Icing

“ If you have different sorts of jelly, put each separate, as you must adapt the flavor of your icing to the jelly. For red currant, ice with chocolate icing. Recipes for icing are so general that I refer you to your cookery book. Those with peach may have white icing, flavored with almond, or with rum, beating in a little more sugar if the flavoring dilutes your icing too much. Almond flavoring goes well with raspberry. Cakes with raspberry jelly or jam should be iced pink, coloring the icing with prepared cochineal or cranberry juice. ”

“ Put together with a boiled icing filling, alternating yellow and white layers. Use the same icing on top covering it with grated orange peel—when this icing is cold, form a daisy on it of white boiled icing using a pastry tube.—Mrs. ”

“ COOKED ICINGS.--A few cooked icings are made without egg whites, but for the most part icings of this kind consist of a sugar sirup beaten into egg whites that have been whipped until they are stiff. Success in making icing of this kind depends largely on boiling the sirup to just the right degree, for when this is done the icing will remain for a short time in a condition to be handled. If the sirup is not cooked long enough, the icing will not stiffen and it will have to be mixed with powdered sugar to make it dry. ”

“ An icing without eggs may be prepared by boiling a cup of granulated sugar in five tablespoonfuls of sweet milk for five minutes, then beating until cool enough to spread. One with egg may be easily made of six tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, the white of one egg, and one teaspoonful of boiling water mixed without beating. A colored icing may be made by using a teaspoonful of boiling cranberry juice or other red fruit juice instead of water. ”

“ Decorating icing. Whip the whites of two eggs to a very stiff froth, then add slowly powdered sugar until the mixture is so stiff that every point and thread left by the beater will hold its place. It requires beating a long time. It is the same as meringue mixture, except that it is made hard with sugar instead of by drying, and takes about a half cupful of sugar to each egg.
Note.—Sprinkle a cake that is going to be frosted with flour as soon as it is taken from the pan. Before icing, wipe off the flour. This prevents the icing from running so much, and makes it easier to spread. ”

“ A pan of icing, when well beat and finished, should contain as much again in bulk as it was at the commencement; use sufficient lemon-juice to give the icing a slight acid, or it will scale off the cake in large pieces when it is cut. Many prefer the pyroligneous acid to the lemon-juice, but the flavor is not so delicate, and it always retains a smell of the acid; neither did I ever find, as some assert, that it improves the quality and appearance of the icing; the only advantage derived from it is that of economy.
Italian Meringues.—One pound of sugar, the whites of six eggs. ”

“ Spread it evenly with a broad knife, over the top of each queen-cake, ornamenting them, (while the icing is quite wet) with red and green nonpareils, or fine sugar-sand, dropped on, carefully, with the thumb and finger.
When the cakes are iced, set them in a warm place to dry; but not too near the fire, as that will cause the icing to crack. ”

“ Do not wait till they are thoroughly iced to begin to work them, because they would become too hard, and it is not possible to dissolve what is congealed in lumps or pieces: when you see they are well congealed let them rest, taking care for this time there should be some which stick to the sides of the icing-pots: this will prevent them from melting, and make them keep longer in a right degree of icing. ”

“ If you have never made such an icing, you will be surprised to see how much sugar a little liquid will take. More icing is quickly made if you do not have enough.
When juices of different fruits are used in their season, the top of the cake may be decorated with the fruit whole, in halves or in slices. For instance, slices from the heart of strawberries, or, halves of red raspberries. The fruit may also be placed between the layers of the cake.
Cream Icing
Stir confectioner’s sugar into cream, plain or whipped, for both filling and icing. ”

“ The tops of cakes may be brushed after baking with equal parts of molasses and milk mixed.
Water Icing
The simplest of icings is granulated, powdered or xxxx confectioner’s sugar formed into a paste so that it will run just smooth, by the addition of hot or cold water. That made from granulated sugar must be made with hot water and be pretty stiff. It takes longer to dry and is more likely to run; that from powdered sugar is also quite likely to run. The icing made from confectioner’s sugar is the most satisfactory. ”

“ The green and the red, or carmine, are the colors generally used for icings, creams and jellies. The orange is used for orange-cake icing and candies. Very little should be used, as the colors should be delicate. To guard against using too much it is well to dilute it with a little water and add only a few drops at a time to the mixture. ”

“ Icing for Wedding or Twelfth Cakes, Etc.—Pound and sift some treble-refined sugar through a lawn sieve, and put it into an earthen pan, which must be quite free from grease; to each pound of sifted sugar add the whites of three eggs, or sufficient to make it into a paste of a moderate consistence, then with a wooden spoon or spatula beat it well, using a little lemon-juice occasionally, and more white of egg if you find that it will bear it without making it too thin, until you have a nice light icing, which will hang to the sides of the pan and spoon ”

“ Two tablespoonfuls milk or cream, enough confectioner's sugar to make a thick paste and half dozen drops of vanilla. In spreading, if the icing does not go on as smoothly as desired the silver knife used for spreading can occasionally be dipped in a glass of cold water. ”

“ If it be put on the cakes as soon as they are withdrawn from the oven, it will become firm and hard by the time the cakes are cold. On very rich cakes, such as wedding, christening cakes, &c., a layer of almond icing is usually spread over the top, and over that the white icing as described. ”

“ To decorate cakes with ornamental icing, requires practice, skill, and taste. A person that has a good knowledge of drawing can generally do it very handsomely.
To colour it of a beautiful pink, tie up a little alkanet in a thin muslin bag, and let it infuse in the icing after it is made, squeezing the bag occasionally. When sufficiently coloured, take out the bag, and give the icing a hard stirring or beating before you put it on. Cover the cake all over with the pink icing, and then have ready some white icing for the border and other ornaments,—to be put on with the syringe. ”

“ Stars, borders, flowers, and different devices are formed on cakes after they are iced, the execution of which depends on the ability and ingenuity of the artist. Baskets, Chinese and other temples, etc., are formed on molds by these means, first giving them a coating of white wax, which is brushed over them after it is melted, and when cold, the icing is formed on it like trellis-work; when finished, the mold is warmed, and the icing easily comes off. ”

“ Do not touch them till they are cold, as they may be brittle. Stir the white of an egg with a [279] tablespoonful of rose-water and confectioners’ sugar enough to make a smooth icing; squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, and when the little dishes are cold, ice the under side only just thick enough to mask the pastry; when they are dry and hard, turn them over and ice the inside ”

“ Icing is a great improvement to their appearance.
Bath Buns.—- Take 1 lb. of flour, put it in a dish, and make a hole in the middle, and pour in a dessert spoonful of good yeast; pour upon the yeast half a cupful of warm milk, mix in one-third of the flour, and let it rise an hour. When it has risen, put in 6 ozs. of cold butter, 4 eggs, and a few caraway seeds; mix all together with the rest of the flour. Put it in a warm place to rise. ”

“ To Ice Currants
ib. To make Orange and Lemon Ices
ib. The Method of Icing all sorts of liquid Compositions
72 ————— of moulding Ices in all Sorts of Fruits
73 To make Apricot Ices
74 ———— Peach Ices
ib. ———— Currant Ices
ib. ”

“ A white icing of any desirable kind is used to cover the cake.
LADY BALTIMORE CAKE
1/2 c. butter 4 tsp. baking powder 1 c. sugar 3 egg whites 3/4 c. milk 1 tsp. vanilla 2 c. flour
Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and continue creaming. Stir in the milk. Sift the flour and baking powder together and add them. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites and add the vanilla. Bake in square layer pans or in two thick layers in loaf-cake pans. When cold, fill with the following filling and ice with any desirable white icing.
FILLING FOR LADY BALTIMORE CAKE
2 c. ”

“ Ice, white ice, like a winding-sheet, sheathing each smoke-grimed wall;
Ice on the stove-pipe, ice on the bed, ice gleaming over all;
Sparkling ice on the dead man’s chest, glittering ice in his hair,
Ice on his fingers, ice in his heart, ice in his glassy stare;
Hard as a log and trussed like a frog, with his arms and legs outspread.
I gazed at the coffin I’d brought for him, and I gazed at the gruesome dead,
And at last I spoke: “Bill liked his joke; but still, goldarn his eyes,
A man had ought to consider his mates in the way he goes and dies.” ”

“ As a child she was very fond of ice-cream, and I used often to take her to a confectioner’s. Ice-cream was for her the type of everything delightful. If she wanted to praise me she would say: “You are as nice as cream, papa.” We used to call one of her little fingers “pistachio ice,” the next, “cream ice,” the third “raspberry,” and so on. Usually when she came in to say good-morning to me I used to sit her on my knee, kiss her little fingers, and say:
“Creamy ice... pistachio... lemon....”
And now, from old habit, I kiss Liza’s fingers and mutter: “Pistachio... cream... lemon...” ”

“ Ice-Cream without Cream.—A vanilla bean or a lemon rind is first boiled in a quart of milk. Take out the bean or peel, and add the yelks of four96 eggs, beaten well. Heat it scalding hot, but do not boil it, stirring in white sugar till very sweet. When cold, freeze it.
Fruit Ice-Cream.—Make rich boiled custard, and mash into it the soft ripe fruit, or the grated or cooked hard fruit, or grated pine-apples. Rub all through a sieve, sweeten it very sweet, and freeze it. Quince, apple, pear, peach, strawberry, and raspberry are all very good for this purpose. ”

“ Nothing marks the amateur more than salt in the ice-cream.
FRENCH ICE-CREAM
A delicious French ice-cream has for its foundation a custard made by beating up first the yolks of three eggs very light, adding a pinch of salt, one cupful sugar and two cupfuls of milk. Cook this in a double boiler until it coats the spoon, but do not allow to boil or it will curdle. Cool, flavor with a teaspoonful of rich vanilla, add one pint of cream and freeze. ”

“ A tumblerful iced is a pleasant and healthful beverage for a warm day.
Egg Lemonade.—White of an egg, juice of one lemon, one tablespoonful sugar, one tumbler of water. Beat well together. Serve cold.
Gum Arabic Water.—One teaspoonful gum arabic. One tumbler cold water. Allow it to stand long enough to dissolve. Flavor with jelly, lemon, or any fruit syrup.
Sago Milk.—Three tablespoonfuls sago, soaked in a cup of cold water one hour. Add three cups of boiling milk. Sweeten and flavor to suit taste. Simmer slowly half an hour. Eat warm. Tapioca milk is prepared in the same manner. ”

“ Ice-Creams and Ices.—There are so many ways of making ice-cream, that all one can do is to indicate the one or two best, and certainly the very best is the simplest, and there is no dessert so easy to prepare in hot weather as this, since there is no work over the fire. ”

“ A fresh wind makes the cold very unbearable. In walking to-day, my beard and mustache became one solid mass of ice. I inadvertently put out my tongue, and it instantly froze fast to my lip. This being nothing new, costing only a smart pull and a bleeding abrasion afterward, I put up my mittened hands to ‘blow hot’ and thaw the unruly member from its imprisonment. Instead of succeeding, my mitten was itself a mass of ice in a moment: it fastened on the upper side of my tongue, and flattened it out like a batter-cake between the two disks of a hot griddle. ”

“ Ices are composed, it is scarcely necessary to say, of congealed cream or water, combined sometimes with liqueurs or other flavouring ingredients, or more generally with the juices of fruits. At desserts, or at some evening parties, ices are scarcely to be dispensed with. The principal utensils required for making ice-creams are ice-tubs, freezing-pots, spaddles, and a cellaret. The tub must be large enough to contain about a bushel of ice, pounded small, when brought out of the ice-house, and mixed very carefully with either salt, nitre, or soda. The freezing-pot is best made of pewter. ”

“ The ice-creams are made by mashing the fruit with which they are to be flavoured, and adding to a pint of the juice, after it has been strained, a pint of thick cream, the juice of half a lemon, and sugar to the taste. ”

“ A water ice is a mixture of water, fruit and sugar, frozen without much stirring; in fact, a water ice can be made in an ordinary tin kettle packed in a bucket. If an ice cream freezer is used, the stirring should be done occasionally. Personally, I prefer to pack the can, put on the lid and fasten the hole with a cork rather than to use the dasher, stirring now and then with a paddle. ”