The cake and biscuit book

*American Soft Gingerbread—I

12 ozs. flour
1 cup black treacle or West India molasses
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sour milk
¹⁄₂ cup melted butter
¹⁄₂ cup melted lard
2 eggs
1¹⁄₂ tea-spoons ground ginger
1¹⁄₂ tea-spoons ground cinnamon
¹⁄₂ tea-spoon ground cloves
1 good tea-spoon carbonate of soda
Salt-spoon salt

Beat the eggs well in a large basin. Add the sour milk, treacle and sugar. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the spices and soda, and beat well. Then add the melted butter and lard and last of all the flour. Beat quickly and bake at once in two small dripping pans about 8 inches by 10 inches, in a very moderate oven for forty minutes.

American Soft Gingerbread—II

1 cup butter
¹⁄₂ cup brown sugar
2 cups molasses
1 cup sour or sweet milk
1 table-spoon ginger
1 tea-spoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs
4 cups sifted flour
Tea-spoon soda
1 table-spoon hot water

Beat the butter to a cream. Add the sugar. Beat again. Add the molasses, milk and spices. Beat all very well together. Add the eggs, yolks and whites beaten separately. Add half of the flour. Beat. Add the soda, which must be thoroughly dissolved in the hot water. Add the rest of the flour. Beat till thoroughly mixed. Bake in two square tins lined with greased paper in a moderate oven for forty minutes to an hour.

Hard Gingerbread

Follow the above receipt, omitting the eggs. Roll out and cut into squares half an inch thick. While hot rub over the top with molasses.

*Gingerbread Loaf

1 cup butter and lard
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup treacle
1 cup milk
1 cup stoned and chopped raisins
2 eggs
10 ozs. flour
1 tea-spoon soda
2 tea-spoons ginger
2 tea-spoons cinnamon
1 ground clove

Melt the sugar and lard. Then mix all the ingredients well together, adding the flour last. The soda should be dissolved in the milk. The raisins may be omitted. Bake in tins lined with greased paper, in a slow oven for about forty minutes.

*Portuguese Gingerbread

2 lbs. flour
2 lbs. black treacle
1 lb. brown sugar
1 lb. butter
¹⁄₄ lb. citron
5 eggs
1 table-spoon ground cloves
1 table-spoon ground ginger
2 tea-spoons carbonate of soda
Rind of three lemons grated
Wine-glass of brandy

Beat the eggs with the sugar till light and creamy. Add the butter, which should be melted, the spices, lemon peel and finely sliced citron. Stir continually. Then add the brandy and treacle, mixing well. Mix the soda with the flour. Stir the flour into the mixture, and do not beat after it is well mixed. Paper and grease three or four dripping pans, or shallow square tins. Bake immediately in a very moderate oven, for an hour and a half. This cake burns easily.

*Scotch Gingerbread

2¹⁄₄ cups flour
³⁄₄ cup medium oatmeal
1 cup syrup
³⁄₄ cup lard, butter or dripping
3 tea-spoons ground ginger
3 tea-spoons ground cinnamon
1 tea-spoon carbonate of soda
1 or 2 eggs
1 cup sour milk

Mix as for American gingerbread, and bake in a greased flat tin in a moderate oven.

Yorkshire Parkins

¹⁄₂ lb. oatmeal
¹⁄₄ lb. flour
¹⁄₄ lb. butter
1 oz. mixed spice
6 oz. brown sugar
¹⁄₄ oz. carbonate of soda
¹⁄₄ lb. treacle

Mix the oatmeal and flour together. Rub in the butter. Add the spice, sugar and carbonate of soda. Warm the treacle and pour it on the rest of the ingredients, mixing well. If the mixture is too dry, add a little melted butter. It should be rather soft. Divide into small flat cakes, and bake on greased tins in a slow oven. Brush over with milk when baked.