Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-03
STAR CAKE MAKee.
Mrs. Wilson'S Cooking is The Boast Of
Nashville.

The cakemaker. like the ncet. is born
not made. All the cooking schools and
recipe books in the world viii never turn
out such cakes come from the hand
which has Unborn knack. and the brain
which has Unborn knowledge. Down in
Nashville. Tenn. there is a woman. Mrs
". Ii. Wilson. who demonstrates be-
You'd cavl the truth of that proposition
Without heralding or any sort Of -four
ish of trumpets, her cakes have made
times she has sent brides cakes and
Christmas cakes to London and Paris
And one has gone even as far as Aus
tralia
In these United States they go from
New, York 70 California. 1he maker
OF them is forced to turn AWAY; away orders
she will not let her name go out rs guar
antec for what her hani has not been set
to. There are only q hours in the day
you see. and some few OF them must be
given to rest and sleep.
II got into business altogether acct
den'aliy.' she SAYS, With ii smpe. when
10 make cake. and candy. knd nice
things generally. After | married and
set up housekeeping, / began to cook
as much as | pleased. and ask my friends,
to come and help eat what | hi / cooked
Soon they began to ask me 10 make cakes
and bon bons. when they had entertain
ments. They would not let me furnish
anything-only do the work.
Then so many of them wanted me to
make things. they said simply must
take pay for il. | hated 10 do tit was
50 entirely beyond what / had thought
of. But people who came to the city and
Were entertained, got so in way of raw
ing over my cakes. taking away to their
own homes other cakes, and then send
ing back for more. that ! was in Il man
ner forced to become Il professional cake
maker.
There is no secret about it," she
goes on. At least, none that l can see
simply use the best OF everything.
from the farmer. My butter, TOO, is
fresh. and always carefully washed and
kept on ice until want it. Flour. sugar,
nuts fruit. taVorinss. lquors-whatevcr
use, in fact, has to be good as can
he found.
My cakes are mixed in various ways
The eggs are always very cold when
broken. and whipped light in cool
place, sift my. flour two on three times
until it is like light snow. light hand
helps in making cake. There is just Il
certain turn in the stirring that mikes
the Ingredients right. one person who
has l.-sy nature always makes good
cake. one who hasn't ii may work
twice as hard, and never turn out
good one
My icing, which is really the distin-
gushing feature of my cakes. is cooked
you see. No, l cannot tell you how |
make it. That is my only secret, and !
feel bound to keep it. | color it almost
any shade. After it is done, let me show
you what l do with it,.
She was speaking in the kitchen of her
handsome apartment, a kitchen as tidy
as the pretty parlor. 1t is furnished with
gas range. on top of which was a
bright big saucepan full of what looked
like boiling snow.
black girl as neat as the kitchen
kept beating and stirring it all the
while; at the side there We're other pans
full OF the same snow. which had mys-
fcriously turned green or blue, or pink
or purple.
My idea of cake and icing" said Mrs.
Wilson. is that they should never be
either sticky or clammy. yet always soft
enough To eat with spoon. Here are
some cakes ready to be sent off. This
one goes to North Caroina-the others
see. in boxes just big enough to hold
them, cover them with oiled paper, put in
"rumpled tissue paper over that-then set
he boxes in baskets, with handles on top.
The express companies are notified al
Ways to carry them by the handles--thus
they get to their destinations with the
cakes uncrushed How did | get TO the
point Of knowing so much? Well ii has
all come through experience. When one
way would not answer, / had to sit down
1:ld think up something better.
fhe North Carolina cake was big and
round. covered with pink icing, and hav-
ing wreath of pink icing sweet peas
around the edge one of the local cakes
bad icing lilies in high relief on the top
at it. Another had daisies done to the
Jjtr with yellow sugar hearts.
But beautiful as they We're. they We're
put OUT Of countenauce by Il lot of in
,ividual cakes ordered for It swagger lun-
fheon. Some were iced 10 look like pink
uud white chrYSant hemume some were
whitley green snowballs. Others mad knots
of vloiets or narcssGs upon their iced
surfaces. with fine fiuting around the
flowers.
frpon the dinner table Mrs. Wilson was
fepne a big square brides cake. She had
put u wreath ofrlilies of the valley around
he sides. and above that q festooning Of
zit,1,on-cng fbbon, of course. Now she
was neditating upon design for the
raain a4Garc center. She spread Il sheet
4 paper cornucopia full of icing, n1anipu-
lated it q minute or two, and there. plain
TO view. was a bouquet of valley lilies,
tied lightly with a true-lovers knot.
] think that will do, she said. and at
once began to reproduce the lilies upon
the cake Incredible as II sounds, all her
work is done in tnis simple fashion
She has such gifted finger tips that wi h
only the paper horns filledAs Wtth the
smooth foamy icing. she Can sh1pe what
ever dover or line her fancy dsSstres up.
Her candies are decorated the& ne way
She makes them or, plaln%ca seeits Is
rencv. cuts che sheets sinsS 81 u rska pes
ana puts tiny flowers or & ri the
icing upon top of eacisss ass~ 49,
Naturally. the ) Tess;sstaeez ntsy n ial
was t i'm f Of tFsng 81 s Mrs
Mckinley lay the wagss1 8oaHg took
ali the prizes offered sleft ennial
5or eake5 and saas I s sNass ntc gpSe
Of Ka K,ss kI4nn, aay sdsnt Of
the wonan's t,0ard H lhalS5 ~ Sc 'ie''Ne
everybody recusDized
Beyond all stais gS ssss ndsd in sue" sn1
fertainrents thai asllea 9prced to leave
the eitv far more tam asxion,h, rather
fiian let herself be fsskeg to dea,'. 49,.
vo, i1 N who 'da as hnpthing supreme!!y
VEN there is sfiff sxepsn and to spare III