New-York tribune., 1895-12-22
THE HOLIDAY CAKE
SOME OLD DUTCH RECGPES-THE CHIEF
OF ALL COOKIES.

OF ALL COOKIES.
The housekeeping of the Holland DANES OF New
Amsterdam has always excited powerful in
auence on New-York Kitchens, and Knickerbocke.
New-York is never so much in evidence as at New
Years Oily hooks and New Year cookies still
prepared in many old New-York families BY recipes
handed down from those days when New ork was
a Dutch village below Wali-st No cream tartsr
nor soda nor baking powders were known then
the cakemaker depended upon either eggs or yeast
for shtenng her cake and bread alike.
The rule for oily hooks. Dutch dOuc hnuts still
in use in an old Knckerbocker family. calls for the
following simple Ingredients Beat to a cream
cup of butter and cups of sugar Break in TWO
eggs, beating the batter vigorously. Add an even
saltspoonfil of salt and half cup of hot milk,
with enough sifted -four to make Still batter
Now add a cup and half more Of hot milk ana
-four enough TO make batter as stin as you can
beat il with ease Finally. when the batter Is iuko-
warm, add a cup Of yeast or yeast cake dissoivoi
in a cup Of water. Add more -four, but only enough
to make the batter firm that it IS easily beaten
Beat ill 1t blisters Let 1t rise in a warm not
\ hot place well covered, until it is very light
II the batter is set at o'clock in the afternoon 1t
will not bs ready for use until o'clock the next
afternoon If we'll risen then GreIge board with
flour and turn the batter out on 1t. remembering
il should be as soft as II be handled II IT is
too soft dredge flour It. but do not knead or
handle II any more than you help. Roll the
dough out in sheets, about threeqUarters OF an men
thick and cut 1t into round cakes with plain iEcn-
and-a- half cutter After cutting out the oily kooKs
or doughnuts. open them quickly at the SIDE with a
sharp knife as slender a penknife and put IN
the centre OF each a raisin easpoonful OF rich
cranberry preserves or any other nice sweetmeats
A raisin and piece OF sliced citron or lump o.
sugar dipped in wine, generally used Close up
this opening. wetting the edges and pressing then
very carefully together. the centre OF the dough-
nuts will fly out in the cooking
rh.,rsf rts q
longer after being cut ont. Usually by the time
the last ones are cut and made ready for fry
Ing the first ones will have risen enough TO be
cooked
The BOT of smoking hot lard in which they are
cooked should be ready. Test 1t with bread. II
the bread dark at once. II is too not II IL
turns light brown it is just right Put in the
doughnuts and fry them for ten minutes, turning
them once. They should have a tender brown crust
and be done through. They cannot be cooked
through in less time than ten minutes AS soon
they are done lift them out with wire spoon
Drain each one carefully the fat, and lay 1t
for an instant or coarse paper to absorb any
fat still cllngng to IT, Roll them, one by one, in
bowl of powdered sugar and lay them in stone
cake crock They will keep a week or longer.
All cookies were of Dutch origin, as their name
implies They were thin. rich cakes originally. and
either Oblong round in shape. The English made
a somewhat similar cake baked in a ring form and
called a tumble" The Dutch cooky was usually
garnished with caraway seeds. 30 essential were
these seed cakes 10 the family cuisine that cara
way seed was raised in every garden, not only FOR
these thin delicious cakes. but as meeting seed
to keep children and frivolous young people awake
during the lonS Dutch sermons.
The chief Of all cookies were the New Year cakes.
These cakes obong in shape, like those shown
a this season IN the shops; but when made AT
home they were considerably richer and more de-
Ilcious A good old rule for these cookies calls for
hale Of
besD half a pound of sugar and half pound OF
butter. Rub the butter thoroughly through the
-four and mix IN the sugar. Make cavity In the
mixture and POI IN half a pint OF lukewarm mlk'
with quarter OF a cup of yeast or a third OF a
yeast cake Let the batter stand over night; in the
morning add an ounce OF caraway seeds, and beat
all the INGREDIENTS thoroughly together.
Set the batter In warm place where IL VIII
rise and when II has become double in bulk roll 1t
out until It IL over quarter or an men thlck'
Cut into cakes about two and a half inches wide
by five long By the Zine they are all cut out,
the first VIII have risen enough TO bake. Bake them
in a moderately hot oven for about half hour,
or until well done but delicate brown Brush
them over WITH milk when they come out OF the
oven to give them glossy surface
A simple rule for plain but delicious seed cakes
OF more modern make calls for cup Of butter and
TWO cups OF ausar beaten to cream; three table
spoonfus OF sweet milk and two tablespoonfuls OF
carawav seeds Slft three times cups Of -four
with two even teaspoonfuls OF baking powder and
beat into butter and milk II the batter Is
not as stin as you can beat It, add little more
s,fted flour and turn It out on ioured board After
dredging it lightly with -four. roll Il out with a
noured rolling-pn until 1t is almost as thin as a
wafer but not quite Cut 1t into round cakes not
over two and a half three inches In diameter.
Some housekeepers use water instead Of milk. and
add two eggs to this rule. This makes rather
harder tea cake
Fruit cake ~ the English loaf forever associated
with New Years Day at the bake shops. " here II
is properly made Il seldom less than 81 a
pound. When achieved at home a good-sHed loaf
need cost "A dollar. The color OF the aver
age homemade fruit cake IL unhapply too famil-
lar 20 every II i generally OF dinSy, darn
yellow and so dry and hard AZ 10 discourage one.
The reason for this Is NOT far 10 seek The secret OF
maklng a black moist delicious fruit cake lies not
: d much the ingredients used IN the method