The Portland daily press., 1880-11-30
The Household.
Domestic Receipts.
FOR CAKE MAKING


Cake making is one of the most difficult
branches of cooking. Recognizing this fact
Mrs. Beecher, in her article in the Bazaar,
gives some useful hints, from which the fol-
lowing main points are taken: For cake,
let the flour dry near the fire while the 9TH
er ingredients are being collected. Then
silt it, and if cream of tartar or baking pow
der is desired. sift that with tn -four. Boil
the sugar in order to avoid Jumps. Eggs
used for cake should be put into cold water
i'll Sunni er while the preliminary work is
going on. First beat butter and sugar to-
gether till white and creamy, then the eggs
whites and yolks beaten separately always,
tor the whites require much longer time
TO he beaten perfectly. Strain the yolks af-
ter beating and add to them the ell beaten
sugar and spices. S il the -four gradually
before using the sweet and sour milk need
ed. If soda and cream of tartar are to be
used the latter should be sfted witt the
Hour (also, as above stated, when only bak
ing pc der is called for) Dissolve soda in
cool water or milk, never in anything hot,
as eat destroys the best part of it.
Put in the soda after the milk has been
added and well beaten with all other ingre-
dents. If prepared -four is used, neither
soda nor cream of tartar can be employed.
The currants, citrOn or raisins must be we'll
Toured, but use for this the -four measured
out for the cake, else the cake will be too
stiff. Beat uo the batter very light before
adding the fruit, as it should be beaten ge t.
ly and not very long after that is added. The
whites, beaten very stiff, are to be put in
the last thing. After that very little beat
ing is allowed-only what is necessary to in
corporate the fruit and whites of eggs thor
oughly with all the othe, ingredients. When
beating the whites do not stop after once
having begun, till they are very stiff, else
they will ''go back and can never be
brought up as light again. In making raised
cake, all fruit must be we'll rolled in -four
left for that purpose, and OF be added to
the cake till just ready to be put in the oven
1t must not then be beaten in, but suread
over the top lightly and then pressed in a
little way, else the fruit will all sink to the
bottom and be worthless.
Prat tice and watchfulness soon teach one
who is in earnest to judge correctly when
cake, bread or pies are done. If ever so
pro erly prepared they will be heavy if TAX
en- from the oven before being thoroughly
baked. If obliged to turn pans round in the
oven, move with great gentle' ess, and if
possible never take bread, cake or biscuit
ont of the oven to turn it. The air striking
it will injure it greatly. If sour milk or but
termilk is used in making cake, it must be
placed in the oven as soon as put together.
unless, like hard gingerbread or cookies, it
needs 10 be rolled out or nodded. In that
case it is not injured if it stands some hours
HAsTY VINEGAR.
If it Is desirable to obtain vinegar soon,
| take the cider as soon as it has passed the
| first fermentation, and provide deep cask,
or large barrel with one head taken out.
Put faucet in at the bottom, and about
four inches above this bore several holes to
admit air freely. Fill this vessel with fresh
oak sha"ings or clean corn cobs. Lay two
sticks about an inch across the top of the
barrel, and on these place clean washing
tub with dozen Or more gimet holes dis
tributed over the bottom, and into each of
these draw cord or candle wick, knotted
at the upper end. Fill the tub with cider:
mixing a gallon Of good vinegar with the
first run. Repeat the dripping till the vine
gar is pretty sharp. At the first it will re-
| quire to be run through, perhaps half doz
en- times, but after using the apparatus a
week or ten days three dripplngs will make
good vinegar By use. fungus growth
''mother of vinegar"-will form in the bar
rel and greatly hasten the process. After
everything is in working order, it requires
but little attention and vinegar factory on
small scale may be run with profit and
supply the neighbors with pure vinegar.
A solution of gallon of sorghum syrnp
in eight gallons of water. with the addition
of little yeast, may be substituted for sweet
cider, and the same process will make good
| vinegar-The Housekeeper.