ICINGS
Break the whites of eggs on a platter or large shallow dish. Allow 1 small c or ⅓ lb of powdered sugar to the white of egg. Beat the whites thoroughly before adding, gradually, the sugar. The length of time required for beating depends on the coldness and freshness of the eggs. Some experienced cooks advise putting the sugar directly into the whites and beating all together. It is claimed icing so made does not crumble easily.
If a soft icing is desired add ¼ lb sugar, or 10 tsp sugar and 1 of corn starch to the white of each egg. Cake can be iced while warm; in the case of fruit cake, it is better to leave it until within a few hours before wanted, as icing will turn yellow by standing. Allow the whites of 2 eggs for a large cake. Remove the loose particles from the cake with a cloth and dust with flour. Flavor icing just before using; if lemon juice is preferred, extra sugar will be needed for the additional liquid. To color icing, use either cochineal, a red jelly or strawberry syrup for a pink, strong coffee for amber, and the strained juice of an orange, in which has been soaked the rind for a delicate yellow. There are fruit syrups and powders which give almost any color desired. Powdered or confectioner’s sugar should always be used except for boiled icing; for that the granulated is better. Remember to beat the eggs entirely in one direction, that is from left to right, or right to left; do not change the order while beating. It is as important here as in cake making.
Put the cake on a smooth, flat surface, where it can be undisturbed, with a layer of clean white paper under it. Drop a large spoon of icing on the center of the cake, and spread smoothly with a knife dipped in hot water to prevent sticking. Work as rapidly as possible to do it well. When finished set the cake in a cool place to harden. When the frosting is almost cold, take a knife and mark the cake in slices. Any ornaments, such as gum drops, candies, orange flowers or ribbons should be put on while the icing is moist. When dry, ornament with piping, which is a stiff icing squeezed through a paper funnel, and may be tinted with colored sugars.
BOILED ICING
4 eggs whites, 4 c sugar ½ pt boiling water, 1 tsp cream tartar, 1 tsp vanilla.
Boil the sugar and water till clear as syrup and pour over the whites beaten stiff; stir until it is a stiff cream; add cream tartar and vanilla. This is nice for filling.
EGGLESS ICING
½ c milk, 1 c sugar, 1 tsp butter, 1 tsp vanilla.
Boil all 10 minutes, or till a little thick and spread on cake.
ICING WITH RAISINS
1 c sugar, ⅔ c raisins, stoned and chopped fine, 4 tbp water, 1 egg white.
Boil the sugar and water till it will thread from the spoon; pour on to the beaten egg and work with an egg beater till thick enough to spread on the cake. Take out enough for the top layer, and with the rest mix the raisins; spread between the layers.
FIG FILLING
Cut with fc 1 lb figs; add 1 c water and 4 tsp sugar; cook until they become thick; add juice of 1 lemon; beat well and when cool, spread between layers of cake.
MARSHMALLOW FILLING
Put ¾ c sugar and ¼ c milk in a saucepan; boil 6 min without stirring; melt ¼ lb marshmallow in top part of a db; then add 2 tbp boiling water to them and cook until smooth; then add sugar and milk mixture, beat constantly; add 1 tsp vanilla and beat until cool enough to spread. Can be used for both filling and frost. Shredded cocoanut can be sprinkled over the top of frost if desired.
MOCHE FILLING
Cream 6 tbp butter and 1 c confectioner’s sugar thoroughly; add 4 tbp cocoa; beat thoroughly; add 2 tbp strong coffee and 1 more c sugar; then add vanilla. Can be used as filling and frosting.
CARAMEL FILLING
3½ c sugar, ¾ c cream, 1 tbp melted butter.
Boil all together in upper part db; stir only enough to prevent sticking to bottom of pan; let boil until a little of it dropped into a cup of cold water and rubbed between fingers is in a pasty condition; take from fire and stir to consistency of very thick molasses; then place between layers and over top of cake.
APPLE JELLY FILLING
1 large tart apple, 1 c sugar, 1 egg, 1 lemon, juice and rind.
Grate apple and rind of lemon; add other ingredients and boil jelly about 5 min.
CINNAMON JELLY FILLING
2 eggs yolks, 2 tbp sugar, 1 tbp cinnamon.
Follow directions for Apple Jelly Filling.
COFFEE FILLING
1 tbp cream, 2 heaping tbp corn starch, 2 eggs, ½ c sugar, 1 c strong black coffee.
Add cream and sugar to coffee and heat; when boiling hot add corn starch dissolved in a little cold coffee; let boil 3 min; pour slowly over well-beaten eggs and stir rapidly; if not thick enough, set over boiling water and stir till eggs set a little, but not long enough to curdle; spread between layers and ice with Coffee Icing.
CHOCOLATE CARAMEL FILLING
1 pt brown sugar, ½ c milk or water, ½ cake chocolate, butter size of egg.
Boil 20 min, or until thick enough; spread between cakes while warm.
PEACH FILLING
Cut peaches in thin slices; prepare cream by whipping, sweetening and adding flavor of vanilla if desired; put layers of peaches between sheets of cake; pour cream over each layer and over top; this may also be made with ripe strawberries.
WHIPPED CREAM FILLING
Use any recipe for nice layer cake and put parts together with whipped cream.
ORNAMENTAL FROSTING
1½ c granulated sugar, ½ c water, 2 egg whites, 1 tsp flavoring extract, 1 tsp bp.
Boil sugar and water without stirring until syrup spins a thread; add very slowly to beaten egg whites; add flavoring and baking powder and beat until smooth and stiff enough to spread; put over boiling water, stirring continually until icing grates slightly on bottom of bowl; spread on cake, saving a small portion of icing to ornament the edge of cake. This can be forced through a pastry tube or through a cornucopia made from ordinary white letter paper.
COLORED ICING
1½ c confectioner’s sugar, 2 tbp hot milk, ½ tsp butter, ½ tsp vanilla extract.
Add butter to hot milk; add sugar slowly to make right consistency to spread; add vanilla; spread on cake.
For pink icing add 1 tbp strawberry or other fruit juice. For yellow icing add 1 tsp egg yolk and flavor with orange rind and 1 tsp lemon juice.
BOILED ICING
1 c granulated sugar, ½ c water, white of 1 egg, ½ tsp flavoring extract, 1 tsp bp.
Boil sugar and water without stirring until syrup spins a thread; pour very slowly over stiffly beaten egg white and beat until smooth; add flavoring and baking powder; allow to stand few minutes before spreading.
UNCOOKED FROSTING
1 unbeaten egg white, 1½ c confectioner’s sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla extract.
Put egg white into shallow dish; add sugar gradually, beating with wire whip until of right consistency to spread; add vanilla and spread on cake.
CARAMEL FUDGE ICING
2½ c granulated sugar, ½ c hot water, ¼ tsp salt, ¾ c evaporated milk diluted with ½ c water, 1 tbp butter, ½ tsp vanilla.
Caramelize ½ of the sugar by sifting it slowly into a hot frying pan; shake pan constantly to prevent burning. The sugar should melt about as fast as it is put in. When it is melted and a light amber color, add the ½ c hot water and boil until caramel dissolves and a thin syrup is formed; add the syrup to the diluted milk with the rest of the sugar and the salt; boil to the soft ball stage or 11° C. (235° F.); cool until lukewarm; add vanilla and beat vigorously until creamy and stiff enough to spread.
MERINGUES
Whites 3 eggs, 1¼ c granulated sugar, 3 tsp bp, ¼ tsp vanilla extract.
Beat whites of eggs until stiff and dry; add gradually ⅔ c of sugar, and continue beating until mixture holds shape; fold in remaining sugar sifted with baking powder; add vanilla; drop by spoonfuls on unglazed paper and bake in moderate oven 30 min; increase heat and bake 30 min longer; remove any soft part from center of meringues and return to oven to dry out, after turning off heat; use 2 meringues for each serving and put together with ice cream or with sweetened whipped cream and crushed raspberries or strawberries.
JELLY MERINGUE
White 1 egg, ½ c currant or other jelly.
Put egg white and jelly together into bowl and beat with egg beater or wire whip until stiff; spread between layers or on top of cake.
MAPLE ICING
1 c maple syrup, whites 2 eggs.
Boil syrup without stirring until it spins a thread; add slowly to stiffly beaten egg whites; beat with wire whip, preferably on platter, until stiff enough to spread.
CHOCOLATE FILLING
Whites 2 eggs, 2 c confectioner’s sugar, 1½ tbp milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, 1 tsp butter.
Beat whites until stiff; add sugar slowly, beating well; add milk, vanilla and chocolate, which has been melted with butter; mix until smooth; spread on cake.
OLD-FASHION FILLING
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, 3 tbp cream, 1 egg, ¾ c powdered or confectioner’s sugar, 1 tbp corn starch, ⅛ salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Melt chocolate in top of db; add cream and egg; mix in sugar gradually; add corn starch which has been mixed with a little cold water and cook, stirring constantly until smooth and thick; add salt and vanilla; spread between layers of cake.
FRUIT FILLING
2 c granulated sugar, ⅔ c boiling water, whites 2 eggs, ¼ c chopped nuts, 1 c mixed figs, raisins, citron, cherries and pineapple, cut fine.
Boil sugar and water without stirring until syrup spins a thread; beat whites until dry; add syrup gradually, beating constantly; when cool add nuts and fruit; spread between layers of cake.
MARSHMALLOW FROSTING
Heat ¼ c milk and ¾ c sugar slowly to boiling point; boil 6 min; cut ¼ lb marshmallows in pieces; melt in db; add 2 tbp hot water and cook until smooth; add hot syrup gradually, stirring constantly; beat until cool enough to spread, then add ½ tsp vanilla. This may also be used as a filling for Layer Cake.
ORANGE FILLING
½ c sugar, 2 tbp flour, 1 egg, slightly beaten, grated rind ½ orange, ¼ c orange juice, 1 tsp lemon juice.
Mix sugar and flour; add other ingredients in order given; cook 10 min in db, stirring constantly until thickened; cool before spreading.
ORANGE FROSTING
1 tbp orange juice, 1 tsp lemon juice, yolk 1 egg, confectioner’s sugar, grated rind 1 orange.
Add rind to fruit juices; let stand 15 min and add gradually to yolk of egg slightly beaten; stir in sugar until of right consistency to spread.
BUTTER SCOTCH ICING
2 c light syrup, ½ c butter, ½ c milk.
Boil syrup, butter and milk together until it forms a soft ball when tested in cold water; cool slightly without stirring and pour while warm on cake.
Chopped nuts may be added while icing is still soft.
SEA FOAM ICING
1 c brown sugar, ⅓ c water, white 1 egg, 1 tsp bp.
Boil sugar and water without stirring until syrup spins a thread; add hot syrup slowly to beaten egg white, beating continually, preferably on platter, with wire whip; add baking powder; when icing foams, put between layers and on top of cake.
COCOA ICING
1 c confectioner’s sugar, 4 tbp cocoa, 1 egg white, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbp cream, 1 tsp melted butter.
Add sugar and cocoa slowly to beaten egg white; then add vanilla, melted butter and cream to make soft enough to spread on cake.