A beautiful way to ornament cake is to cut leaves and petals of
flowers of Swiss or mosquito bar. Run a small wire through the center
of each leaf and petal, and use the smallest funnel to vein and scollop
the leaves, and pass through the middle of each petal to hide the wire
and around the edge also ; then form your flowers and fasten to the
cake with icing. Stamens can be made of thread dipped in icing.
Grapes can be formed of bits of cotton. Tie in bunches and pour
DIRECTIONS FOR FROSTING. 411
the icing over them, and when dry place grape leaves made of Swiss as
described above, on the top of the cake, and lay the grapes over them.
One or two leaves can be placed face down at the end of the bunches
and turned back to hide where they are fastened. Tendrils can be made
with icing from the smallest tube.
A bower can be made with pieces of Swiss about three by six inches.
Sew bonnet wire around, leaving the ends of it to project about an
inch, so that it can be stuck in the cake. Four of these, latticed ^with
icing and joined at the top with pieces of wire, form the bower. The
wire must be covered with dots and an ornament must be placed on the
top. A doll, dressed as a bride, can be fastened in the center of the
bower, facing one of the openings. A wreath of lilies and leaves can
be placed just below the bower.
The cake thus ornamented should be an octagon shape with a smaller
one on top. The lilies hide where they join ; the opposite sides can
have the initials of the bride and groom ; the next two roses and buds ;
the next two wheat ; the last two hearts. The corners embellished with
dots and circles ; the bottom a heavy edge and lace work.
Tubes can be purchased that fit in the paper funnels that aid one
very much.
DIRECTIONS FOR FROSTING.
Break the eggs into a flat dish and beat with a fork. Beat until stiff
and add the sugar and flavoring last, or add the sugar before the eggs
are beaten and beat all together. The sugar, in the proportion of ten
heaping spoonfuls pulverized sugar to the white of one egg, is a good
proportion. Be sure that all is thoroughly beaten before taking the cake
from the oven. If the cake is rough or brown when baked, dust on a
little flour, rub off all loose particles with a cloth, put on the frosting and
rub smoothly down with a knife. Let stand a moment in the oven or hot
sun to "set," but do not let it brown. If the eggs do not heat quickly
put in a pinch of salt, and if the frosting is too stiff to spread nicely, dip
the knife in cold water. If the flavor is acid, put in a little more sugar
than for other flavorings. The cake can be handled and the frosting
put on more evenly if the cake is placed on an inverted milk-pan, and
the frosting may then be spread on the sides, where it will adhere as
firmly as glass. If boiled frosting is used (and some prefer it), to one
cup of sugar add the white of one egg, cover the sugar with water and
let it boil without stirring till it ropes ; have the egg beaten, and when
the sugar has boiled sufficiently stir into the egg and continue stirring
till cool. If boiled too much the frosting is inclined to dry before cool-
ing ; this can be remedied by adding a drop or two of hot water.
Any ornaments, as raisins, nuts or candies, should be put on while
the icing is moist.
412 CAKE.
✪ Directions for Frosting
Page 353 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
A beautiful way to ornament cake is to cut leaves and petals of flowers of Swiss or mosquito bar. Run a small wire through the center of each leaf and petal, and use the smallest funnel to vein and scollop the leaves, and pass through the middle of each petal to hide the wire and around the edge also ; then form your flowers and fasten to the cake with icing. Stamens can be made of thread dipped in icing.
Grapes can be formed of bits of cotton. Tie in bunches and pour
DIRECTIONS FOR FROSTING. 411
the icing over them, and when dry place grape leaves made of Swiss as described above, on the top of the cake, and lay the grapes over them. One or two leaves can be placed face down at the end of the bunches and turned back to hide where they are fastened. Tendrils can be made with icing from the smallest tube.
A bower can be made with pieces of Swiss about three by six inches. Sew bonnet wire around, leaving the ends of it to project about an inch, so that it can be stuck in the cake. Four of these, latticed ^with icing and joined at the top with pieces of wire, form the bower. The wire must be covered with dots and an ornament must be placed on the top. A doll, dressed as a bride, can be fastened in the center of the bower, facing one of the openings. A wreath of lilies and leaves can be placed just below the bower.
The cake thus ornamented should be an octagon shape with a smaller one on top. The lilies hide where they join ; the opposite sides can have the initials of the bride and groom ; the next two roses and buds ; the next two wheat ; the last two hearts. The corners embellished with dots and circles ; the bottom a heavy edge and lace work.
Tubes can be purchased that fit in the paper funnels that aid one very much.
DIRECTIONS FOR FROSTING.
Break the eggs into a flat dish and beat with a fork. Beat until stiff and add the sugar and flavoring last, or add the sugar before the eggs are beaten and beat all together. The sugar, in the proportion of ten heaping spoonfuls pulverized sugar to the white of one egg, is a good proportion. Be sure that all is thoroughly beaten before taking the cake from the oven. If the cake is rough or brown when baked, dust on a little flour, rub off all loose particles with a cloth, put on the frosting and rub smoothly down with a knife. Let stand a moment in the oven or hot sun to "set," but do not let it brown. If the eggs do not heat quickly put in a pinch of salt, and if the frosting is too stiff to spread nicely, dip the knife in cold water. If the flavor is acid, put in a little more sugar than for other flavorings. The cake can be handled and the frosting put on more evenly if the cake is placed on an inverted milk-pan, and the frosting may then be spread on the sides, where it will adhere as firmly as glass. If boiled frosting is used (and some prefer it), to one cup of sugar add the white of one egg, cover the sugar with water and let it boil without stirring till it ropes ; have the egg beaten, and when the sugar has boiled sufficiently stir into the egg and continue stirring till cool. If boiled too much the frosting is inclined to dry before cooling ; this can be remedied by adding a drop or two of hot water.
Any ornaments, as raisins, nuts or candies, should be put on while the icing is moist.
Records on this page
Directions for Frosting