The Professor’s wife told Mary when she gave her this recipe, this almond wreath was always served at the breakfast table on Christmas morning at the home of her parents in Germany, and was always baked by her mother, who gave her this recipe, and it was found on the breakfast table of Frau Schmidt Christmas morning as regularly as was made “Fast Nacht Kuchen” by Aunt Sarah every year on “Shrove Tuesday,” the day before the beginning of the Lenten season.

THE PROFESSOR’S WIFE’S RECIPE FOR “DUTCH CAKES”

2 tablespoons of butter or lard. 2 eggs. 1 cup “Soft A” sugar. 1/2 yeast cake. 1 pint milk. 1/2 teaspoonful of salt.  Flour.

She scalded the milk, added butter and eggs, well beaten, when the milk was lukewarm, then added yeast, dissolved in a little lukewarm water, sugar, salt and flour to make a thin batter.  Beat all together five minutes, stood the batter, closely covered, in a warm place, over night.  In the morning, added flour to make a soft dough, kneaded lightly for ten minutes, placed in bowl and set to rise again.  When light, she rolled out dough one inch in thickness, placed in pie tins, and when raised a second time spread over the cakes the following mixture before placing in oven:  1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 2 tablespoonfuls of boiling water and butter size of an egg, beaten well together.  Bake 20 minutes.

“FARMERS’ POUND CAKE” (AS AUNT SARAH CALLED THIS)

Place in a bowl 2 cups of light, well-raised bread sponge (when all flour necessary had been added and loaves were shaped ready to be placed in bread pan for final rising).  Cream together 3/4 cup of a mixture of lard and butter, add 2 eggs, first yolks then stiffly beaten whites, also add 1-1/2 cups soft A sugar.  Add to the 2 cups of bread sponge in bowl and beat well until fully incorporated with the dough, then add 1/2 cup of lukewarm milk, in which had been dissolved 1/2 teaspoonful of salaratus.

Beat all together until mixture is smooth and creamy, then add 2 cups of bread flour and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon flavoring.  Beat well and add 1-1/2 cups of either currants or raisins, dusted with flour.  Pour mixture into an agate pudding dish (one holding 3 quarts, about 2-1/2 inches in depth and 30 inches in circumference).  Stand in a warm place 3 to 4 hours to raise; when raised to top of pan place in a moderately hot oven and bake about 40 minutes, when, taken from oven, dust with pulverized sugar thickly over top of cake.

This cake should be large as an old-fashioned fruit cake, will keep moist some time in a tin cake box, but is best when freshly baked.

GERMAN “COFFEE BREAD”

1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup butter 1 cup hot milk 1 yeast cake 2 eggs 2-1/2 cups flour.