Plain Fruit Cake

One lb. flour, 1/4 lb. dripping, 2 teaspoonfuls baking-powder, a little allspice and salt, 1/4 lb. currants, 1/4 lb. white sugar, and 1/2 pt. milk.

Mix into the flour the baking powder and salt, then with the hands rub the dripping in the flour until it resembles bread-crumbs. Add the currants, allspice and sugar. Take care that the ingredients are well mixed; pour in the milk and mix with a wooden spoon. Grease a quartern tin and pour the mixture into it; bake 1 hour. To insure the cake being done stick a piece of broom straw into it. This answers the same purpose as a knife and is better, as the knife is apt to make the cake heavy. Turn the cake on end to allow the steam to evaporate.

Plain Fruit Cake (2)

One lb. flour, 1/2 lb. raisins, 4 oz. dripping, 4 oz. white sugar, 1 teacup milk, 1 egg, 2 teaspoonfuls baking-powder, a little salt, 1 oz. lemon peel.

Add to the flour the baking-powder and salt; rub the dripping into the flour with your hands. Take care it is well incorporated. Stone the raisins, grate the lemon rind, and with the sugar add to the other ingredients. Well whisk the egg, and mix in the milk, adding to the mixture; thoroughly mix. Grease a cake tin and bake 1 hour. Proceed to test as above.

Economical Fruit Cake

Five oz. butter, 2 lbs. flour, 1/2 lb. sugar, 1 lb. currants, 1 gill yeast, enough milk to make a thick batter, 1 tablespoonful of powdered cinnamon.

Mix the flour, leaving out 1/4 lb., with the butter cut in small pieces, the sugar, cinnamon and fruit; add milk enough to form a thick batter, and lastly stir in the yeast. Mix it over night, and set it away to rise; in the morning stir in the remainder of the flour, and let it rise; when light, mould it out very lightly; butter your pan, and bake it in an oven about as hot as for bread.