vide it into two portions; into one stir two
level tablespoons of powdered sugar and one-half of a grated cocoanut;
into the other stir the same amount of powdered sugar and one-half pound
of sweet almonds blanched and pounded. Spread the slices of cake with
these mixtures, half with the cocoanut and half with the almond, and
replace them in their original form. The top crust should be cut off
before slicing the cake as it is used for a lid. Hold the sliced cake
firmly together and with a sharp knife cut down deep enough to leave
only an inch at the bottom, and take out the center, leaving walls only
one inch thick. Soak the part removed in a bowl with one cupful of rich
custard flavored with lemon. Rub it to a smooth batter, then whip into
it one cupful of cream which has been whipped to a dry stiff froth. Fill
the cavity of the cake with alternate layers of this mixture and very
rich preserved strawberries. Then put on the lid and ice with a frosting
made with the whites of three eggs, one heaping cupful of powdered sugar
and the juice of one lemon. Spread it smoothly over the sides and top of
the cake, and keep in a very cold place until time to serve. Then place
it on a silver or crystal dish, and put alternate spoonfuls of the
whipped cream mixture and preserved strawberries around the base.

MERINGUES FILLED WITH PRESERVED WALNUTS.

Beat the whites of six eggs to a stiff firm snow, stir into it
three-fourths of a pound of powdered sugar, flavor with a little lemon
or rose water, and continue to beat until very light. Then drop them
from a spoon, a little more than an inch apart, on well buttered paper,
keeping them as nearly egg-shaped as possible. Place the paper on a
half-inch board and bake in a slow oven until well dried out. Remove
from the paper, scrape out the soft part from the underside, and before
serving fill with preserved walnuts and stick each two together. The
preserved walnuts are a very delicious sweet but one rarely met with.

CHAPTER III.

A CUBAN BREAKFAST.

The palm, of course, is the key note for decoration, as it is the
characteristic plant of the tropics. But in order to be true to the
scheme in mind, that is, to make your surroundings appear truly southern
and create a local atmosphere, a marked difference should be made
between the arrangement of our usual American interior and the room
which aims at the imitation of a Cuban home. Light and air are most
important, the facto