This old fashioned lemon Snowflake Cake recipe offers an unpretentious alternative to modern party cakes that can sometimes be too elaborate. Both it and the Frosty Cakes below can make your Holiday get-togethers extra special.
Everyone will love the taste of these wholesomely delicious dessert cakes, especially when they're homemade and tastefully decorated for the festivities.
And these festive layer cakes are perfect for serving on any special occasion, not just at Christmas. Make one of these old fashioned layer cakes today and enjoy a special treat.
Miss Parloa's New Cook Book (1882)
Ingredients:
Half a cupful of butter, one and a half of sugar, two of pastry flour, one-fourth of a cupful of milk, the whites of five eggs, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, half a teaspoonful of soda, or a teaspoonful and a half of baking-powder, the juice of half a lemon.
Directions:
For the snowflake cake recipe, beat the butter to a cream. Gradually add the sugar, then the lemon, and when very light, the milk, and whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth; then the flour, in which the soda and cream of tartar are well mixed.
Bake in sheets in a moderate oven (350ºF). When nearly cool, frost with white Snowflake Frosting.
The whites of three eggs, two large cupfuls of powdered sugar, half a grated coconut (1/2 cup shredded coconut), the juice of half a lemon.
Beat the whites to a stiff froth. Add the sugar, gradually, and the lemon, and coconut.
Spread a layer of frosting on one sheet of the cake. Place the other sheet on this, and cover with frosting. Or, simply frost the top of each sheet, as you would any ordinary cake.
Decorate with extra shredded coconut, if desired. Set in a cool place to harden.
Mom's Recipe Scrapbooks (1920s)
1/3 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup milk, 2 cups pastry, or bread flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Cream butter well; add sugar; add yolks of eggs and vanilla; mix well; add milk, then flour, baking powder, and salt which have been sifted together; mix in beaten egg whites.
Bake in 3 greased and floured layer tins in moderate oven at 375ºF about 20 minutes. Put cake together with optional Frosty Fruit Filling and cover thickly with Frosty White Icing. Makes 3 layers baked in 8-inch pans.
2-1/2 cups granulated sugar, 3/4 cup boiling water, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, whites of 2 eggs.
Boil sugar, water, and baking powder without stirring until syrup spins a thread (238ºF); beat egg whites until dry; add syrup gradually, beating constantly until right consistency to spread; add lemon flavoring and cool.
Reserve 1/3 frosty icing for fruit filling, if desired. Cover top and side of cake with remaining white icing. Decorate top with chopped nuts, if desired.
1 cup mixed figs, cherries, and pineapple, cut fine.
Add fruit to 1/3 frosty icing and spread thickly between layers. Some or all the fruits can be omitted, and the choice is a matter of taste.
What could be more Christmas-like than a colorful gum drop fruitcake? Decorate with gum drops after icing with Snowflake Frosting from the lemon snowflake cake recipe.
One pound seedless raisins that have been boiled 5 minutes, drained, and cooled; 1 cup applesauce sweetened and cooled; 1 pound gum drops, cut in small pieces with scissors dipped in hot water (do not include the black ones); 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 3 cups flour; 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon soda, dissolved in a little hot water.
Sift dry ingredients, cream butter and sugar thoroughly. Add well-beaten eggs. Add one cup flour gradually, then applesauce and raisins, then remaining flour gradually. Mix in gum drops and lastly add soda as above.
Bake two or two and a half hours in a slow oven (275°F). Do not cut for at least 10 days! It keeps beautifully and is delicious. —Fairfield
Here's an idea. Why not make both the lemon snowflake cake recipe AND the recipe for the frosty cake? These wholesome cakes are similar yet different enough to offer a variety to your Holiday dessert table.
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