Recipe: Almond Butter Christmas Cake with Boiled Frosting or Lemon Butter Frosting (1940)

ALMOND BUTTER CHRISTMAS CAKE

3 cups cake flour, sifted
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter or shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped
1/2 cup raisins, finely cut
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
FROSTING AND GARNISHES:
Boiled Frosting (recipe follows)
Lemon Butter Frosting (recipe follows)
maraschino cherries or red cinnamon candies and slices of angelica or citron, or candied cherries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) layer cake pan.

Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder and salt, and sift together three times; set aside.

Cream butter thoroughly. add sugar gradually, and cream together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each. Add nuts and raisins and beat well. Add flour, alternately with milk, a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Add vanilla. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees F) 25 minutes, or until done.

Spread Boiled Frosting or Lemon Butter Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.

Decorate top of cake with wreath of holly, using pieces of maraschino cherries or red cinnamon candies for berries, and slices of angelica or citron for leaves and stems. Or decorate with poinsettias made of candied cherries. Slice cherries in rings, cut rings in half, and arrange to form petals of poinsettias.

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BOILED FROSTING

1/2 cup water
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine water, corn syrup and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat to boiling; boil until the mixture thickens and forms a ball when a small spoonful is dropped into cold water (about 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer).

Beat the egg whites in a large bowl of the electric mixer until stiff. Slowly beat in the hot syrup. Combine to beat until spreading consistency. Beat in vanilla.

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LEMON BUTTER FROSTING

4 tbsp butter
3 cups confectioner's sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp water

In bowl combine butter, sugar, lemon juice and enough water for spreading consistency; beat well.

Source: Kate Smith Collection, 1940
Published by General Foods Corp.