Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-02-14
CHRISTMAS CAKES.
ENGLISH PUDDlNGS AND CAKES GO
ALL OVER The WORLD.

in the Manufacture of Wedding Cakes.
A Glance at the Interior of a Big Cake
Store-Cakes of Many Kinds
Christmas cakes, New Years cakes,
Twelfth cakes, christening cakes, birthday
cakes and wedding cakes all come of the
same wealthy family-that is to say, they
are as rich as rich can be. A high author
ity upon the whole subject chatted day or
two ago about them. 1t was painfully
appetizing conversation, for it took place in
showroom of palatial proportions in
which were to be seen specimens of every
kind of cake which mankind has invented
for social consumption. A cake, it must be
promised, cannot be eaten in strict seclu-
sion. 1t must be enjoyed in pleasant COM
pany or it becomes indigestible, and with
out cake the Christmas board would be
incomplete.
I'VE sell thousands of Christmas cakes"
said the gentleman whose firm has prob
ably produced more cakes of every variety
than any one house in the world. They
closely resemble the wedding cake, which
is recognized institution. By the way,
think wedding cakes are getting larger and
heavier, and certainly the sugar work orna-
mentation is more elaborate and artistically
executed. Necessarily the decoration must
be in white and silver, but sometimes real
dollhouse flowers are used to adorn the
cake"
What is the largest size wedding cake."
I'VE sell some weighing five hundred
weight or six hundredweight, and the
largest-for royalties-has been about ten
hundredweight. A saw edged knife is sup
Piled for the ceremony of cutting the cake, ,
which is frequently done, however, in adj
vance, and a silver trowel is used by the
bride to withdraw the segment easily"
On all sides were wedding cakes on
shelves, some of them with light deposit
of almond icing upon their tops. They
were all ordered for forthcoming marriages
The icing" remarked the guide, lis
done as required. A very large cake is
baked in sections and afterward fitted to-
gether That man there is busy cutting
smaller cakes in halves, for you can never
tell from the outside appearance whether
the cake is thoroughly well baked inside
We therefore test every one. "
Now what is the real difference between
a wedding cake and a Christmas plum
cake?"
1T is generally in the ornamentation
The top of Christmas cake is coated with
sugar icing and picked out with colors-
say pink-and there is also an inscription
A Father Christmas stands in the center,
and there are small fancy ornaments around
the figure. Some, too, have holly on the
top, but people now and then prefer sweet
meats instead"
And you say that there is great de
mand for them?"
I'VE send them all over the world. We
occasionally export cakes and buildings to
people abroad sufficient to last them tie
whole year round. They 90 to India. At
RIGA, China, Egypt-in fact, everywhere \
New Years cake is similar to Chris mas
cake, with fancy decoration and G:;tres.''
DO you find that Twelfth cakes are de
Ginning in popularity"
well, perhaps we do not S;.il tjit;, 80
many. They are as you know decorated
with figures, and a sheet of characters q d
conundrums accompanies each cake. ac-
cording to the old custom. They are drawn
for''
rs the plan still followed of embedding
various articles in the cake?"
Yes, that is still done People bring us
rings, coins and buttons to put in the cake.
In fact, we have inclosed in the cake gold
watches and diamond rings. But it has
generally been arranged beforehand where
rosette or colored ribbon in the decoration
would be sufficient guide"
Conversation then turned upon school
cakes which are as full of currants and
sultanas as can be desired. But for peo-
pie of maturer years the fashion in cakes
except on festival occasions when the rule
may be broken through, runs upon light
er and most digestible cake. Here in the
neat cardboard boxes are piles of Dundee
cakes, made of butter, -four and eggs, and
better than dough cake of the schoolboy
kind. A Dundee cake has its due proper.
ton of sIltanas and peel, and it is rather
richer in quality than the popular Scotch
Madeira. There are other varieties of light
pound cakes, such as seed and almond, and
if the taste inclines to heavier article
currant cake in various degrees of richness
can be had, and it is remarkable how con
sentative successive generations are il
their liking for good substantial cake.
Before CHANGING at few of the astonish
ing array of delcacies in the way of biscuits
attention is attracted to a huge store OF
plum buildings. Each pudding is in its OWL
neat white basin and securely tied up in its
cloth.
1--WE are making 1900 this year." says
| the gentleman who is acting as guide
through this palace of dainties. "A great
many are sent abroad. They are dispatched
in tin lined cases, sometimes thirty to forty
in a case"
''But can you tell me who it is who buy,
your puddings"
Regular customers come year after year
for twenty or more at time, to give away
as Christmas presents Most army officers
and those of the navy, too, want buildings
The buildings which are sent abroad ART
not packed in basins, but in cloths, for they
travel better. The buildings in these basins
are for home consumption. They are ready
boiled"
"And are of all sizes?"
THE largest pudding costs, say, ten gum