BUCKS COUNTY CINNAMON "KUCHEN"
Explicit directions for the making of these excellent raised cakes was given Mary by an old, experienced Pennsylvania German cook. They were prepared from the following recipe: Early in the morning 1 pint of milk was scalded. When lukewarm, add 3½ cups of flour and 1 cake of Fleischman's compressed yeast (which had been dissolved in 1 tablespoonful of lukewarm water). Beat the mixture well. Cover and stand in a warm place to rise. When well risen, which should be in about 2 hours, add the following mixture, composed of ¾ cup of sugar and ½ cup of butter, creamed together; ½ teaspoonful of salt; 1 egg was beaten into the mixture, and about 2 cups of flour were added, enough to make a dough as stiff as can be stirred with a spoon. Dough should not be as stiff as for bread. Let stand about 1 hour. When well risen and light, divide into four portions. Roll out each piece of dough to thickness of one inch. Place cakes in medium-sized pie tins and allow them to stand about one hour. When well risen, doubled in bulk, make half dozen deep impressions on top of each cake with the forefinger. Brush top of each cake with ½ tablespoonful of melted butter. Sprinkle over 2 tablespoonfuls of soft A sugar and sift over a littlepulverized cinnamon, if liked, just before placing cakes in oven. Bake cakes from 20 to 25 minutes in a moderately hot oven. From this dough may be made four cakes.
Excellent biscuits may also be made from this same dough, by simply moulding it into small biscuits and place in a pan some distance apart. Let rise and brush tops of biscuits with a mixture composed of a part of an egg yolk, a tablespoonful of milk and ½ teaspoonful sugar. This causes the biscuits to have a rich, brown color when baked.
The sponge from which these cakes or biscuits were made was mixed and set to rise at 6 o'clock in the morning, and the baking was finished at 11 o'clock. Sponge should be set to rise in a warm room. If these directions are carefully followed the housewife will invariably have good results. Always use hard Spring wheat for bread or biscuits, raised with yeast; and Winter wheat, which costs less, will answer for making cake and pastry. In cold weather always warm flour before baking, when yeast is used for baking raised cakes. Soft A sugar or a very light brown is to be preferred to granulated.
MORAVIAN SUGAR CAKES
At 5 o'clock P.M. set a sponge or batter, consisting of 1 cup of mashed potatoes, 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of sweet milk, scalded and cooled, ½ cake of yeast, dissolved in 1 cup of lukewarm water, 2 eggs ¾ cup of a mixture of lard and butter, add 3 cups of flour, beat well, stand in a warm place to raise; at 9 o'clock add about 6 cups of flour. Stand until morning in a warm place, near the range. The following morning turn out on a floured bake-board, roll out cakes one inch thick, place in pie tins, when ready for the oven; punch half a dozen small holes in the top of cakes, in which place small bits of butter. Sprinkle sugar over liberally and cinnamon if liked. Bake in a moderate oven.
MARY'S POTATO CAKES
At 7 o'clock in the morning Mary mixed a sponge consisting of a cup of mashed potatoes, 1 cup scalded milk, ½ cup sugar, 1½ cups of flour and the cake of Fleischman's yeast, dissolved in half a cup of lukewarm potato water. This was set to rise in a warm place near the range for several hours until light. Then she creamed together ½ cup of sugar, 2 eggs and ½ cup of butter and lard, or use instead the "Substitute for Butter." Added the creamed sugar, butter and eggs to the well-risen sponge and about 4½ cups of flour. Sift a couple of tablespoons of flour over top of sponge, and set to rise again about 1½ hours. When light, take cut pieces of the sponge on a well-floured bread-board, knead for a minute or two, then roll out with a rolling-pin inlo pieces about one inch thick, place in well-greased small pie tins, over which a dust of flour has been sifted, set to rise about 1½ hours. When light and ready for oven brush top with milk, strew crumbs over or brush with melted butter and strew sugar over top; after punching half dozen holes in top of each cake, bake in a moderately hot oven from 20 to 25 minutes until a rich brown, when cakes should be baked. Five potato cakes may be made from this sponge, or four cakes and one pan of biscuits if preferred. Use soft "A" sugar rather than granulated for these cakes, and old potatoes are superior to new. Or when these same cakes were raised, ready to be placed in the oven, Mary frequently brushed the tops of cakes with melted butter, strewing over the following: 1 cup of flour mixed with ½ cup of sugar and yolk of 1 egg, and a few drops of vanilla. This mixture rubbed through a coarse sieve and scattered over cakes Mary called "Streusel Kuchen."
GERMAN RAISIN CAKE (RAISED WITH YEAST)
Place in a bowl 1 cup of milk, scalded and cooled until lukewarm; add 1 tablespoonful of sugar and dissolve one cake of yeastin the milk. Mix in 1 cup of flour and stand in a warm place to raise ¾ of an hour. Then cream together in a separate bowl ½ cup soft "A" sugar, ½ cup of butter or "butter substitute," add 1 egg and a pinch of salt; stir in 1¼ cups of flour, ½ cup of well-floured raisins, and ½ teaspoonful of vanilla flavoring. Add the yeast mixture and allow it to raise about 2 hours longer. At the expiration of that time turn the well-risen sponge out on a floured bake-board. After giving the dough several deft turns on the board with the hand, place in a well-greased fruit cake pan, which has been dusted with flour. Stand pan containing cake in a warm place, let rise until very light, probably 1¼ hours, when brush the top of cake with a small quantity of a mixture of milk and sugar. Sift pulverized sugar thickly over top. Place the cake in a moderately hot oven, so the cake may finish rising before commencing to brown on the top. Bake about 35 minutes.
"KAFFEE KRANTZ" (COFFEE WREATH)
Cream together the sugar, butter, lard and eggs, add the milk, which has been scalded and allowed to cool; flour, and yeast cake, dissolved in a half cup of lukewarm water; beat well. Set this sponge to rise in a warm place, near the range, as early as possible in the morning. This will take about 1½ hours to rise. When the sponge is light add about 3 cups more of flour. The dough, when stiff as can be stirred with a spoon, will be right. Take about 2 cups of this sponge out on a well-floured bake-board, divide in three pieces, and braid and form into a wreath or "Krantz," or they may be made out into flat cakes and baked in pie tins after they have been raised and are light. Sprinkle sugar thickly over top after brushing with milk containing a little sugar, before placing in oven. These should rise in about 1½ hours. Place in a moderately hot oven and bake from 20 to 25 minutes. This recipe Frau Schmidt translated from the German language for Mary's especial benefit.
This coffee wreath is particularly fine if small pieces of crushed rock candy be sprinkled liberally over the top and blanched almonds stuck a couple of inches apart over the top just before placing the cake in the oven, after the cakes had been brushed with a mixture of milk and sugar.
"MONDEL KRANTZ" OR ALMOND CAKE (AS MADE BY FRAU SCHMIDT)
Set to rise early in the morning. To the scalded milk, when lukewarm, add the yeast and flour enough to make a batter, cover, set to rise until light, near the range, which will take several hours. Then add the sugar, butter and eggs beaten to a cream, grated rind and juice of orange, a couple tablespoons finely-chopped almonds, and add enough flour to make a soft dough, as stiff as can be stirred with a spoon; set to rise again, and when light, divide the dough in two portions, from which you form two wreaths. Roll half the dough in three long strips on the floured bake-board with the hands, then braid them together. Place a large coffee cup or bowl inverted on the centre of a large, round or oval, well-greased pan, lay the wreath around the bowl. The bowl in the centre of the pan prevents the dough from running together and forming a cake. Brush the top of the wreath with a little milk, containing teaspoon of sugar, over the top of the wreath, stick blanched, well-dried almonds, and strew thickly with crushed rock candy or very coarse sugar.
Let rise until light, then bake. This makes two quite large wreaths.
The Professor's wife told Mary when she gave her this recipe, this almond wreath was always served at the breakfasttable 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"
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 ¾ cup of a mixture of lard and butter, add 2 eggs, first yolks then stiffly beaten whites, also add 1½ cups soft A sugar. Add to the 2 cups of bread sponge in bowl and beat well untilfully incorporated with the dough, then add ½ cup of lukewarm milk, in which had been dissolved ½ teaspoonful of salaratus.
Beat all together until mixture is smooth and creamy, then add 2 cups of bread flour and ½ teaspoon of lemon flavoring. Beat well and add 1½ cups of either currants or raisins, dusted with flour. Pour mixture into an agate pudding dish (one holding 3 quarts, about 2½ 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"
As Aunt Sarah taught Mary to bake this, it was fine. She creamed together in a bowl the sugar and butter, poured the hot milk over this, and when lukewarm, added the compressed yeast cake, dissolved in ¼ cup of lukewarm water. She then added two small, well-beaten eggs, about 2½ cups flour, or enough to make a stiffbatter, and ½ teaspoonful salt. Beat thoroughly, cover and set to rise in a warm place about 1½ hours or until doubled in bulk. This was set to rise quite early in the morning. When light, beat thoroughly and with a spoon spread evenly on top of well-greased, deep pie tins, which have been sprinkled with a little flour.
Spread the crumbs given below over the top of cakes, cover and let rise 15 minutes and bake a rich brown in moderate oven.
For the crumbs, mix together in a bowl 1 heaped cup of fine, soft, stale bread crumbs, 2½ tablespoonfuls light brown sugar, ¾of a teaspoonful cinnamon, pinch of salt, ¼ cup of blanched and chopped almonds, and 2 tablespoonfuls of soft butter. This sponge or dough should be unusually soft when mixed, as the crumbs sink into the dough and thicken it. Add only the quantity of flour called for in recipe.
"FAST NACHT KUCHEN" (DOUGHNUTS)
Without fail, every year on Shrove Tuesday, or "Fast Nacht," the day before the beginning of Lent, these cakes were made. Quite early in the morning, or the night before, the following sponge was set to rise: The lukewarm, scalded milk, mixed into a smooth batter with 1 quart of flour; add 1 Fleischman's yeast cake, dissolved in a very little water. Beat well together, set in a warm place to rise over night, or several hours, and when light, add the following, which has been creamed together: eggs, butter and lard, a little flour and the honey. Beat well, and then add the balance of the flour, reserving a small quantity to flour the board later. Set to rise again, and when quite light roll out on a well-floured board, cut into circles with a doughnut cutter, cut holes in the centre of cakes, let rise, and then fry in deep fat; dust with pulverised sugar and cinnamon, if liked. These are regular German doughnuts, and are never very sweet. If liked sweeter, a little sugar may be added. From this batter Mary made 18 "fried cakes," or "Fast Nacht Kuchen," as the Germans call them. She also made from the same dough one dozen cinnamon buns and two Dutch cakes. The dough not being very sweet, she sprinkled rivels composed of sugar, flour and butter, generously over the top of the "Dutch cakes." The dough for doughnuts, or fried cakes, should always have a little more flour added than dough for "Dutch cakes" or buns; baked in the oven. Iftoo soft, they will absorb fat while frying.
""KAFFEE KUCHEN" (COFFEE CAKE)
These German Coffee Cakes should be set to rise either early in the morning or the night before being baked. Scald 2 cups sweet milk and set aside to cool. Cream together in a bowl 1 heaped cup of A sugar, ½ cup butter and lard and the yolk of egg. Add this to the lukewarm milk alternately with 6½ cups flour and the yeast cake dissolved in ⅓ cup lukewarm water. Beat all together, and, lastly, add the stiffly-beaten white of egg. Cover and set in a warm place to rise over night, or, if set to rise in the morning, stand about 2½ hours until light. Put an extra cup of flour on the bake-board, take out large spoonfuls of the dough, mix in just enough flour to roll out into flat cakes, spread on well-greased pie tins, stand in a warm place until light, about 1¼ hours. When the cakes are ready for the oven, brush melted butter over the top, strew thickly with brown sugar, or spread rivels over top, composed of ½ cup sugar, ½ cup flour and 2 tablespoonfuls of butter, crumbled together. Strew these over the cakes just before placing them in the oven of range.
"STREUSEL KUCHEN"
For these German-raised cakes, take ½ cup mashed potatoes and ½ cup of potato water, ½ cup lard and butter mixed, creamed with ½ cup sugar. Mix with these ingredients about 3½ cups of flour and 1 cup of yeast. Set this sponge to rise at night in a warm place, well covered. The next morning add to the light, well-risen sponge, 2 eggs, ½ cup sugar and about 1½ cups flour. Let stand in a warm place until light. Then roll out pieces size of a plate, one inch thick; place on well-greased pie tins, let rise, and when light and ready for the oven brush over tops with melted butter and strew over the tops of cakes the following: Mix1 cup of flour, ½ cup of sugar and yolk of 1 egg. Flavor with a few drops of vanilla (or use vanilla sugar, which is made by placing several vanilla beans in a jar of sugar a short time, which flavors sugar). Rub this mixture of flour, sugar and yolk of egg through a coarse sieve and strew over tops of cakes.
Or, this same recipe may be used by taking, instead of 1 cup of yeast, one Fleischman yeast cake, dissolved in 1 cup of lukewarm water. Instead of sponge being set to rise the night before the day on which the cakes are to be baked, the sponge might be set early in the morning of the same day on which they are to be baked—exactly in the same manner as if sponge was set the night before; when light, add eggs, sugar and balance of flour to sponge, and proceed as before.
MUFFINS, BISCUITS, GRIDDLE CAKES AND WAFFLES
Use 1 scant cup of liquid to 1 good cup of flour, usually, for "Griddle Cake" batter. Use baking powder with sweet milk, 1 heaping teaspoonful of Royal baking powder is equivalent to 1 teaspoonful of cream of tartar and ½ teaspoonful of salaratus (baking soda) combined. Use either baking powder or salaratus and cream of tartar combined, when using sweet milk. Use 1 teaspoonful of baking soda to 1 pint of sour milk. Allow a larger quantity of baking powder when no eggs are used. Have all materials cold when using baking powder. When milk is only slightly sour, use a lesser quantity of soda and a small quantity of baking powder.
SALLY LUNN (AS AUNT SARAH MADE IT)
As "Aunt Sarah" made this, it required 1 cup of sweet milk, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of butter, 3 tablespoonfuls of sugar, flour to make a stiff batter, about 2¾ cups (almost three cups) of flour sifted with 3 scant teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Served immediately when taken from the oven, this is an excellent substitute for bread for lunch.
AUNT SARAH'S RECIPE FOR "JOHNNY CAKE"
One and one half cups of sour milk, ⅓ cup of shortening, a mixture of lard and butter, 1½ tablespoonfuls of sugar, 2 cups of yellow cornmeal, 1 cup of white bread flour, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of soda, dissolved in a little hot water, a little salt. Mix all together, add the stiffly-beaten white of egg last. Pour batter in an oblong bread tin, bake about 45 minutes in a quick oven. Granulated corn meal was used for this cake.
MARY'S BREAKFAST MUFFINS
Place the flour, salt, sugar, butter, lard and yeast cake, dissolved in water, in a bowl and mix well; then add the eggs and milk, which should be lukewarm. Set to rise in a warm place over night. In the morning do not stir at all, but carefully place tablespoonfuls of the light dough into warm, well-greased Gem pans, let stand a short time, until quite light, then bake in a hot oven 15 to 20 minutes and serve hot for breakfast. These should be light and flakey if made according to directions.
RICE MUFFINS
Put the rice, yolk of egg, sugar and salt in a bowl and beat together; then add 1 teacup sweet milk alternately with theflour, in which has been sifted the baking powder. Add the stiffly-beaten white of egg; bake in muffin pans in hot oven. This makes about fifteen muffins.
INDIAN PONE
Beat together, in the following order, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of white sugar, 1½ cups of sweet milk, 1 teaspoonful of salt; to which add 1 cup of granulated yellow corn meal and 2 cups of white flour, sifted, with 3 scant teaspoonfuls of Royal baking powder. Lastly, add 1 tablespoonful of melted (not hot) butter. Pour batter in bread pan and bake in a hot oven 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot. Do not cut with a knife when serving, but break in pieces. When the stock of bread is low this quickly-prepared corn bread or "pone" is a very good substitute for bread, and was frequently baked by Mary at the farm. Mary's Aunt taught her to make a very appetizing pudding from the left-over pieces of corn bread, which, when crumbled, filled 1 cup heaping full; over this was poured 2 cups of sweet milk; this was allowed to stand until soft; when add 1 large egg (beaten separately), a generous tablespoonful of sugar, a couple of tablespoonfuls of raisins, a pinch of salt; mix well, pour into a small agate pudding pan, grate nutmeg over the top, and bake in a moderate oven 1 hour or a less time. Serve with sugar and cream.
"PFANNKUCHEN" (PANCAKES)
Four eggs, whites and yolks were beaten separately, 2 tablespoonfuls of milk, were added; 1 teaspoonful of chopped parsley; mix lightly together, add salt to season. Place 2 tablespoonfuls of butter in a fry pan. When butter has melted, pour mixture carefully into pan. When cooked, sprinkle over a small quantity of finely minced parsley. Roll like a "jelly roll." Place on a hot platter and serve at once, cut in slices.
"EXTRA FINE" BAKING POWDER BISCUITS
One quart of flour was measured; after being sifted, wasplaced in a flour sifter, with 4 heaping teaspoonfuls of Royal baking powder and 1 teaspoonful of salt. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl, cut through this mixture 1 tablespoonful of butter and lard each, and mix into a soft dough, with about 1 cup of sweet milk. 1 egg should have been added to the milk before mixing it with the flour. Reserve a small quantity of the yolk of egg, and thin with a little milk. Brush this over the top of biscuits before baking.
Turn the biscuit dough onto a floured bake-board. Pat out about one inch thick. Cut into rounds with small tin cake cutter. Place a small bit of butter on each biscuit and fold together. Place a short distance apart on baking tins and bake in a quick oven.
"FLANNEL" CAKES, MADE FROM SOUR MILK
One pint of sour milk, 2 eggs (beaten separately), a little salt, 1 large teaspoon of melted butter, 1 teaspoonful of molasses, 1 good teaspoon of soda, sifted with enough flour to make a smooth batter. Beat hard and then add the 2 yolks and the stiffly-beaten whites of eggs. Bake small cakes on a hot, well-greased griddle. Serve with honey or maple syrup.
"FLANNEL" CAKES WITH BAKING POWDER
Sift together in a bowl 1 pint of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of Royal baking powder, mixed to a smooth batter, with about 1 pint of sweet milk. Add two yolks of eggs, 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Lastly, add the 2 stiffly-beaten whites of eggs. 1 teaspoon of baking molasses added makes them brown quickly. Bake on a hot griddle, well greased.
FRAU SCHMIDT'S RECIPE FOR WAFFLES
One pint of sour milk, 1 quart of sweet milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon butter, whites of three eggs and yolks of two and 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and flour to make a rather thin batter. Beat the two yolks of the eggs until light and creamy, then add ½teaspoon of baking powder, little flour, then the sour milk with soda dissolved in it, stirring all the time. Then add 1 tablespoon of melted or softened butter, then the sweet milk; beat well; and lastly, add the stiffly-beaten whites of the three eggs. Bake in hot waffle iron.
"CRUMB" CORN CAKES
One pint of stale bread crumbs (not fine, dried crumbs), covered with 1 pint of sour milk. Let stand over night. In the morning add 1 tablespoon of butter, yolks of 2 eggs and a little salt, ½ teaspoon of salaratus (good measure), ¾ cup of granulated corn meal, to which add a couple of tablespoons of bread flour, enough to fill up the cup. Stir all well together, add the 2 stiffly-beaten whites of eggs and drop with a tablespoon on a hot, greased griddle. Make the cakes small, as they do not turn quite as easily as do buckwheat cakes. This makes about two dozen cakes. These are good.
"GRANDMOTHER'S" RECIPE FOR BUTTERMILK WAFFLES
Mix to a smooth batter, 4 cups of sour buttermilk, 5 cups of flour, and add 1 tablespoon of melted butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon of molasses. Add the well-beaten yolks of 3 eggs, 1½ teaspoonfuls of baking soda, dissolved in a little hot water. Lastly, add the stiffly-beaten whites of 3 eggs. Place about 3 tablespoonfuls of the batter on hot, well-greased waffle irons. If buttermilk cannot be procured, sour milk may be used with good results, providing the milk is quite sour. From this quantity of batter may be made twelve waffles. Serve with maple syrup or honey.
BREAD GRIDDLE CAKES
To 1 pint of sour milk add about 3 slices of stale bread and allow the bread to soak in this mixture over night. In the morning beat up smoothly with 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoonful of soda, a pinch of salt and enough cornmeal and white flour, in equal quantities, to make a moderately thin batter. Lastly, add the stiffly-beaten white of egg, bake on a hot griddle. Cakes should be small in size, as when baked cakes are less readily turned than other batter cakes. These cakes are economical and good.
NEVER FAIL "FLANNEL" CAKES
Pour the milk in a bowl, add yolk of egg. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt, four times. Beat all well together. Then add the stiffly-beaten white of egg, and bake at once on a hot griddle, using about two tablespoonfuls of the batter for a cake. Serve with butter and maple syrup or a substitute.
This recipe, given Mary by an old, reliable cook, was unfailing as to results, if recipe be closely followed. The cakes should be three-fourths of an inch thick, light as a feather, and inside, fine, like bread, not "doughy," as cakes baked from richer batters frequently are.
From this recipe was made eighteen cakes.
WAFFLES MADE FROM SWEET MILK AND BAKING POWDER
Sift together 1 quart of flour, 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder and ½ teaspoonful of salt. Mix into a batter, a little thicker than for griddle cakes, with sweet milk; add yolks of 3 eggs, 3 tablespoonfuls of melted butter; lastly, stir in lightly the 3 stiffly-beaten whites of eggs. Bake on a hot, well-greased waffle iron and serve with maple syrup.
"BUCKS COUNTY" BUCKWHEAT CAKES
About 12 o'clock noon dissolve 1 cake of yeast (the small, round or square cornmeal cakes) in 1 pint of lukewarm water.Add to this 1 tablespoonful wheat flour, 1 tablespoonful yellow cornmeal, and enough good buckwheat flour to make a thin batter. Set in a warm place near the range to rise. About 6 or 7 o'clock in the evening add this sponge to 1 quart and 1 pint of lukewarm potato water (water drained from boiled potatoes), 1 tablespoonful of mashed potatoes added improves the cakes; add salt. They need considerable. Stir in enough buckwheat flour to make quite a stiff batter, beat hard and set to rise, covered, in a warm place over night. The next morning add 1 teaspoonful salaratus, dissolved in a little hot water; 1 tablespoonful of baking molasses and a little warm milk, to thin the batter; or water will answer. The batter should be thin enough to pour. Let stand a short time, then bake on a hot griddle. Half this quantity will be enough for a small family. Then use only ½ teaspoonful salaratus. Bake golden brown on hot griddle. Serve with honey or maple syrup. If this recipe for buckwheat cakes is followed, you should have good cakes, but much of their excellence depends on the flour. Buy a small quantity of flour and try it before investing in a large quantity, as you cannot make good cakes from a poor brand of flour.
DELICIOUS CORN CAKES
One cup of sweet milk heated to boiling point; stir in 2 heaping tablespoonfuls yellow, granulated cornmeal; add a tablespoonful of butter or lard and salt to taste. As soon as the mixture has cooled, stir in 1 tablespoonful of wheat flour. If the batter should be too thick, stir in enough cold, sweet milk to make it run easily from the spoon. Add 1 heaping teaspoonful of Royal baking powder. Drop spoonfuls on hot, greased griddle, and bake. This quantity makes cakes enough to serve three people, about sixteen small cakes. This is an economical recipe, as no eggs are used.
RICE WAFFLES (AS AUNT SARAH MADE THEM.)
Add 1 tablespoonful of butter and 1 tablespoonful lard to 1 cup of cold, boiled rice; 2 yolks of eggs, the whites beaten separately and added last; 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoonful salt and 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder, sifted together; 1 teaspoonful of sugar and 1 teaspoonful of molasses, and enough sweet milk to make a thin batter. Bake in hot waffle irons. With these serve either maple syrup or a mixture of sugar and cinnamon.
"GERMAN" EGG-PANCAKES (NOT CHEAP)
These truly delicious pancakes were always baked by "Aunt Sarah" when eggs were most plentiful. For them she used, 1 cup flour, 5 fresh eggs, ½ cup milk.
The yolks of 5 eggs were broken into a bowl and lightly beaten. Then milk and flour were added gradually to form a smooth batter. Lastly, the stiffly-beaten whites of eggs were added. Large spoonfuls were dropped on a hot, well-greased griddle, forming small cakes, which were served as soon as baked. These cakes require no baking powder. Their lightness depends entirely on the stiffly-beaten whites of eggs.
"FRAU SCHMIDT'S" GRIDDLE CAKE RECIPE
The Professor's wife gave Mary this cheap and good recipe for griddle cakes: 1 pint of quite sour, thick milk; beat into this thoroughly 1 even teaspoon of baking soda, ½ teaspoon each of salt and sugar and 2 cups of flour, to which had been added 1 tablespoon of granulated cornmeal and 1 rounded teaspoon of baking powder before sifting. No eggs were used by the Professor's wife in these cakes, but Mary always added yolk of 1 egg to the cakes when she baked them.
MARY'S RECIPE FOR "CORN CAKE"
Sift together flour, salt and baking powder, sugar, and add ½ cup of granulated, yellow cornmeal. Mix with 1 cup milk, 1 beaten egg, and the 2 tablespoonfuls of butter and lard. Beat thoroughly. Add a tablespoonful more of flour if not as stiff as ordinary cake batter. Pour in well-greased bread tin and bake about 40 minutes in a hot oven.
AUNT SARAH'S DELICIOUS CREAM BISCUITS
Place in a flour sifter 2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder, ½ teaspoonful of salt and ½ teaspoonful of sugar. Sift twice; stir together ½ cup of sweet milk and ½ cup of thick, sweet cream. Quickly mix all together, cutting through flour with a knife, until a soft dough is formed, mixing and handling as little as possible. Drop spoonfuls into warmed muffin tins and bake at once in a hot oven. Serve hot.
These are easily and quickly made, no shortening other than cream being used, and if directions are closely followed will be flakey biscuits when baked.
Aunt Sarah was always particular to use pastry flour when using baking powder, in preference to higher-priced "Hard Spring Wheat," which she used only for the making of bread or raised cakes, in which yeast was used.
MARY'S MUFFINS
Sift flour and baking powder in a bowl; add 1 tablespoonful of sugar and a pinch of salt; add the 2 yolks of eggs to the 1 cup of milk, and mix with the flour and baking powder; lastly, add the stiffly-beaten whites of eggs. Place large spoonfuls of the batterin small Gem pans. Bake in a hot oven 20 minutes. These muffins are fine.
CORN MUFFINS (AS MADE BY "FRAU SCHMIDT")
Beat together eggs and sugar, add milk and cornmeal and the white flour, sifted, with baking powder and salt; add the 1 tablespoonful of melted butter. Bake 20 minutes in warmed Gem pans, in a hot oven. Mary's Aunt taught her to utilize any left-over muffins by making a very appetizing pudding from them called "Indian Sponge" Pudding, the recipe for which may be found among pudding recipes.