New-York tribune., 1910-12-23
CHRISTMAS CAKES
Recipes That Were Used in
Knickerbocker DAYS.

Preparations for Christmas IN Colonial
times included the baking Of many cake,
and families who boast Of CoIonfaI .forbesrs
still think 1t incumbent upon them 20 max.
use Of some OF these old recipes at Christi
mas time. Dutch housewives used to mako
little seed cakes which they gave with
half penny 10 the children who came 20
the door wish the family merry Chriss-
mas. The recipe preserved IN the archives
of Knickerbocker families reads as follows:
Take two pounds Of the finest -four well
dried. two pounds or fresh butter rubbed
in well. ten egss-leave out five whites
of good yeast. mix all well together and
set to the fire, but not too near When IL
is well risen put In a pound Of csravay
confts. An hour ard quarter VIII bake it.
The same recipe was used for large seed
cakes as well sss for the small ones. Small
cakes appear to have been called wigs IN,
those days. and the above probably wers
regarded as extraordinary, for the follow
ing recipe is given for ordinary wigs-:
Take three pounds and a half of fine -four
and three-quarters OF q pound Of butter
rub IL into the -four till none OF IL be seen
Then take a pint or more or new milk ali
make 1t very warm, and tnree-quarters OF
a pint Of ale yeast. and with these rnais
a light paste and put I'm caraway seeds or
whatever spice you please Then set il be-
fore the fire TO rise, then mix in il three
pretty thin and put rolled pieces Of IL on
tin plates or else straight strips. and hold
them before the fire 70 rise again or before
the oven Let your oven be pretty quick
and they will bake soon
Both of these recipes date from I75a. and
are SAID to be as pleasing to the MODERN
palate as to the pre-Revolutionary one.
great rich cake which seems 70 deservs
its name:
Take peck of flour. dried well. an ounc.
of cloves and mace, halr an ounce OF ntlf-
negs. as much cinnamon Beat the spices
well and mix them with your -four ana a
pound and half of sugar and q little salt.
washed picked and dried. and three pounds
of rasinS, stoned and cut into small pieces.
Mix all these we'll together, then make iTs
piDtS of cream, almost Scalding hot. and
put into it four pounds OF fresh butter
Then beat the yoiks OF twenty eggs, thTee
pints of good ale yeast. piat Of sack 2
three grains OF musk and six grains of
ambersris- Mix these together and stir
them into your cream and butter. Then
mix all In the cake and ser IL 10 rise an
hour before the stove Before you put il
into your hoop, mix your sweetmeats with
died orange and lemon peel, cut IN small
pieces. You must bake IL in q deep hcop
Butter the sides. put two papers az the
bottom. -four il. and put in your cake. Il
must have quick oven; four hours vii
bake it. When II is drawn (taken our OF
the hoop, ice it over the top and sidss-
Take two pounds of double refined sugar.
beaten and sifted. and the whites Of SIX
eggs beaten TO a froth. with three four
spoonfuls Of orange flower water. and threa
grains of musk and arnbergriS. together.
Put all these into stone mortar and hear
them with a wooden pesfie till It is as white
snow, and with c brush or 2 bunch Of
feathers spread 1t al over the cake. and DIlt
It IN the oven 20 dry, but take care that
the oven does not discolor IT. When u IS
cold paper It; il will keep Eve or six weeks.