FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 November 1939, Page 8

FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON

THE CHRISTMAS CAKE. SOME GOOD RECIPES. Christmas will soon be here, so it is time that the cake and pudding were made. A Christmas cake is much better flavoured if made a month or so before it is cut. There may be a shortage of fruit this year so it is just as well to get the cake made as soon as possible. It is also advisable to buy decorations early so as to have a variety to choose from. Try one of these recipes for your Christmas cake: —Flour to suit 11b butter, 1 lb brown sugar, 12 eggs. 21b currants, 21b raisins. 11b almonds, lib mixed peel, 1 tablespoon mace. 1 tablespoon cinnamon. 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg, essence of almond, lemon and orange. 1 wineglass brandy. Cream the butter and sugar well. Separate the whites from the yolks of eggs. Add yolks to butter and sugar. Beat the whites separately and add alternately with flour. Prepare fruit and pour brandy and essence over it, also add spices. Add to the mixture and mix well. This will make two good cakes in 7in tins or one Win tin. If two tins are used cook for three hours, and four hours for one tin, oven 400

degrees, both switches low. for 20 minutes. then top off. Leave bottom switch on low all the time. When lining the tins put three or four layers of brown paper in the bottom. This very unusual Christmas cake recipe makes a delicious, moist but not too rich cake. Many readers will like to try something quite new, but follow the instructions carefully. Ingredients: 1.1 lb butter, 1 lb sugar. 1J flour. 12 eggs. 21b sultanas, 1 lb raisins, lib peel. 4oz cherries. 4oz ground almonds (or whole if preferred,), 2 tablespoonfuls glycerine. 2 tablespoonfuls brandy, 1 grated nutmeg. 1 teaspoonful cinnamon, pinch of salt. 1 bottle ginger ale. Method: Cut the fruit very fine and soak all night in a sixpenny bottle of ginger ale. Cream the butter and sugar add the eggs, one at a time until all are in, and beat well. Then add the flour and spices, fruit, and lastly the glycerine and brandy. Bake in a moderate oven 31 to 4 hours, or until a knitting needle put into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Here's another good one:—lngredients: l.’lb flour (bare), 1 lb sugar. 1 lb butter, 8 eggs, pinch of salt, 1-tea-spoon baking powder (this is optional, some people prefer no rising in a Christmas cake), 21b sultanas, |lb chopped dates, 1-lb seeded raisins, J-lb glace cherries, 1-lb almonds, 6oz chopped peel, 1-wineglass brandy, J-wine-glass sherry, essence of vanilla. Method: Cream the butter and sugar, and add the eggs one by one, unbeaten and beat thoroughly until all the sugar is dissolved; chop the almonds and mix j all the fruit together well. Add the ; flour and fruit alternately to the creamed mixture and lastly add me brandy, sherry, and a few drops of

vanilla essence and beat all together well. Line the tin with 4 to 6 layers of greaseproof paper and pour in the mixture. Bake in a moderate oven for 5 hours. In a gas stove have the oven really hot and place the cake in at No. 2 and do not open the door for at least two hours.

. A rich cake:—lngredients: Ilb butter, 1 lb light brown sugar, 11b flour. J-teaspoonful salt, 21b sultanas. Ilb raisins, lib candied peel (o'!- less if preferred), .jib almonds, Jib dates, Jib cherries and preserved ginger, Jib figs (these may be omitted if liked), 12 eggs, 1 wineglass of rum, 1 teaspoonful spice .and cinnamon, J-nutmeg (grated), 1 teaspoonful each of lemon, almond and vanilla essences. Method: Cream butter and sugar well with the hand until smooth and light, add the eggs (unbeaten) one at a time, beating each one'out of sight before adding the next. Cut the fruit up small and add the spices and a quarter of the flour and mix well through. Now add the essences and rum, beat the flour well in and lastly add the fruit a little at a time. When placing the mixture in the cake tin be sure to arrange it so that the shape will be good when it is cooked. Place two sheets of paper in the bottom, and then arrange the sides so that they stand up without folds, snipping them at the top to keep them straight. Place some of the mixture in the corner and push well in, then put it along the side and put more in the next corner, and so on until the sides and corners are well filled. When all the mixture is in the tin make a i deep circle in the centre so that the top will be quite smooth. Cook the cake for about four hours in a moderate oven. In an electric stove the heat should be 400 degrees to start with. Leave it on high for a minute or two to warm the cake through, then turn the top element ofl and the bottom on to low and leave until cooked. Almond icing should be made as follows: —Ingredients: lib ground almonds. 21b sifted icing sugar, 1 good teaspoonful or more of almond essence. 2 eggs (it is best to use the yolks as well as the whites because they improve the colour and make the icing still). It may be necessary to add a little warm water to make the icing the right consistency. It should be kneaded well and then rolled out. Before putting on the almond icing cover the cake with a paste made from well-sifted icing sugar and warm water, then cut the rolled almond icing into the shape for the top and put on cut strips for the sides and fit into place. To make the almond icing more economically use half ground almonds and half ground rice or an imitation icing can be made with only ground rice and almond essence.

For a Christmas pudding try this: 1 lb flour, Jib breadcrumbs. 71b suet, 1 lb currants, 4oz minced apple, Joz cinnamon, wineglass brandy, 1 lb sultanas, I lb raisins. Jib mixed peel. Jib brown sugar, 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg. 1 teaspoon spice. 5 eggs. Prepare the fruit. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Moisten with wellbeaten eggs and brandy and a little milk - . Put. into a well-greased basin or floured pudding cloth and boil for four hours. Reheat on Christmas Day by boiling for about 11 hours.

Royal Blue Bus Service. Telephones: MASTERTON, Office 2284 MASTERTON, Private 2282 j Proprietor: A. J. SNELGROVE. TIME-TABLE. Depart Masterton to Carterton: 7 a.m., 7.30, 8, 8.30, 9, 10, 11, 12, 12.30 p.m.. 1,2, 3, 3.30, 4,5, 5.30. Friday only, 9.15 p.m.; After Theatre Bus, 10.15 p.m. Saturday, 6.35 p.m.; AfterTheatre Bus, 10.15 p.m. Sunday Time-table: 9.30, 10 a.m.; 1, 4.30, I 7, 9.30 p.m. Depart Masterton to Greytown: 7. and 8.30 a.m., 12.30 p.m., 3.30 p.m., 5.30 p.m. Sunday Time-table: 9.30 a.m., 7 p.m. Depart Masterton to Featherston: 8.30 a.m., 3.30 p.m. Sunday Time-table: 9.30 a.m., 7 p.m. Depart Carterton to Greytown: 7.20 a.m., 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. Sunday Time-table: 10 a.m., 7.30 p.m. Depart Carterton 'to Featherston: 9 a.m., 4 p.m. Sunday Time-table: 10 a.m., 7.30 p.m. Depart Greytown to Featherston: 9.20 a.m.. 4.20 p.m. Sunday Time-table: 10.20 a.m., 7.50 p.m. Depart Featherston to Greytown, Carterton, Masterton: 9.55 a.m., 4.55 p.m. Sunday Time-table: 11 a.m., 8.15 p.m. Depart Greytown to Carterton: 7.40 a.m., 10.20 a.m., 1.20, 5.20, 6.20 p.m. Sunday Time-table: 11.30 a.m., 8.40 p.m. Depart Greytown to Masterton: 7.40 a.m., 10.20 a.m., 1.20 p.m., 5.20 p.m.. 6.20 p.m. Sunday Time-table: 11.30 a.m., 8.40 p.m. Depart Carterton to Masterton: 8 a.m., 9, 10, 10.35, 11, 1 p.m., 1.35, 2,3, 4,5, 5.35, 6.35. Friday only: 7 p.m., 9.45 p.m. Saturday only: 7 p.m. Sunday Time-table: 10.30, 11.45 a.m.. ’ 1.30, 5,9, 10.0 p.m.