small
dabs of butter on top of each cake. Put in oven and bake at once.
These are a very good substitute for "raised Dutch cakes," and are
much more quickly and easily-made and, as no eggs are used, are quite
cheap and very good.

A RELIABLE LAYER CAKE

1-1/4 cups granulated sugar.
3 eggs.
1/2 cup butter and lard mixed. (Use all butter if preferred.)
1/2 cup sweet milk.
2 cups flour sifted with 2 teaspoonfuls Royal baking powder.

Cream together sugar and shortening. Add yolks of eggs, beating well,
as each ingredient is added. Then add milk and flour alternately, and
lastly the stiffly beaten white of eggs. Stir all together. Bake in
two square layer pans, and put together with chocolate or white icing.
Or ice the cakes when cold and cut in squares.

BOILED ICING

Boil together 1 cup of granulated sugar and 5 tablespoonfuls boiling
water ten or twelve minutes, or until a small quantity dropped from
spoon spins a thread. Stir this into the stiffly-beaten white of one
egg until thick and creamy. Flavor with lemon, almond or vanilla
flavoring and spread on cake. Dip knife in hot water occasionally when
spreading icing on cake.

A delicious icing is composed of almonds blanched and pounded to a
paste. Add a few drops of essence of bitter almonds. Dust the top of
the cake lightly with flour, spread on the almond paste and when
nearly dry cover with ordinary icing. Dry almonds before pounding them
in mortar, and use a small quantity of rose water. A few drops only
should be used of essence of bitter almonds to flavor icing or cake. A
pinch of baking powder added to sugar when making boiled icing causes
the icing to become more creamy, or add a pinch of cream of tartar
when making boiled icing. Or, when a cake iced with "boiled icing" has
become cold, spread on top of icing unsweetened, melted chocolate.
This is a delicious "cream chocolate icing."

A DELICIOUS "SPICE LAYER CAKE"

2 cups light brown sugar.
1 cup chopped raisins.
2 eggs.
1 cup sour milk.
1/2 cup butter.
2 cups flour.
1 teaspoonful each of soda, cloves, cinnamon, allspice and
a little grated nutmeg.

Cream sugar and butter together, add yolks of eggs, then the sour
milk in which the soda has been dissolved, flour and spices, and
lastly stir in the stiffly beaten white of eggs. Bake in two-layer
pans.

ICING

Two cups sugar, 3/4 cup of milk or cream, 2 tablespoonfuls of butter.
Boil until it forms a soft ball when a small quantity