32 tips making Recipes

people w/o bread machines...you see a recipe you love here at grouprecipes.com but don tsp have a bread machine - not to worry! you can make the bread with a few alterations., this is for any bread recipe that calls for active yeast., please see comments and directions below for important and even more tips and tricks of the trade! (some of these come from bread experts...who have emailed me recently), ok ready here we go, equipment needed : mixmaster - with dough hook - though this can be done all by hand such as irish soda bread - but that s another story entirely (since there is no yeast) and another recipe posting i am sure to share soon as march approaches..., ingredients, your chosen bread machine recipe you got here at grouprecipes.com, that is greased and set aside, a cookie sheet or loaf pan to bake bread in/on, cornmeal (depending upon bread - keep reading please), extra flour set aside to help work the dough with, egg white (for a shiny look), ice cubes if you want an extra crispy crust (do not use ice cubes in electric oven) - see other method below., pastry brush, sauce pan, clean working surface you can have flour on and to work dough on, wooden spoon, instant read thermometer, working oven and 1 working stove top, patience and laundry to do while you allow dough to rise and rest, then again rise and rest. heck you may have the time to fit in some ironing - lol

muffin pans, a special metal baking pan , sometimes referred to as a muffin tin, with 6 or 12 cup-shaped depressions. most often this pan is made from aluminum., muffin cups are, standard muffin cup is about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and holds 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter., giant or texas-size muffin cup is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter and holds 5/8 cup batter., muffin cup is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter and holds 1/8 cup or 2 tbsp batter., muffin-top cup is about 4 inches in diameter but are only 1/2 inch deep ., substituting a different size muffin cup, substitute another size muffin cup for original size listed in recipe. if substituting a larger size muffin cup the recipe will yield fewer muffins and if using smaller size muffin cup the recipe will yield more muffins. the bake time will be changed also. bake a larger muffin longer than the original time and smaller muffins a shorter time., tips on baking muffins, grease muffin cups by spraying each cup with no stick cooking spray or using a paper towel dipped in shortening to grease each cup., use paper liners in muffin cups for easy clean-up., if muffin cups are filled more than 3/4 full the muffins will have flat, flying saucer tops. if sufficient room is not allowed for muffins to expand before reaching the top of the cup the muffin will flatten on top., if some muffin cups will remain empty during baking , put 2 to 3 tbsp water in the unused muffin cups to keep the pan from warping., if baked muffins stick to the bottom of the muffin cup, place hot muffin pan on a wet towel for about two minutes., source : land o lakes, all about muffins, are you eating muffins or cupcakes, hot breads are always a hit and muffins are 1 of the easiest to make. they are more quickly and easily made than biscuits and no kneading, rolling or cutting is required. they can be a savory, last minute dinner muffin or a sweet delicious breakfast muffin. made using whole-wheat flour, wheat germ, bran, honey, fruits and nuts they can be very nutritious. but like the healthy granola craze which turned into candy bars, muffins also can quickly turn into cupcakes. eating cupcakes for breakfast is your choice, but don tsp tell yourself you are eating healthy breakfast muffins. a recent magazine article revealed some muffins available in new york delicatessens were claimed to be low fat, but actually contained up to 23 g of fat. that s more fat than two egg mcmuffins., what is the difference between muffins and cupcakes, some say cupcakes have frosting. a basic formula for muffins is 2 cups flour, 2-4 tbsp sugar, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 egg, 1/4 cup oil, shortening or butter, 1 cup milk. when the fat, sugar and egg ratio in a recipe reaches double or more than this, you have reached the cake level., other technical difference between muffins and cupcakes, method of cooking is different for muffins and cupcakes. the muffin method is by far the fastest and easiest. flour, sugar, baking powder and salt (all the dry ingredients) are mixed together. this is where the leavening can be uniformly dispersed into the flour. sugar is mixed with the flour to prevent the flour from lumping when combined with the wet ingredients., making and baking muffins, in a large bowl, oil (or melted butter) and egg are beaten together to form an emulsion to disperse the fat more uniformly. then the milk is stirred in. this much mixing can be done ahead and held. the two are combined just before baking., combine, cut and fold liquid into the dry ingredients. mix only to combine. batter will be lumpy but no pockets of dry ingredients should remain. the general rule is only 12 strokes., bake as soon as it s mixed. when filling cups, do not mix batter between scoops. excessive mixing causes loss of leavening., cake method for making muffins, sometimes muffins are made using the cake method , i.e. cream the fat and sugar, add eggs, add the dry ingredients and milk alternately. this is more time consuming but produces a lighter, more tender, cake-like muffin., perfect muffin, perfect muffin has a thin brown crust , a slightly rounded top with a pebbled appearance and a moist, even interior. there should be no peaks, no tunnels which are usually caused by excessive mixing and too much liquid (muffin batter should not be fluid)., more leavening is not better, just because a recipe is in print does not mean that it is in balance. a guide for leavening 2 cups of flour in a recipe is either 2 1/2 tsp double acting baking powder, or 4 tsp fast acting baking powder, or 1/2 tsp soda plus 1 cup buttermilk (for the acid) and 1 1/4 tsp baking powder. excess baking powder and soda taste bitter., here are a few tips for altering muffin recipes, substitute 2 egg whites for 1 egg in the recipe. if these are stiffly beaten and folded in at the end it will produce a lighter muffin with less fat., use non-fat milk instead of whole milk ., use salad oil in place of butter. in place of the fat in the recipe , use 1-fourth of the oil and replace the other three-fourths with fruit puree such as applesauce. jars of baby food fruits provide a quick choice of purees other than apple. adding non-gluten grain products (bran, germ, oatmeal, corn meal) for part of the flour makes a more tender muffin., create your own taste sensations, begin with the basic formula and change 1/2 cup of the flour to corn meal, bran, wheat germ, rye, oatmeal or leftover cooked cereal. add 1/2 to 1 cup chopped apple, dates, prunes, raisins, apricots, figs, blueberries, cranberries, cheese, nuts., make your favorite muffin mixes by measuring the dry ingredients twice (or more ) into two separate bowls. use 1 and package 1 with the list of wet ingredients to be added when mixing at a later date.

beef tip roast (cut into bite size cubes ), stewed tomatoes (16 oz.), all-purpose flour, olive oil, beef broth (swansons or any will do, 32 oz), russet potatoes (peeled & diced ), red potatoes (peeled & diced ), yellow onion (finely chopped ), onions (diced ), carrot (finely chopped ), carrots (thickly sliced ), celery (finely chopped ), celery (thickly sliced ), baby portabella mushrooms (cubed ) (optional), frozen green pea (optional), garlic (minced ), dried basil, dried thyme, kosher salt, pepper, fresh italian parsley (finely chopped )

rules for making sugar syrup, fudge is based on a sugar syrup , which is a solution of sugar in liquid. when making a sugar syrup, whether it is as simple as sugar and water or contains other ingredients, the rules remain the same., always stir sugar and liquid over low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved., if the mixture comes to the boil before all the sugar is dissolved, a crust of sugar crystals, which is hard to get rid of, will form around the edge of the pan., once the sugar has completely dissolved , allow the mixture to come to the boil, and do not stir the mixture, unless specifically instructed to in the recipe. stirring the boiling mixture will cause it to become cloudy and crystallised, which may or may not be desirable, depending on the recipe., using a sugar thermometer, boil the mixture for the full time, as specified in the recipe. because stoves vary so much, as do interpretations of high, medium or low heat, we have given a sugar thermometer reading as an exact gauge. the sugar thermometer should be fixed to the pan before the mixture comes to the boil, as handling the boiling liquid can be very hazardous., when the mercury reaches the temperature called for in the recipe , the fudge is ready. watch the mixture carefully towards the end of the cooking time, as it will burn quickly if left cooking too long., length of time the mixture cooks , and therefore the temperature it reaches in that given time, determines how the mixture will set. sugar thermometers are the simplest, most accurate way of determining when a syrup has reached the desired stage. when the thermometer reaches 115dc (240df), the mixture is at soft-ball stage., worry too much if you don tsp have a sugar thermometer , as fudge is fairly forgiving mixture, unlike hard sweets, for which a sugar thermometer is crucial., way to check for soft-ball stage is to drop a small amount of mixture into very cold water. when rolled between your thumb and index finger, it should form a soft ball., brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush dissolves any crystals which have formed on the sides of the pan. it is a good idea to do this if the recipe says to, but don tsp allow to much water to drip into the pan, as this will slow down the cooking process and interfere with the given time., other equipment, heavy-based pans are best for making fudge. because it is a high sugar content, the mixture can catch and burn if the pan has a thin base, such as those on aluminum pans., use a long-handled wooden spoon if the mixture is to be stirred while still hot, as wood will not conduct heat., as soon as the mixture is ready, remove the pan from the heat , place it on a wooden board or heatproof trivet and allow to cool as directed. the pan will be very hot so, if it has a metal handle, use a thick cloth around the handle when moving it., beating the mixture, mixture may be beaten while still hot , or may be asked to wait until has cooled. beating thickens the mixture and causes it to lose its gloss. the recipe will indicate whether to use a wooden spoon or electric beaters - it is not a good idea to use electric beaters in a very hot mixture. there is usually a fine line between the mixture reaching the desired consistency and being too firm and dry to spread into the tin, so watch it carefully as you work., warning, take great care with every step of the procedure, as hot sugar syrup is very dangerous, and heat will transfer to any heat-conducting equipment it comes in contact with. keep children well away from the hot mixture., always use a long-handled wooden spoon for stirring., if you do get burnt , hold the afflicted area under cold water to wash off the syrup and then keep the burn immersed in cold water for about 10 minutes.

makes: 12 cupcakes, total time : 2 hr 30 min, cook time : 20 min, cupcakes, shredded peeled apples, diced dried apples, light brown sugar, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, divided, canola oil, eggs, vanilla extract, whole-wheat pastry flour, cake flour, baking soda, salt, low-fat buttermilk, light brown sugar, water, equivalent to 2 egg whites) dried egg whites (see tips), reconstituted according to package directions, cream of tartar, salt, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon , plus more for garnish

sugar cookie recipe, after trying over 50 sugar cookie recipes , i found this 1 to be my absolute favorite. i love this basic sugar cookie recipe for many reasons. it taste great. it is simple with few ingredients. it will maintain it s shape which makes the dough ideal for molding. you must chill the dough for a couple hours (or overnight is great) or it will be very sticky to work with., butter, softened, cream cheese, softened, sugar, egg, vanilla, all purpose flour, in large mixer bowl combine all cookie ingredients , except flour., beat at medium speed , scraping bowl often until creamy., reduce speed to low ; add flour. beat, scraping bowl often, until well mixed., divide dough into 2 equal portions; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate unitl firm (at least 2 hours)., heat oven to 350o. roll out on lightly floured surface or parchment paper. bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned. remove from cookie sheets; cool completely., url : cookiedecorating.com, chocolate cut-out recipe, yummy! crisp chocolate cut-outs with a brownie-cookie type flavor. this dough should be chilled for an hour or two (or overnight) or it may be sticky to roll., butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, all purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, in large mixer bowl beat butter , sugar, egg and vanilla until well blended. in medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture and blend well., refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until firm enough to roll., preheat oven to 325o. on lightly floured surface or parchment paper, roll out dough. bake 5 to 7 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched., cookie sheets ; cool completely., url : cookiedecorating.com, run sugar, run sugar icing is the classic cookie icing. it is a smooth textured icing that forms a very hard crust. it is made by taking royal icing at it s fluffiest form and adding water to make it flow. when it dries, you can stack the cookies. this type of icing takes several hours to dry. the icing has a simple, flavor with some crunch., powdered sugar, meringue powder, gum arabic, cream of tarter, water, water, first , mix-up royal icing (use this recipe or follow instructions on the commercial royal icing), in small mixing bowl, combine water, meringue powder and cream of tarter., beat until stiff peaks form ., in separate bowl, combine powdered sugar and gum arabic. mix thouroughly, then add to meringue., beat on low , then medium speed until stiff peaks form. after the royal icing has been mixed, divide the mixture into several small containers and cover with wet towel. add a small amount of water to each batch until it us just barely fluid, not watery. test consistency by dropping a small amount from spoon onto waxed paper. it should smooth itself in about 10 seconds. if it runs too much, add more powdered sugar. if it is too thick, add a bit more water., remember : keep this icing covered when you are not using it. it dries out quickly. place the icing in a bag with a tip #3 or #4. outline the area to be covered. quickly fill in the outline. if the icing is running off the cookie, too much water was added to the royal icing. if the icing is not smooth, add a bit more water to the royal icing. when icing crusts, pipe adjoining color. for added dimension or outlining, allow icing to harden (several minutes) and pipe on the top., royal icing, is probably the most popular icing that cookie decorators use. it is preferable because it holds up very well if the cookies need to be stacked, shipped, stored, etc.. royal icing can be made into a very nice glaze and also works great for very fine detail work. the biggest problem with royal icing is that it dries hard as a rock, and also tends to dry out the cookies more than a buttercream icing would. the drying rock-hard isn tsp a big deal if you are doing a cookie that has a thin layer of glaze and some basic outlines or decorations, but if you need a cookie to have thick piping, the thick decorations would almost be impossible to eat in royal icing., meringue powder, powdered sugar, water, vanilla extract (use clear vanilla if you want a pure white icing), almond extract, beat all ingredients together until stiff peaks form (about 10 minutes). to vary the consistency, add water to thin and add powdered sugar to thicken.

make sure the shortening and baking powder or baking soda are fresh., measure the ingredients carefully to ensure your biscuits will rise well and be light and fluffy., cut the shortening into the flour using a pastry blender , two table knives, or a wire whisk until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. thoroughly blending the shortening and dry ingredients produces flaky biscuits, make biscuits the same thickness , roll the dough between 2 dowel rods or sticks, 1/2 inch thick and 14 inches long., push the biscuit cutter , dipped in flour, straight down into the dough for even-sized biscuits. cut biscuits as close together as possible., if you don tsp have a biscuit cutter , use a sharp knife or use cookie cutters for fun shapes

i have found for cooking heavy whipping cream is best. cook slow and temper (this is when u add some of the hot liquid to the cream to bring it up to temp.) before putting in a hot liquid. if it is cooked to long and too hot it will break up or separate. i also know it can dry up, but just follow these rules and it should be okay. cream picks up flavors pretty quick. i would thin 15 or 30 mins. is long enough to let the cream sit with ingredients, althought when i was making souffles and other desserts the cream was not a factor unless i beat it too long (it would dis-solve to nothing), didnt have a clean, cold bowl or cream was warm., cream, half & is at least 10.5% butterfat (milkfat), light cream is between 18 and 30% butterfat, light whipping cream is between 30 and 36% butterfat, heavy whipping cream is between 36 and 40% butterfat., colder cream is to start, and the colder it stays as you whip it, the easier and better it whips., if it is not cold enough , it doesn tsp whip , it churns (no air is incorporated) which makes butter., when whipping cream , add the sugar when the cream is mostly whipped, and the cream will whip to a higher volume. adding the sugar at., prevent cream from curdling when adding to coffee, use fresh cream. as cream ages, its lactic acid content increases. acid can curdle cream. the acid in coffee, along with coffee s heat, favor curdling of cream., here are some facts and tips on using cream or milk in hot dishes., lower the butterfat (milkfat) content, the more likely cream is to separate., half & is at least 10.5% butterfat (milkfat), light cream is between 18% and 30% butterfat, light whipping cream is 30% to 36% butterfat, heavy cream (heavy whipping cream) is 36% to 40% butterfat, hotter the liquid , the more likely cream is to curdle (separate). cream should never be added to a boiling liquid., when adding cream or milk, it is best to heat it up a bit before adding it to another hot liquid. it is partly the difference in temperature that causes milk or cream to curdle. the beginning results is lower volume., freezing cream : freeze only heavy cream containing 40% or more butterfat. heat to 170 to 180of for 15 minutes. for storage longer than 2 months, add 1/3 cup sugar per quart of cream. cool quickly. place in moisture-vapor resistant containers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace., cream whipped after freezing and thawing does not become as stiff as never-frozen cream. individual whipped cream garnishes can be satisfactorily frozen by whipping cream before freezing. place dollops of whipped cream on baking sheet and freeze. once solidly frozen, remove dollops and store in the freezer in freezer containers.

ground coffee (or whatever you normally use to make 1 pot), water, vanilla extract

cake mix tips, cake mix yields 4 to 6 cups of batter., use a mix with pudding included if you re using a recipe that calls for instant pudding as an ingredient - the pudding-included cakes will turn out heavier and wetter., use regular salted butter to balance the high sugar content of cake mixes and give a more homemade taste. if you must use margarine for health reasons, make sure it is stick style and has more than 65 percent vegetable oil., cake mixes have a shelf life of up to two years if kept in a cool, dry place, like your pantry. so, if you live where it s humid in the summertime you d best not stock up on cake mixes for the long haul.

did you know that if you want to add vegetables to the soup you are making, they will taste so much better if you saute them first in a little butter. even though it s a little bit more work, it s worth the extra effort., what happens when you boil the soup too long the soup ends up losing its color ., i burned my soup once. have you ever done that here s a great tip to fix that. take the liquid part of your soup and pour it into a new, clean pan. then, add these ingredients: mustard, curry powder, chutney, or your 1 other of your favorite flavors. quantities are always to taste and you ll be amazed at how this tip really works, my all time favorite soup tips. every made soup that was too salty tasting all you need to do is place a raw potato into your soup pot and simmer it with the soup for about 15 minutes. not only does the potato slice absorb the extra salt, but as an added snack for the cook, it also absorbs all that flavor and becomes a fantastic taste treat, need your soup to be thicker - just sprinkle a little bit of instant mashed potato and stir in to thicken the soup. carefully continue adding the instant potatoes until you get the consistency that makes you happy., in a hurry and need to use canned broth instead of homemade give it a little extra flavor by taking your leftover chicken or meat bones and simmering it in the broth. simmer for about 15 minutes. then, strain the liquid and use the newly-flavored broth for your soup. this is a fantastic way to spice up the tinny flavor of canned broth and make it taste like its homemade., guess what a great resource a grocery store is for ready -to-use ingredients! simply make a visit to the salad bar (most large grocery chains have them now,) and gather up some of the pre-cut vegetables, cooked shrimp, and chicken or meat. how easy is that, if you have any leftovers of the pasta you cooked the night before , or even meat and vegetables - use them for instant nutritious substance for your soup. if your left over vegetables have already been cooked, simply puree them and use it as a thickener. deeeelish

fruitcakes get an awful lot of bad press , especially the mass produced varieties, but a rich homemade version can be incredibly delicious., fruitcake is a mixture of fruits and nuts with just enough batter to hold them together. when wrapped in cloth and foil, saturated with alcoholic liquors regularly, and kept in in tightly closed tins, a fruitcake may be kept for months or even years, have it your way ..., if there are certain fruits you don tsp like , you can always include more of another, or some of your own favorites. dried fruits cooked in juice can take the place of candied fruits, and seeds can replace nuts. to convert a favorite dark fruitcake recipe to a light fruitcake, leave out the dark spices, use light colored fruits (golden raisins, dried apricots, etc.), and replace dark corn syrup or molasses with light corn syrup

bake quick breads on the center oven rack for best heat circulation., quick breads from the pan after about 10 minutes cooling for easier pan removal., cool quick breads completely before slicing. use a sharp thin-bladed knife and a light sawing motion to cut cleanly through the loaf., after cooling , wrap loaves tightly and store in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months., muffin batter should be lumpy after stirring the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. stir just until moistened for muffins that are tender and nicely rounded., use a spring-handled #20 or #24 ice cream scoop to fill muffins cups or a melon ball-size scoop for mini-muffins., fill empty , greased muffin cups with water to prevent burning the grease during baking.

seasonal fish and vegetables are used in tempura. the ingredients for tempura in the recipe below are only a few of the many, many common ingredients that lend themselves to this treatment. shrimp; squid; small whole fish like perch, smelt, and goby; white-fleshed saltwater fish; eggplant; green beans; onion rings; sweet potato slices; bell pepper strips; mushrooms - the list could go on for several pages. chicken, beef and pork, however, are not usually prepared as tempura because of their relatively heavier, identifiable taste. chicken and pork are deep-fried in other ways, and beef is often given a more highlighted preparation, say, in sukiyaki., http://japanesefood.about.com/od/tempura/a/cookingtempura.htm, basic steps for cooking tempura, prepare the ingredients ., make tempura batter ., heat vegetable oil in a deep pan to 340-350f degree., lightly dip ingredients in the batter and immediately fry them until crisp. it takes longer to fry vegetables than to fry seafood., drain tempura on a rack ., serve right away with tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce) or salt. tempura is best served hot. *grated daikon radish is a common condiment., tempura batter recipe - japanese recipe, http://japanesefood.about.com/od/tempura/r/tempurabatter.htm, egg, ice water, all purpose flour, preparation, beat an egg in a bowl. add ice water in the bowl. be sure to use very cold water., add sifted flour in the bowl and mix lightly. be careful not to overmix the batter., tempura dipping sauce recipe, tempura dipping sauce is called tentsuyu in japanese. serve this sauce with tempura., dashi soup stock, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, preparation, put mirin in a pan and heat. add soy sauce and dashi soup stock in the pan. bring the sauce to a boil., tips for making crispy tempura, by setsuko yoshizuka, tip 1: ice, use ice water for the batter. this is really important to prevent the batter from absorbing too much oil., tip 2: batter (tempura batter recipe), do not make the batter ahead of time. try not to over mix the batter and not to coat ingredients with the batter too much., if you are frying both seafood and vegetables, fry vegetables first. then, fry seafood. fry vegetables at 340f degree and fry seafood at 350f degree., tip 4: oil temperature, check the temperature of frying oil , drop a little batter into the oil. if the batter comes up right away instead of sinking to the bottom of the pan, it s about 360 f degree. if the batter goes halfway to the bottom and comes up, it s about 340f degree. this is said to be the right temperature to fry tempura.

these vintage cake icing recipes are taken from mom s old recipe scrapbooks , circa 1929. mom often used these easy cake frosting recipes to decorate cakes for birthdays and everyday use., seven minute icing recipe, egg white , 3/4 cups white sugar, 1 tbsp corn syrup, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, 3 tbsp water, 1/2 tsp vanilla. combine all ingredients, except flavoring, in top of double boiler and beat; place over rapidly boiling water and beat 7 minutes or until frosting is fluffy and will hold shape; remove from stove, add flavor and beat 1 minute longer; spread immediately., easy vanilla icing recipe, butter , 1-1/2 cups icing sugar, 1-1/2 tbsp milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla; beat., vanilla butter cream icing recipe, butter , 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp vanilla, 3 cups icing sugar, 1/4 cup milk. combine all ingredients and mix., butterscotch icing recipe, in a saucepan combine 3 tbsp butter , 3 tbsp milk, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar. heat till dissolved, beat in 1-2/3 cups icing sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla; beat till creamy., icing recipes, these old-fashioned , homemade icing recipes are taken from the white house cook book by hugo ziemann, steward of the white house, and mrs. f. litre. gillette, a celebrated 19th-century cookbook author, published by the saalfield publishing company, new york, in 1913., cake frosting tips, in the first place , the eggs should be cold, and the platter on which they are to be beaten also cold. allow, for the white of 1 egg, 1 small teacupful of powdered sugar. break the eggs and throw a small handful of the sugar on them as soon as you begin beating; keep adding it at intervals until it is all used up. the eggs must not be beaten until the sugar has been added in this way, which gives a smooth, tender frosting, and 1 that will dry much sooner than the old way., spread with a broad knife evenly over the cake, and if it seems too thin, beat in a little more sugar. cover the cake with two coats, the second after the first has become dry, or nearly so. if the icing gets too dry or stiff before the last coat is needed, it can be thinned sufficiently with a little water, enough to make it work smoothly., a little lemon juice , or half a teaspoonful of tartaric acid, added to the frosting while being beaten, makes it white and more frothy., flavors mostly used are lemon , vanilla, almond, rose, chocolate, and orange., if you wish to ornament with figures or flowers, make up rather more icing, keep about 1-third out until that on the cake is dried; then, with a clean glass syringe, apply it in such forms as you desire and dry as before; what you keep out to ornament with may be tinted pink with cochineal , blue with indigo, yellow with saffron or the grated rind off an orange strained through a cloth, green with spinach juice and brown with chocolate, purple with cochineal and indigo. strawberry, or currant and cranberry juices color a delicate pink., cake in a cool oven with the door open to dry, or in a draught in an open window., almond frosting (marzipan icing recipe), whites of three eggs, beaten up with three cups of fine, white sugar. blanch a lb of sweet almonds, lb them in a mortar with a little sugar, until a fine paste, then add the whites of eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. lb a few minutes to thoroughly mix. cover the cake with a very thick coating of this, set in a cool oven to dry, afterwards cover with a plain icing., chocolate frosting, 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 1 of water; mix all well together, and add 1 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 1 of the cakes; put a second 1 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 1 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 1 oz each of chopped citron , candied cherries, seedless raisins, candied pineapple, and blanched almonds., sugar icing, extra-refined sugar add 1 oz of fine white starch ; lb 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 1 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., 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 and care to do it with success.

chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding mix, mayonnaise, milk, eggs, chocolate morsels, vegetable shortening, for greasing cans, chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding mix, mayonnaise, milk, eggs, chocolate morsels, tubs prepared vanilla frosting, blue, purple and pink food coloring, liquid or gel, sugar ice cream cones, princess doll, multicolored sprinkles, lollipops, empty , clean 2-cup soup cans, empty , clean 4 1/2-cup coffee can, straws or wooden skewers, pastry bag fitted with a small, plain round tip or a plastic bag with 1 corner cut off to make a small opening

lemon chiffon cake, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, vegetable oil, egg yolks, cold-water, lemon juice, lemon rind, egg whites, cream of tartar, sift flour. add sugar , baking powder and salt; sift 3 more times, last time into a large mixing bowl. make a well in the center of the mixture, and pour in oil, lightly beaten egg yolks, lemon juice and rind. beat all this thoroughly., in another bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until very stiff. gently fold flour mixture into egg whites. pour into greased and floured tube pan. bake at 325f for 1 hr. and 10 min. test with straw or cake tester to see if done. invert over bottle and let set on table. let cool completely. frost the cooled cake with lemon frosting. serves 12-16 easily., lemon frosting, sugar, soft butter, milk , more if necessary, grated rind and juice of 1 lemon, grate lemon rid and wrap in piece of cheesecloth. wring the oils into the sugar before it is blended, or gently blend with the sugar. let set 15 min. or more to allow the flavors to blend. then cream sugar and butter, add juice and enough milk to make icing. frost cake, tip decorate with sprigs of mint for color .