Statesmen's dishes; and how to cook them

ONE-HALF cupful each of molasses, milk, !fir\fK sugar, butter, raisins or currants, two and a *W~l£$r half cups of sifted flour, one egg, one-half teaspoon of cloves, one of cinnamon, one-half a teaspoon of soda. Beat the egg, sugar and butter together; add the molasses and the milk, in which, should be dissolved the soda ; then add the flour and spices and finally the fruit. Bake half an hour in shallow pans in a moderate oven. This is a good cake without fruit. Two sheets can be made with the quantities named. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE. BY HIES. JOHN M. FAEQTJHAB. (Wife of Representative from New York.) ONE quart of flour, three heaping teaspoons of baking powder ; sift together thoroughly and W rub in one ounce of butter ; mix with a pint of sweet milk, using a spoon. The mixture will be softer than common piecrust. Do not try to mold or roll out the dough, but spread it on tins by patting with the hand till it is about an inch in thickness. Bake slowly till the cakes have had time to rise, then increase the heat. Split the cakes hot from the oven, spread the halves liberally with good butter, and cover them with fruit previously sweetened; place one on the other, the upper half reversed of course. Serve at once. When strawberries are gone, red raspberries or white currants are good in their place, and also peaches of a fine flavor. All these fruits should be sweetened an hour or two beforehand. yy^a ^ , /fa* * *r<*>&^a/«*s£-aSLr CARAMEL CAKE. BY MBS. W. D. BYNTTM. (Wife of Representative from Indiana.) THREE cups of sugar (sifted), one and one-half cups of butter, one cup of milk, four and a half cups of flour, five eggs well beaten, one small teaspoon of soda, two small teaspoons of cream tartar ; mix and bake as jelly cake. For the filling, take three cups of burned sugar, one-half cup of milk, one teaspoon of butter, one tablespoon of browned flour, two tablespoons of cold water. Boil this mixture five minutes, then add three tablespoons of sweet almonds, roasted and ground to a powder ; boil until it is the consistency of rich custard ; add a pinch of soda, stir well, and remove from the fire. When cold spread between the layers of cake. Ice with almond icing. 9^yyy(. BY MBS. LEWIS B. PATSON. (Wife of Representative from Illinois.) SIX eggs, one-half pound sugar, one-fourth pound flour, juice and grated peel of half a lemon ; rub the yolks of eggs and sugar to a cream ; add lemon, then add the whites, well beaten ; stir ten minutes ; add flour the last thing and stir lightly. Bake in quick oven. MINNEHAHA CAKE. BY MBS. ¥1. P. HEPBT7EN. (Wife of the Solicitor of the Treasury.) ONE and a half cups of granulated sugar, half cup butter, stirred to a cream ; whites of six eggs, two cups flour, one teaspoon and a half baking powder, half cup sweet milk. Bake in layers. FILLING. One cup of sugar, three tablespoons water, boiled candy high, poured over a cup of finely-chopped raisins (or hickory nuts), mixed with the well-beaten whites of two eggs ; put between the layers of cake. GOLD AND SILVER CAKES. BY MRS. S. K. PETERS. (Wife of Representative from Kansas.) GOLD CAKE.