Christmas cakes. As the holidays draw near again, the busy housewife begins to
turn her thoughts toward Christmas. Sweets and goodies for Christmas would not be complete
for the kiddies without the usual cakes and candies which mother is sure to prepare.
What kind of cake shall we have this year? This question is being
asked in many homes, and the answer to it may be found in part,
at least in the suggestions that follow. There are several new cake recipes
and two attractive and unusual designs for decorating Christmas cakes, which will make an
especial appeal to the little ones. The orange marmalade cake that follows is delicious
and has the advantage of keeping well. In fact, it improves with age,
just as the fruitcake does. This cake may be made a week or
more before Christmas and frosted on all sides with brown sugar frosting. The marmalade
keeps the cake moist and fresh, and it will remain so for some time
even after it is cut. Orange marmalade cake one third cup butter or one
quarter cup vegetable fat, one cup sugar, two eggs, one half cup
milk, one cup orange marmalade one in three quarter cup sifted flour, three
teaspoonfuls baking powder, one teaspoonful cinnamon, cream the butter, add the sugar
gradually, and eggs well beaten. Mix and sift the dry ingredients and add
alternately with the milk. Add orange marmalade, and bake in a loaf pan.
This cake requires a moderate oven and should be baked about fifty minutes.
Frost with brown sugar frosting, and wrap in paraffin paper if the cake is
to be kept any length of time. Eggs are scarce in the winter months,
and this recipe for eggless fruitcake should make a strong appeal. Fruitcake without
eggs. One cup sour milk, one cup sugar, two cups flour,
one half teaspoonful salt, one half teaspoonful cinnamon, one half teaspoonful cloves,
one half teaspoonful nutmeg, two tablespoonfuls soda, one half cup raisins, one
half cup sliced citron, four tablespoonfuls melted butter. Add the sugar to the
sour milk, Mix and sift the dry ingredients and add gradually. Add fruit
and melted butter last be well. Bake in a slow oven for one hour.
Dates or figs may be substituted for one half the citron or other combinations
of fruit made instead. Four minute fruit cake. Two thirds cups soft butter
or chicken fat, two and a half cups brown sugar, four eggs,
one cup milk, three and a half cups sifted flour, two tablespoonfuls cocoa,
one half teaspoonful mace, one teaspoonful cinnamon, two tablespoonfuls baking powder.
One half pound raisins, one quarter pound stoned dates, cut fine, one
quarter pound currants. Put all the ingredients in to a bowl together and beat
vigorously with a wooden spoon for four minutes. Bake in loaf pans for forty
five minutes. This is a very satisfactory fruit cake and a great timesaver.
Orange jelatin cake baked sponge cake in deep round layer cake pans. Mold orange
jelly in the same pans which have first been moistened with cold water. Have
one layer of the jelly to every two layers of the cake. When the
jelly is firm, dip the pan for a second in hot water, then
place one of the sponge cake layers on top of the jelly, and on
top of this, place a large cake plate upside down. Hold the three
firmly together and turn the plate over so that the cake will rest on it
and the jelly will turn out from the mold on top. Now, place
another layer of sponge cake on top of the jelly and frost with orange frosting.
Milk chocolate frosting makes a nice change for Christmas cakes and is always a
favorite with children since it produces quite a different flavor from ordinary chocolate frosting.
Milk chocolate frosting one cup sugar, one half cup boiling water, whites of
two eggs, one teaspoonful lemon juice, one large cake milk chocolate which has
been melted over hot water. Put sugar and water into a saucepan, Stir
until it boils, and then boil without stirring, until the syrup will spin
a thread when dropped from a fork. Remove from fire and pour slowly over
the whites of eggs that have been beaten until stiff. Beat until thick enough
to spread. Spread this frosting on the cake, and when dry, cover
it with milk chocolate, which has been melted over hot water. The water
under the chocolate must be considerably below the boiling point. The chocolate will make
a thick coating over the white frosting and will dry quickly. Another use for
milk chocolate in making Christmas sweets may be found in substituting it for confectioner's chocolate
when dipping bonbons. Try dipping white and pink marshmallows in melted milk chocolate and
allowing them to dry on paraffin paper. One could hardly find a more simple
form of candy for the kiddies than this, and yet they resemble the rich
French candies in appearance. Decorating Christmas cakes, the attractive appearance of the Christmas
cakes is of prime importance, and children especially are interested in fancy decorations.
The cake illustrated on page three hundred fifty nine is baked in a pan made
to represent a Christmas star. These six pointed star cake pans may be purchased
at any ten cent store. The cake is frosted with white frosting and decorated
with tiny red candies. The candies outline the star and are put on just
as the frosting begins to dry, A pair of tweezers will be found convenient
for handling the candies. The top of the cake is decorated with candies and
with some of the frosting forced through pastry tubes in various fancy sh shapes.
A sprig of evergreen completes this very attractive Christmas cake. The cake on page
three hundred sixty, made to represent a snow covered house, is quite suitable
for a children's Christmas party. The little house is worked out in considerable detail,
even to the chimney for Santa Claus. The cake is made in two
sections and is baked in two bread pans. When the cake is cold,
cut the top from one of the loaves so that an even rectangular piece is
formed with a flat surface on top. This is the body of the house.
The roof is made by cutting the other loaf to form the sloping sides
as shown in the illustration. Place the roof on top of the body and
secure with several toothpicks so there will be no danger of slipping. The cake
left over after cutting the roof may be kept and served with a hot sauce
for a dessert. The chimney of the house is made from a piece of
stale bread. Cut the chimney the correct shape with the sharp knife, and
then oust the bread lightly to give it firmness. Secure this chimney to one
end of the house with toothpicks. The entire cake may now be frosted with
white frosting. Just before the frosting begins to dry, sprinkle coarse granulated sugar
over the sides of the roof to represent snow. This will glisten and give
a very attractive appearance. The door and windows are outlined with angelica cut into
thin strips. The lower edge of the roof is also outlined with angelica,
and the door knob made from a tiny red candy. If one wishes to
make it even more realistic, the chimney may be frosted with red frosting made
by the addition of vegetable coloring to white frosting. A small figure of Santa
Claus, either standing near the base of the chimney or on the roof,
would give an added touch to the cake and of Christmas cakes.