Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

Beat the egg well, and after adding to it the molasses, sugar, spice, and butter, — the latter being first melted, — beat again. Mix, the soda with the milk, and add to the other mixture. Mix the cream-of-tartar with the flour, and stir into the batter ; and finally add the vinegar or lemon juice. Pour into two shallow pans, and bake for twenty minutes in a moderate oven. Lemon Cakes. For about two dozen small cakes use half a cupful of butter, one cupful of sugar, one cupful of flour, four eggs, the grated yellow rind and the juice of one lemon, and one-fourth of a teaspoonful of soda, Beat the butter to a cream, and gradually beat the sugar into it. Add the grated rind of the lemon ; then the yolks of the eggs, well beaten. Dissolve the soda in the lemon juice, and stir this into the other mixture. Now add the whites, beaten to a stiff froth. Lastly add the flour. Bake in small hearts, rounds, diamonds, etc. When cold, ice them. This cake may be baked in one sheet if that be preferred to the small cakes. Pound Cake. For two large loaves use two cupfuls of butter, two of sugar, four of flour, a dozen large eggs, one-fourth of a teaspoonful of mace, and half a gill of brandy. Butter the pans, and line them. Measure the sugar, flour, brandy, and cinnamon. Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a large bowl and the yolks in a small one. Beat the butter to a cream, and gradually beat the sugar into it. When the mixture is light and creamy, add the brandy and mace. Beat the yolks till light, and add them to the beaten mixture. Beat the whites to a stiff froth, and stir them into the mixture, alternating with the flour. Pour the batter into the pans, and bake in a moderate oven for about fifty minutes. Rich Fruit Cake. For four large loaves use one quart of sugar, one pint of butter, one quart of flour, eighteen eggs, four pounds of stoned raisins, three pounds of currants, one pound and a half of citron, three-quarters of a pound of blanched and pounded almonds, four ounces of cinnamon, six nutmegs, one ounce of mace, one of clove, and one pint of brandy. Dredge the currants and raisins with one cupful of the flour. Mix the spice with the remainder of the flour. Beat the butter to a cream. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add the brandy, a little at a time, beating until the mass is smooth and creamy. Add the almonds, and beat well. Now add the well-beaten yolks of the eggs, then the whites. Stir the flour in lightly, then the raisins and currants. Spread the cake mixture in layers in the pans, and spread thin slices of the citron on each layer. Bake for four hours in a moderate oven. Raisin Cake. Use for two loaves a generous cupful of butter, two of sugar, one of milk, four generous cupfuls of flour, five eggs, one gill of brandy, two nutmegs, half a teaspoonful of soda, and one quart of boiled raisins. Put the raisins in a small stew-pan, and cover them with cold water. Cook them slowly for half an hour ; then drain and cool them.