Handbook of practical cookery

Beat in a large basin to a cream the butter, add the sugar, treacle, ginger, and caraway seeds, stir in by degrees the flour ; when the mixture begins to get stiff, whip until very light in a separate basin the eggs, stir them into the mixture, and then add the last of the flour. Heat in a small sauce-pan till tepid the milk, dissolve in it the carbonate of soda, add this to the mixture in the large basin, stir all well together, and pour the mixture into a well-greased tin. Place the tin in a moderate oven and bake the ginger-bread for two hours. Currant Cakes.— Six ounces of butter, one half pound powdered sugar, one pound flour, one half pound currants, one gill of milk, one tea-spoonful of volatile salts, four eggs. Grease well some small round tins, place in a large basin the flour, add the butter, and with the hand thoroughly mix them together until the mixture looks like bread crumb. Add then the sugar and currants, place the volatile salts on a plate, and make it very smooth with the blade of a knife ; add it to the other dry ingredients and stir all well together with a spoon. In a small basin beat till very light the eggs, add to them the milk, and stir well together. Mix now quickly together the contents of both basins, half fill the small tins with the mixture, and bake them in a quick oven ten minutes. Plain Plum Cake.— One pound flour, one quarter pound butter, one quarter pound sugar, one quarter pound currants, three eggs, one half pint milk, one tea-spoonful carbonate of soda. Place on a plate the soda, and make it smooth with the blade of a knife ; add it to the flour, and pass both through a wire sieve. Beat in a basin the eggs until very light, stir to them the milk ; beat now in a large basin to a cream the butter and sugar, either with the hand or with a wooden spoon: Add now by degrees the flour, and as the mixture stiffens add by degrees the milk and eggs. When all the ingredients are added, pour the mixture into a well-greased tin, and bake for an hour and a half in rather a quick oven. NOTE. — This mixture may also be baked in small tins as in the former recipe. Cream Cake. — Three tea-cupfuls of flour, three tea-cupfuls of sugar, two ounces of butter, three eggs, one tea-cupful of sour cream, one tea-spoonful essence of vanilla, half teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, half a tea-spoonful cream of tartar Place on a plate the soda and cream of tartar, with the point of a knife make them very smooth ; place then in a basin the flour, butter, and sugar, with the fingers rub all well together until thoroughly mixed; add then the soda and cream of tartar. Beat in a small basin the eggs, and when very light add the cream and vanilla ; stir all well together. Grease now well with butter some small cup-tins. Mix then well and quickly together the contents of both basins, half fill the cup-tins with the mixture and bake in rather a quick oven ten minutes. Queen Cakes. — One half pound flour, one half pound of butter, seven ounces of powdered sugar, six ounces currants, four eggs.