CHAPTER XXII.

A VARIETY OF CAKES EVOLVED FROM ONE

“Aunt Sarah,” questioned Mary one day, “will you tell me how it is possible to evolve a number of cakes from one recipe?”

“Certainly I will, my dear,” said her Aunt.  “For instance, take the simple recipe from which I have for years baked layer cake.  You may have other recipes given you, equally as good, but I feel positive none better.  The cake made from this recipe is not rich enough to be unwholesome, but a good, reliable, inexpensive, easily-made cake, with which I have never had a failure.

“The recipe, as you know, consists of 1-1/4 cups of granulated sugar, 1/2 cup of a mixture of butter and sweet lard (or use all butter), 1/2 cup sweet milk, 2 cups flour and 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder. 3 eggs.

“The simplest manner of baking this cake is in two square cake pans.  When baked, take from pans and ice each cake with a boiled chocolate icing and put together as a layer cake, or ice each cake with a plain, boiled white icing and, when this is cold, you may spread over top of each cake unsweetened chocolate, which has been melted over steam after being grated.  When cake is to be served, cut in diamonds or squares.  Or add to the batter 1 cup of chopped hickory nut meats, bake in 2 layers and cut in squares.

“For a chocolate loaf cake, add two generous tablespoonfuls of unsweetened melted chocolate to the batter just before baking.  If you wish a chocolate layer cake, use the same batter as for the chocolate loaf cake, bake in two layer pans and put together with white boiled icing.

“Or, add to this same batter one scant teaspoonful of cinnamon, ginger, 1/2 teaspoonful of grated nutmeg and cloves, a cup of raisins or dried currants, and you have a small fruit cake.

“Or, add a small quantity of thinly-shaved citron to the original recipe, flavor with lemon, bake in a loaf and spread a white icing flavored with lemon extract over top of cake, and you have a lemon cake.

“Or, add chocolate and spices to one-half the batter (about one-half as much chocolate and spices as were used in batter for fruit cake) and place spoonfuls of the light and dark batter alternately in a cake pan, until all batter has been used, and you will have a cheap, old-fashioned Marble cake.

“Or, bake cake over original recipe, in two-layer pans, placing between layers either tart jelly, a creamy cornstarch filling, grated cocoanut, apple cream filling, or you might even use half the recipe given for the delicious icing or filling for Lady Baltimore cake.