Principles of cookery

Plain Cake ("Lightning" Cake). Place the flour sifter in the mixing bowl and put in it one and one-half cups of flour, three-fourths cup of fine granulated sugar, two level teaspoons of baking powder, one-half teaspoon of salt. Sift into the bowl. In the measuring cup, melt one-fourth cup of butter (or oleo), break in two eggs, fill up the cup with milk. Add one-half teaspoon flavoring extract or half teaspoon of spice. Mix with the dry ingredients and beat well two or three minutes. Bake in sheet or greased muffin tins in quick oven. Variations : Add two tablespoons of cocoa, or an ounce of melted chocolate. Use one cup caramel or maple syrup in place of sugar. Leave out part of the sugar for Cottage Pudding. Cookies.* Rub one-half cup of butter until creamy, gradually add one cup of sugar, then put in one egg and beat together thoroughly. Next add, alternately, one-half cup of milk or water and one pint of flour, in which two teaspoons of baking powder have been sifted. Use enough more flour to make, a soft dough, from one to two cupfuls, according to the nature of the flour, roll out thin, cut with a cookie cutter or in fancy shapes, and bake in a quick oven. Variations : Before all the flour is added, divide into four portions; to one add one teaspoon of lemon extract, to another one-half cup of desiccated cocoanut ; one-half ounce of chocolate melted, or a teaspoon of cocoa, sifted in with a little flour; to the fourth, one teaspoon of mixed spice and one-half cup of chopped raisins, etc. Or flavor the portions with ginger, almond with chopped almonds on top, or with dates, figs, nuts. Or use less flour and drop from a spoon for a soft thick cake. Gingerbread.* Sift together two cups of flour, one-half teaspoon each of salt and soda and one teaspoon of ginger. Mix with one cup of molasses and two tablespoons of fat softened in onehalf cup of hot water. Bake twenty minutes or more in a moderate oven. Doughnuts.* Sift together four cups of flour, one teaspoon of salt, three teaspoons of baking powder, one-half teaspoon of mixed spice and one cup of sugar. Mix with one egg and one cup of milk. Sour milk and soda may be used in place of baking powder. For richer doughnuts, two eggs and one tablespoon of butter may be used. Plain Pastry.* Sift two cups of flour with one-half teaspoon of salt and cut in with a knife, one-fourth cup or two ounces of shortening. Mix with about one-half cup of ice water into' a stiff dough. Roll out and spread with one ounce of butter, fold and add a second ounce of butter in the same way, making one-half cup of shortening in all. For upper crusts more shortening may be rolled in if desired. Keep everything as cool as possible. The lightness of the pastry depends on the amount and coolness of the air enclosed and the flakiness on the number of layers of fat and dough produced by folding and rolling. YEAST DOUGHS— GENERAL PROPORTIONS. Bread Muffins Rolls Fancy Rolls Buns Coffee Cake Sugar Shortening Liquid Yeast Cake Flour i tsp. y2 oz. + i cup Ya to i 3 cups i tbs. l/l oz. i cup % Jo i 2 Clips i tbs. I oz. i cup Yx to i 3 cups 2 tbs. 2 OZ. i cup •Mtoi 3 cups + Y cup 2 OZ. I cup Ktoi 3 cups+ Yx cup 2 OZ. Y* cup Ya to i 2 CUps Eggs i + i + 2 + Bread — For Each Loaf — Short Process.*