The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-05-23
THE ART OF THE BAKER.
An Improvement in the Methods of Max
ing Cakes-The Latest Novelties.

An Improvement in the Methods of Max
ing Cakes-The Latest Novelties.
Fine cake-making is not a secret, but
it is manifestly an art. The regulation
old-time pound-cake, and jumbles are
still to be seen, but they no longer hold
the palm. Even the delicious sponge
cake, so delightful in childhood's men,
DRY, now takes modest back seat be-
fore the appearance of the multitude of
other light, feathery loaves and layer
cakes.
1--WE sell on an average about 5000
worth of cake each month";" said a
young lady behind the small counter of
a place where genuine domestic COM
pounds in the way of bread, cake, pre-
serves, etc, are offered for sale. The
demand is about equal for delicate loaf
cakes and layer cakes. We have some
call for Old-fashioned fruit cake, but
there are several fruit cakes made now
much lighter and less ipdigestible that
really taste nicer, too, and they seem to
be preferred. We keep that old-time
standby, pound cake, on hand always,
too. Layer cakes are filled with every
thing-jellies, chocolate, nuts, creams,
and fruit. A fayorite cake is the one
made with English walnuts. A new
cake is called walnut cream, the flavor
being in the filling. Another new cake
is pineapple The canned fruit is used,
being chopped fine and mixed with
frostinG for the filing sPinafore' cake
is made with alternate layers of pink
and white icing, the pink being given
its tint by using a few drops of the fruit
colorng that can be bought at any gro
GERS. Dolly Warden cake is the same
thing except that instead of pure white
icing chocolate is mixed with it. The
lighter and more delicate cake can be
made the better it is liked. Conse-
quently the greasy loaves, heavy with
good butter, which our mothers were
taught to consider the proper tempta-
ton to place before company, no longer
have an existence The cake made
now is mostly harmless to the most del
icately organized stomachs, but it's aW-
fully expensive to make.
but few ornamented cakes are used
by Americans except on some pro-
nounccd festal occasion like a wedding,
and not always then. The Germans
make the most use of ornamental cakes,
but the cake is very light Some of the
ornaments designed to make the tops
of cakes glorious are indeed Of fearful
and wonderful construction. | saw a
lot the other day--fOur or five hundred.
There were those not more than an
inch high, and some queer construc-
1,o-E So toll lOI
the form of the trunk of palm tree
given it, with an immense, buShy head
composed of trailing rose vines, with sill
yer leaves and orange buds. Beneath
it stood q winged figure arrayed
in a cloak-a la Hamlct-and engaged
in the act of hurting forth crown of
thorns. 1t was a touching matrimonial
symbol. Then there were hands clasp
ing hands, some tinted flesh color, with
the most miraculous cuffs and frills
about the wrists. Of course there were
marriage-bells and horse-shocs without
number and OF considerable price.
There were brides whose candy heads
and sugar features were shaded by little
wells. Think of bride standing on a
cake! But more effective than the bride
alOne were tHe representatives OF bHe
bride and bridegroom; he was clothed
in the prescribed full dress black suit,
with gloves, and shirt-frOnt as immacu-
late as the cOnfectioner's art could
manufacture for him from sweet stufls.
The German people sometimes use
cOlored flowers on cakes for special oc-
casions, but not for weddings. Many
Americans, however, consider cakes
ornamented in any way suggestive of
being thing to gaze upon and not to
eat, in very bad taste, and seldom use
them. 1t is generally understood, even
by the buyers of these decorated loaves,
that being for ornamentation they are
of inferior quality, Chicago people buy
a large quantity of nice lake, and we
could sell far more than we do if we
had stores in different sections of the
city. 1t is field of enterprise open to
any woman who knows how to bake
sllillfully, and Pm sure don't know why
more do not venture upon it."-Chi-
c00O NqjcS