Bread, cakes, and biscuits

N.B.— In making all buns let the sponge rise as high as it will, till nearly falling, before working to a dough, as this improves both the consistency and the appearance of the buns. Bakers, when making a good quantity — say 100 buns — set the sponge overnight, and it is then ready for mixing quite early in the morning. Cakes (Small). — African Shoots. — Cream together ilb. each of butter and caster sugar, then add one well beaten egg and a little flavouring (lemon, vanilla, &c.) to taste, mix well together, and lastly stir in Mb. flour very smoothly. It can be finished off either by forcing the paste on to a buttered tin with a plain bag and pipe, into sticks the length and size of your finger, or it may be turned out on a floured board, rolled out thinly, cut into rounds with a cutter or tumbler, and baked on a buttered tin for twenty minutes. Almond. — Beat six whole eggs with lib. of caster sugar till thick and white like cream, then mix in gently lib. ground sweet almonds and 3oz. finely sifted flour (previously mixed with the almond meal), a spoonful at a time ; flavour with a drop or two of essence of almonds ; put this paste into pretty little buttered moulds (previously dusted with equal parts of flour and sugar), and bake in a rather hot oven. Cakes, Almond and Chocolate. — Mix together Jib. each of freshly-ground sweet almonds aixd caster sugar, Joz. of powdered cinnamon, and 4oz. powdered chocolate, and when these are all well mixed to a smooth powder add in gradually the stiffly-whisked whites of six eggs, and directly this is all blended put it by spoonfuls at a time on to a buttered baking sheet, and bake at once. ■ — Almond Shortcake. — Rub lOoz. of fresh butter into lib. of finely sifted Vienna flour, then work in 4oz. potato flour (fecule de pommes de terre), ooz. ground almonds, and 7oz. caster sugar. Now mix this to a paste with one large or two small eggs and a full tablespoonful of thick cream. Shape this paste into oval cakes half an inch thick, brush the tops with beaten egg-white, lay a thin shred of angelica or candied peel and some blanched and shred or chopped almonds on each, slip them very carefully on to a baking sheet, and bake a pale golden brown in a gentle oven, being careful not to lift the cakes from the tin till they are perfectly cold. Boston Cream. — Put 4oz. of butter and half a pint of milk into a saucepan, and stir a little while it comes to boiling point. Sift Ooz. of flour, and put it all into the saucepan at once ; stir vigorously until it is smooth and thick, and has been so for two or three minutes ; then remove from the fire and allow it to get cool. Drop in the yolks of four eggs one by one, stirring each thoroughly ; beat up the four whites very stiffly, stir them in gently,but thoroughly ; put the mixture on a greased oven shelf in dessertspoonfuls, put into a moderately hot oven, and do not open the door for ten minutes. They take nearly fifteen or twenty minutes, and ought to rise very much and be baked quite firmly all over. Allow them to cool. Whip up half a pint of double cream, add to it one dessertspoonful of sugar and K half a teaspoonful of vanilla. Make an opening at the top or side of each cake, and fill with the cream. A bag and tube fills them best. Dust some icing sugar on the top of each cake.