Indian cake, or bannock, is sweet and cheap food. One quart of sifted
meal, two great spoonfuls of molasses, two tea-spoonfuls of salt, a
bit of shortening half as big as a hen's egg, stirred together; make
it pretty moist with scalding water, put it into a well greased pan,
smooth over the surface with a spoon, and bake it brown on both sides,
before a quick fire. A little stewed pumpkin, scalded with the meal,
improves the cake. Bannock split and dipped in butter makes very nice
toast. A richer Indian cake may be made by stirring one egg to a half
pint of milk, sweetened with two great spoonfuls of molasses; a little
ginger, or cinnamon; Indian stirred in till it is just about thick
enough to pour. Spider or bake-kettle well greased; cake poured in,
covered up, baked half an hour, or three quarters, according to
the thickness of the cake. If you have sour milk, or butter-milk,
it is very nice for this kind of cake; the acidity corrected by a
tea-spoonful of dissolved pearlash. It is a rule never to use pearlash
for Indian, unless to correct the sourness of milk; it injures the
flavor of the meal.
Nice suet improves all kinds of Indian cakes very much.
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Two cups of Indian meal, one table-spoonful molasses, two cups milk,
a little salt, a handful flour, a little saleratus, mixed up thin,
and poured into a buttered bake-kettle, hung over the fire uncovered,
until you can bear your finger upon it, and then set down before the
fire. Bake half an hour.
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