190S. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
773 
A Rag-Time Cake. 
“Give you the recipe?—why, of 
course,” smiled our hostess, in answer 
to the chorus of compliments on the 
daintiness of the cake served, at a thim¬ 
ble party. “But that is only my ‘rag¬ 
time cake,’ you know.” 
“Then it is really something new?” 
we asked, all interest and attention. 
“New only in name,” she demurred. 
“I call it my ‘rag time cake,’ because I 
can make it in the fraction of time 
when I have to step to that measure. 
It is a simple rule, and always depend¬ 
able. In fact, I have taken all sorts of 
liberties with that cake formula. I re¬ 
member one time when I was particu¬ 
larly hurried I popped my cake in the 
over: and began clearing away, when on 
seeing the baking powder can in its 
accustomed place I was reminded that 
I hrd omitted that most important in¬ 
gredient of a properly brougnt-up cake. 
Desperately I whisked that pan out of 
the oven and beat into that surprised 
cake batter the required amount of bak¬ 
ing powder, with two teaspoonfuls of 
flour. The batter was warm enough to 
steam when the cold Hour was put into 
it, 1 ut I poured it into a freshly but¬ 
tered and warmed pan, and hurried it 
into the oven again, though I must con¬ 
fess T was rather doubtful of results. 
Would you believe it ?—that cake was one 
of the lightest and fullest I ever made, 
under the most favorable circumstances.” 
“I don’t know how you dare risk 
things so,” sighed the little bride wist¬ 
fully. “I just coddle my cakes, and then 
they're not anything they should be.” 
We all laughed, sympathetically. 
“You say you always use the same 
recipe?” put in the old housekeeper, 
“and yet you always have a variety in 
cakes.” 
“Yes, but the foundation and propor¬ 
tions are the same, even though the 
trimmings may be varied,” explained the 
hostess. “For instance, the proportions 
are one cup of sugar and one-quarter 
cup butter, creamed, with two eggs. 
That is, two when not too dear; when 
they are I omit one and use a fraction 
more flour. Then a cupful of cold 
water-” 
“You mean milk, of course 1” cor¬ 
rected the chorus. 
“No, milk is not essential in cake mak¬ 
ing, precedent to the contrary; experi¬ 
ence has proven that water will do ex¬ 
actly as well. Why, the very cake you 
are praising has jiot a drop of milk in 
its make-up,” and the little woman 
smiled at our dismayed faces. 
“One cupful of water, then, beaten in 
alternately with one cupful of flour. I 
say beaten, because beating is really es¬ 
sential in cake making. Simple stirring 
will not do; it must be beaten briskly 
to get the air into it, as this gives the 
desired fluffiness to cake batter. Now 
comes the flavoring, which may be any¬ 
thing desired, then another three-quar¬ 
ters cup of flour, into which is sifted 
two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Of 
course, if one egg has been omitted the 
extra quarter cupful of flour should be 
substituted. This is the original for¬ 
mula, very nice for layer cakes, which 
may have any number of different fill¬ 
ings ; but I also use the same recipe for 
loaf cakes, with almost endless varia¬ 
tions.” 
“J)o tell us about them,” begged the 
bride eagerly. “This is just what I 
wanted to understand.” 
“Well, then, suppose you used four 
egg whites instead of two whole eggs, 
and flavored the cake batter with al¬ 
mond extract, you would have a delici¬ 
ous almond loaf. The four yolks, with 
a flavoring of orange extract in the 
same kind of batter, would give you an 
orange or a gold cake. When I have 
sour cream on hand I use that, with 
half the quantity of butter, or less, ac¬ 
cording to the richness of the cream. 
With the half teaspoon ful of soda, 
which should not be stirred into the 
sour cream—again precedent to the con¬ 
trary, notwithstanding—but mixed dry 
with the flour, use also one teaspoon ful 
of good baking powder. I consider that 
the cutting qualities of the cake are 
improved by the combination of baking 
powder and soda with sour cream, 
rather than all soda. With this sort of 
batter I like to use either chopped nut 
meats, dates, chopped and floured, or 
both together, which makes a delicious 
loaf cake. 
“With either the cream or water bat¬ 
ter I sometimes use a half cup of cook¬ 
ing molasses, in place of half the quan¬ 
tity of sugar, with spices to taste, and 
with or without raisins. Either batter 
may be baked in patty pans if desired, 
which makes a particularly nice tea 
cake, to be eaten warm. Sometimes I 
color the batter with one of the fruit 
colorings, and add an appropriate fla¬ 
voring; for instance, a pink batter fla¬ 
vored with rose or strawoerry, makes a 
dainty cake with a white icing. Or 
^ U « i« « . . i • - 
sometimes the cake batter is pure white, 
with a green icing, flavored with pis¬ 
tachio. Again, I add chocolate, which 
gives me a chocolate loaf. Or I make 
a ribbon cake, dividing the batter into 
two, sometimes three parts, and coloring 
one pink, one chocolate, and leaving one 
plain. This may be baked in three 
sheets, put together with white icing, or 
it may be dropped by alternate spoon¬ 
fuls into a loaf cake pan, and called a 
marble cake. Then you have a pretty 
cake by adding molasses to one-third of 
the batter, with fruit and spices, which 
is baked in a layer and put between two 
layers of the plain cake, with icing. So 
6103 Surplice Over Waist, 
Small 32 or 34, Medium 36 or 38, 
Large 40 or 42 bust. 
you see how simple it is. There is no 
hunting and reading recipes when time 
is short; just a comfortable following 
of familiar proportion, while you decide 
what form and complexion your cake 
shall wear this particular time, and Io! 
a ‘rag time’ cake.” 
MAUDE E. SMITH HYMERS. 
The Rural Patterns. 
The surplice overwaist is a very pretty 
model, and is very suitable for combin¬ 
ing with a skirt opening at the side. 
The sleeves and body portion of the 
overblouse are cut in one and are joined 
to a foundation girdle over which the 
full one is arranged. The right front 
is lapped over the left and the closing 
6100 Boy's Russian Suit, 
2, 4 ar.d 6 years. 
is made invisibly. The quantity of ma¬ 
terial required for the medium size is 
2 yards 21, 24 or 27 or I yard 44 inches 
wide with 1 yard 27 inches wide for the 
trimming and girdle. The pattern 6103 
is cut in three sizes, small 32 or 34, me¬ 
dium 30 or 38, large 40 or 42 inches bust 
measure; price 10 cents. 
The Russian suit is always attractive 
for small boys. As shown, the suit con¬ 
sists of the coat and the knickerbockers. 
The coat is made simply with fronts 
and back and closes with buttons and 
buttonholes, while the sleeves are laid 
in tucks at the wrists. The knicker¬ 
bockers are of the regulation sort drawn 
up by means of elastic at the knees. 
The quantity of material required for 
the medium size (four years) is 4j/£ 
yards 24, 3 x /( yards 27, 2^4 yards 36 or 
2 yards 44 inches wide. The pattern 
6106 is cut in sizes for boys of 2, 4 and 
6 years of age; price 10 cents. 
To Save a Grease Spot. 
Many of us keep kerosene oil in a 
five-gallon can, and though its faucet 
is good, many of us find that after a 
time floor and bench about the can are 
well saturated with oil. Some of us 
have been obliged to buy a new can be¬ 
cause, in our resolution to turn the 
faucet securely, we have wrenched it 
too hard and caused a leak where it 
joins the tin. We now hang a small 
drip cup upon the faucet, and are saved 
uneasy misgivings lest, after all, that 
faucet may not be quite tight. We are 
also saved the annoyance of seeing that 
unaccountable oil soaking of floor and 
bench. A. tin can having two holes 
punched to hold a bail of wire makes 
a good drip cup, and an emptied beef 
can is far the best, because its corners 
make it easy to turn the drip back into 
the can without spilling. Kerosene is 
not exactly grease, but it seems safer 
to keep it off the floor where a chance 
spark might cause serious results, and 
one who tries the hanging drip cup 
which can never get pushed out of place 
will be surprised at the amount of oil 
caught in infrequent drops. The drip 
cup is to be taken off each time when 
drawing oil and replaced by slipping its 
wire support over the faucet. 
, AUGUSTA ROSE. 
French Cucumber Pickles. —Put a 
layer of fresh cucumbers on the bottom 
of a crock, then sprinkle with salt and 
pepper and add some whole cloves, sliced 
onion and a few sprigs of tarragon; then 
make another thick layer of cucumbers, 
add the spice the same as before, and 
continue until the crock is filled. Cover 
with good vinegar and let it stand about 
one week before using. If the cucum¬ 
bers are large cut into so the spice can 
penetrate. m. g. 
A person who gives a week to read¬ 
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portance, either for facts, reasoning or 
style, and who reflects on what he reads, 
will be educated at the end of the first 
year; reniarkedly so at the end of the 
second year; and in four or five years 
be competent to converse upon almost 
any subject with almost any person.— 
Christian Advocate. 
■Jit ]Trade Mark 
dealt' JgJ Free Sample. Write Dept. A7. 
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I 
