Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-12-23
Home Made Tea-tjakes.

| Asa thoroughly wholesome. and at the
same time dainty addition to the tea
/ table, nothing can surpass really good
| home made tea-cake. They are not quite
so rich as griddle-cakes, and can there
/ fore be eaten more freely by those who
{ do not feel very confident about their pow
ers of digestion.
The recipe which | have used for some
years past, and which will be given be-
/ low, got from dear old lady who prid
ed herself upon the fact that she always
/ had nicer tea cakes than any of her friends.
! The wisest plan in making these or any
other cakes is TO let the ingredients be ol
the very best quality, flour especially. 1t
| is quite worth the extra cost, as it yields
so much more, and you can always rely
on the cakes being nice. Give the best a
trial, and it will soon be proved that it is
the most economical way in the end.
For dozen ordinary-szed tea-cakes
the ingredients would be: Three pounds
of flour, half teaspoonful of salt. halt a
pound OF butter. half a pound of pure
lard, three-quarters of "a pound of clean,
picked currents, a quarter of pound OF
finely-chopped lemon peel. half tea
spoonful of mixed spice, two tablespoon
fuls of white sugar, and three ounces
of fresh German yeast. or what would
be equal to il in home made yeast.
Put the yeast Gf Germany into basin
with teaspoonfu of sugar and the same
of -four. Make into smooth paste by
adding little lukewarm water, and beat
ing it with the back OF a spoon. Then
add half pint more of the luke warm
water, stir it round a few times, and set it
in front of the fire to rise. For home
made yeast of course, this is not required.
Put the flour into bowl large enough
to hold three or four times the quantity.
Rub into this the butter and lard; then
add all the other dry ingredients. thor
oughly mixing each with the rest. When
this is done, make a hole in the centre
and pour in the yeast Add luke-warm
milk. or milk and water, working it gently
with the hand all the time until it be
comes nice, light dough. Cover the
bowl with cloth and set it in warm
place for about three hours, when it ought
(if the yeast was fresh) to be sufficiently
risen 10 make up into cakes.
Divide the dough into twelve pieces
knead each piece as lightly as possible,
Just to get it formed into a round ball
then slightly -four the pasteboard and
rolling pin, and roll the cakes out to the
thickness of an inch. Prick them with a
fork. and place them on well-greased bak-
ing tins, about an inch apart. Set the tins
before the fire for few minutes till the
cakes begin to rise again; then bake in a
moderate oven. not too hot or the cakes
will not be thoroughly cooked, and not
too cold. or they will fall and become
heavy. In half an hour. if the oven has
been at the right heat, they will be suffi
ciently baked. II is best not to make all
the dough up into cakes at once, as ar
ordinary oven will not hold more thar
half: make up the second lot while the
first are baking. If preferred, the cur
rants may be omitted, and tablespoonful
of caraway seeds added instead. Thes,
cakes can be served hot, just slit open anC
we'll buttered Place them on hot plate
and dust little powdered white suga
over each. One on each plate. cut int,
neat pieces. looks much better than havin:
the plate heaped. Or if they are to b
sent to the table cold, cut them in THU
slices and butter literally Cor. CountrI
Gentleman.