Good Holiday Cake

Ingredients

• Borwick's German baking-powder (1-1/2d. worth)
• 2 lb flour
• 6 oz butter
• 1/4 lb lard
• 1 lb currants
• 1/2 lb stoned and cut raisins
• 1/4 lb mixed candied peel
• 1/2 lb moist sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 pint cold milk

Instructions

1. Mix the baking-powder with the flour;
2. then rub in the butter and lard; have ready the currants, washed, picked, and dried the raisins stoned and cut into small pieces (not chopped), and the peel cut into neat slices.
3. Add these with the sugar to the flour, &c., and mix all the dry ingredients well together.
4. Whisk the eggs, stir to them the milk, and with this liquid moisten the cake;
5. beat it up well, that all may be very thoroughly mixed;
6. line a cake-tin with buttered paper, put in the cake, and bake it from 2-1/4 to 2-3/4 hours in a good oven.
7. To ascertain when it is done, plunge a clean knife into the middle of it, and if, on withdrawing it, the knife looks clean, and not sticky, the cake is done.
8. To prevent its burning at the top, a piece of clean paper may be put over whilst the cake is soaking, or being thoroughly cooked in the middle.
9. A steamer, such as is used for steaming potatoes, makes a very good cake-tin, if it be lined at the bottom and sides with buttered paper.