cover with a plain icing.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING.

The whites of four eggs, three cups of powdered sugar and nearly a cup
of grated chocolate. Beat the whites a very little, they must not
become white, stir in the chocolate, then put in the sugar gradually,
beating to mix it well.

PLAIN CHOCOLATE ICING.

Put into a shallow pan four tablespoonfuls of scraped chocolate, and
place it where it will melt gradually, but not scorch; when melted,
stir in three tablespoonfuls of milk or cream and one of water; mix
all well together, and add one scant teacupful of sugar; boil about
five minutes, and while hot, and when the cakes are nearly cold,
spread some evenly over the surface of one of the cakes; put a second
one on top, alternating the mixture and cakes; then cover top and
sides, and set in a warm oven to harden. All who have tried recipe
after recipe, vainly hoping to find one where the chocolate sticks to
the cake and not to the fingers, will appreciate the above. In making
those most palatable of cakes, "Chocolate Eclairs," the recipe just
given will be found very satisfactory.

TUTTI FRUTTI ICING.

Mix with boiled icing one ounce each of chopped citron, candied
cherries, seedless raisins, candied pineapple and blanched almonds.

SUGAR ICING.

To one pound of extra refined sugar add one ounce of fine white
starch; pound finely together and then sift them through gauze; then
beat the whites of three eggs to a froth. The secret of success is to
beat the eggs long enough, and always one way; add the powdered sugar
by degrees, or it will spoil the froth of the eggs. When all the sugar
is stirred in continue the whipping for half an hour longer, adding
more sugar if the ice is too thin. Take a little of the icing and lay
it aside for ornamenting afterward. When the cake comes out of the
oven, spread the sugar icing smoothly over it with a knife and dry it
at once in a cool oven. For ornamenting the cake the icing may be
tinged any color preferred. For pink, use a few drops of cochineal;
for yellow, a pinch of saffron dissolved; for green, the juice of some
chopped spinach. Whichever is chosen, let the coloring be first mixed
with a little colorless spirit and then stirred into the white icing
until the tint is deep enough. To ornament the cake with it, make a
cone of stiff writing paper and squeeze the colored icing through it,
so as to form leaves, beading or letters, as the case may be. It
requires nicety