole eggs ; work it all up lightly with the hands, and bake in a well buttered mould. It will take threequarters of an hour to an hour to bake. The carraways are a matter of taste. Scripture. — This somewhat foolish recipe runs thus : Four and a half cups of I. Kings iv., 22 (flour) ; one and a half cups Judges v., 25, last clause (butter) ; two cups Jeremiah vi., 20 (sugar) ; two cups I. Samuel xxx., 12 (raisins) ; two cups Nahum iii., 12 (figs) ; one cup Numbers, xvii., 8 (almonds) ; two tablespoonfuls I. Samuel xiv., 25 (honey) ; season to taste with II. Chronicles ix., 9 (spice) ; six of Jeremiah xvii., 11 (eggs) ; a pinch of Leviticus ii., 13 (salt) ; half cup Judges iv., 19, last clause (milk) ; two teaspoonfuls of Amos iv., 5 (baking powder). Follow Solomon’s advice for a good boy (Proverbs xxiii., 14), and you will have a good cake. School Children’s. — This is an excellent cake for a school treat or tea, but should be kept two days at least before being cut, as, like many other cakes, it improves by keeping. To each pound of flour allow 1lb. of mixed fruit, currants, raisins, and sultanas, 5oz. of butter or well clarified dripping or lard, 4oz. brown sugar, 2oz. very finely shred candied peel, one and a half teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and just enough milk to mix it nicely. No eggs are needed. Make up in large cakes (these cut to best advantage), and bake two hours or more. If seed cake is preferred, use half a teaspoonful of carraway seeds and 2oz. more sugar instead of the fruit. If used for tea, when bread and butter, jam, &c., is given, you reckon from 5oz. to 6oz. a head , but given alone it is safer to count on 9oz. to lOoz. per child.