1 cup of boiled mashed potatoes. 1 cup sweet milk. 1 cup water in which 1 Fleischman yeast cake was dissolved. 2 cups soft A sugar. 1/2 cup butter and lard mixed. 2 eggs.  A little salt.  About 7 cups of flour.

Cream the sugar, butter and eggs together.  Add mashed potatoes, milk and cup of water containing yeast, alternately with the flour, until about 7 cups of flour have been used, making a dough as stiff as can be stirred with a spoon.  Stand, covered, in a warm place by the range until morning.  These should be set to rise about nine o’clock in the evening.  The following morning take pieces of the dough, on a well-floured bake board; roll about one inch thick, to fit in pie tins, place in pie tins to raise; when doubled in bulk spread with melted butter and sprinkle sugar thickly over top and bake in a moderately hot oven until lightly browned on top.  This quantity of dough makes six cakes.

Instead of brushing the cakes with above mixture, place in a bowl 1/2 cup of soft A sugar, 1/2 cup flour, a tiny pinch of salt and baking powder each and 2 tablespoonfuls of butter (not melted), mix all together as crumbly as possible, then the crumbs were sprinkled thickly over tops of cakes, which had been brushed with a mixture of milk and sugar.  Place cakes in oven when raised; bake 20 minutes.

This recipe was given Mary by an old “Bucks County” cook, noted for the excellence of her raised cakes.

MARY’S RECIPE FOR CINNAMON BUNS

Early in the morning mix a sponge or batter consisting of 1/2 cup of potato water (water drained from boiled potatoes) and 1/2 cup of lukewarm, scalded milk, one Fleischman’s compressed yeast cake, dissolved in the 1/2 cup of lukewarm potato water, 1 teaspoonful sugar, pinch of salt and about 1-1/2 cupfuls of warmed flour.  Stand this sponge in a warm place, closely covered, about 3/4 of an hour, to raise.  At the end of that time add to the light, well-risen sponge, the following:  3 tablespoonfuls of a mixture of lard and butter, and 1/3 cup of soft A sugar, creamed together.  Add one large egg.  Beat well.  Lastly, add about 2 cupfuls of flour.  Mix all together thoroughly, and let raise again about 1-1/2 hours.  Divide the well-risen sponge into four portions.  Roll each piece with rolling-pin into lengthwise pieces about 1/2 inch thick and spread with one tablespoonful of melted butter, scant 2 tablespoonfuls of brown sugar, dust over this a small quantity of cinnamon, and 1 tablespoonful of dried currants.  Shape into a long, narrow roll with the hands, on a well-floured bake-board.  Cut each roll into five pieces.  Pinch one end of each piece together and place each bun, cut side down, a short distance apart, in an iron pan which has been well greased, having brushed a little melted butter and a sprinkling of sugar over pan.  Allow these to rise in a warm place as before, about 1-1/2 hours, until quite light, as having the extra sugar, butter and currants added retards their rising as quickly as would plain biscuits.