The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1892-01-06

Goodies for Christmas.
Fruit Cake to Delight "a" Ep,cure

For fruit cake enough 10, 90 inc
family-any reasonable family-for
Christmas and New Years Day, these
things are necessary: Two pounds
currants, three pounds raisins, one
pound citron, one pound candied
orange aud lemon peel, one pound
figs, one pound almonds, two pounds
-four, one pound butter, two pounds
of the darkest brown sugar you can
get, eighteen eggs, one ounce ground
cloves, one ounce ground cinnamon,
one ource allspice, two nutmegs
grated, one fourth pint of brandy.
Prepare the fruit the day before.
This simple command is apt to
stump" the experimenter-so this is
how IT'S done. First Of all tumble the
currants into painful of tepij water,
stir them around bit and lift out
with the hands, letting the water
drain off them as you do. Repeat
this two or three times. then spread
them on a clean tea towel, as coarse
one as you have, roll them up in 1t
and rub them well to dry them and
to get the little stems OF. The stems
will stick to the towel and the use of
two or three towels in this way will
make the ourrants perfectly clean.
Spread them on. platter aud set
aside until the morrow.
Stone the raisins. This is made
easy by letting them stand in nearly
boiling water for Il minute. A small
sharp knife, touch of butter on the
fingers or else bowl of warm water
TO dip them in, and the seeds are
easily removed. Tear them in half
re- you seed them.
Shred the oitron quite fine and cut
up the figs in small bits.
Chop the orange and lemon peel
very small.
Blanch the almonds and cut them
in quarters. They are blanched by
pouring boiling water over them, let
ting them stand in it few minutes,
and then popping them out of their
skins.
The raisinp, orange peel, citron and
almonds should be pressed down in
dish and the brandy poured over
them then closely cover with a plate
The next day, when the mixing and
the baking are to be done, set the -four
on the oven to brown, and as il
browns remove that dark enough
and set the rest back until all is light
brown.
Thoroughly rub together the but
ter and sugar, with wooden spoon
until creamy. Separate the yolks and
whites of the eggs, beat the yolks
until light and add to the sugar and
butter. Then add half the
-four, next the spices, stir
ring we'll after each addition. Sif
the other half of the -four over the
fruit and add that, putting the figs
and almonds in first so that they viii
be we'll distributed, then the citron
chopped peel, raisins and currants
alternately, a handful of each at {
time, and stirring industriously be
tween handfuls.
Beat the whites of the eggs to (
light-not stitf--iroth and add last
A good idea is to save out two Of
three spoonfuls of the batter before
the fruit goes in, to spread over the
cakes after they are in the pans, il
order to cover the fruit and prevent i
burning.
Heavy pans that turn out cak,
with a hole in the middle, or eartheI
baking dishes are good to bake then
The oven must be just hot enough
to turn piece Of manila paper pail
brown in minute. 1t requires thre'
hours to bake fruit cake thorough
ly and the oven must be e
"slow' one of even tempera
ture. After three hours open tn
doors and leave the cakes in the over
for half or three quarters Of an hou
longer to COOK.
Now for the browning touch. AbOu
week or five days before yeu ar
going TO cut the cakes, get quar-
bottle of ohampagne--domestic doe
very we'll. Puucture the cakes with
knitting needle or larding needl
through and through in every direc
ton and pour the wine over them
turning them in it until they drink VI
every drop. Set them away again un
til the day before cutting, when the
can be iced If desired
WY TY IT. n n