Dainty Cake

Ingredients

• a quarter of a pound of flour
• the same weight of butter
• a tablespoonful of water
• a pinch of salt
• a spoonful of sugar
• two eggs

Method

1. 1

   Mix flour with butter, water, salt, and sugar.

2. 2

   Beat thoroughly and add eggs gradually.

3. 3

   Let it rise for two hours, then bake for 45 minutes, glazing with egg and dusting with sugar.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Soyer's standard cookery (1912) by Nicolas Soyer, page 242. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

quarter of a pound of flour and mix thoroughly with the same weight of butter, a tablespoonful of water, a pinch of salt, and a spoonful of sugar. Beat the whole thoroughly and add gradually two eggs to the dough. Care must be taken that this dough is thoroughly light, and with this object the French housewife generally throws it on the table a few times. Next take out of the water the ball of paste, place it on the top of the dough and roll both together several times. Let it now stand for two hours in a cool place to rise, and then bake it for three-quarters of an hour, glazing the top with a little egg. On turning out dust well with sugar. This is an extremely dainty cake and is very popular through- out France, although it is rather troublesome to make. Grecian Easter Cakes. Thoroughly mix four ounces of butter with the same quan- tity of sugar, and blend with half a pound of flour, adding four beaten eggs, a cupful of milk, and an ounce and a half of yeast. After rising for two hours form into the shape of a triangle or a large fleur-de-lys — to symbolize the Trinity — cover thickly with sifted sugar and bake for an hour. Lemon Twists. Mix three ounces of flour with the yolks of five eggs and sufficient water to make a paste. Flavor with the juice and the grated rind of a lemon and a pinch of salt. After standing for half an hour roll the paste out very thin, cut it into strips, twist them into curls, and fry in boiling fat. Dust with castor sugar and serve very hot, with jam. Sparrow Cakes. Make a thick batter of flour, eggs, and milk, and flavor with a little salt. Beat thoroughly and then sprinkle it or pour it slowly through a colander into a pan of boiling fat so that the batter falls in separate drops. Cook for five minutes, then drain carefully from the fat, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve. Sparrow cake? are mainly used as a garnish with dessert. Another method is to cook them in water instead of oil, and then roll in finely-grated breadcrumbs and brown in the oven; but this does not give such a good result. Honey Cakes. Boil an ounce of sugar in two cupfuls of honey, and then 356 STANDARD COOKERY. add a quarter of a pound of finely-chopped almonds. After simmering for another five minutes add half a pound of chopped candied peel, the grated rind of a lemon, a teaspoon- ful of powdered cinnamon, a pinch of powdered cloves, half a nutmeg grated, as much bicarbonate of soda as will stand on a shilling, and a tablespoonful of rum. Add enough flour to stiffen, and after thoroughly mixing cut the paste into pieces about three inches square, and roll out very thin. Bake in a slow oven, and when cool sprinkle well with sifted sugar. Sponge Cake Tarts. Take some sponge cakes, scoop out the centers, and roll them first in jam and then in chopped almonds or other nuts. In the hollow of each place a layer of whipped cream sweet- ened with sifted sugar, and on this lay half a stewed peach. Canned ones will serve the purpose. These are eaten cold for dessert or at afternoon tea, and are quickly made in case of an unexpected demand. Rum Rings. Sift twelve ounces of the finest flour, and mix thoroughly with half a pound of butter and the crumbled yolks of four hard-boiled eggs. When well blended add a quarter of a pound of castor sugar and a liquor-glassful of Kirsch, or rum, with just enough milk to make the whole into a stiff dough, being particularly careful not to make this dough too moist. The dough should now be rolled out rather thin and cut into rings. Put these on a buttered plate or baking tin, brush the surface with a little sweetened milk, and sprinkle with grated almonds. Bake in a moderate oven until done. The time will vary with the thickness and size of the cakes. They should be kept two or three days in a tin before eating. Rum Fingers. Whisk three eggs with seven ounces of castor sugar until thoroughly creamed, and gradually add a small glass of rum and a little grated lemon peel. Now blend thoroughly with half a pound of fine flour and three ounces of butter (melted), and when the whole is worked up to a cream set it aside for ten or twelve hours. Then shape the cream into fingers and fry them in butter till lightly browned, after which great care must be taken to drain them thoroughly before they cool. They are usually eaten cold, dusted over with sifted sugar. Supper Cakes. Mix sufficient flour with a pint of hot milk and a little yeast STANDARD COOKERY. 357 to make a dough, and let it remain over night to rise. In the morning cream two eggs

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.