Take one quart of flour, one teaspoonful of salt, one pint of rich sour cream; dissolve one teaspoonful of soda in a little boiling water and stir into the cream; dissolve one tablespoonful of butter and add to cream; then stir in flour, roll out as you would for biscuit; bake in round pan in two layers, spreading butter between the layers; when baked, take apart and spread with any prepared fruits.
If preferred, sweet milk and baking powder may be used in place of the sour cream and soda. And the following is an excellent receipt:
Two cupfuls of flour, one third cupful of butter, two well rounded teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one cupful of milk, one half teaspoonful of salt. Roll in two layers one half inch thick, butter well between layers and on the top and bake.
Mash one quart of strawberries in an earthen dish, add sufficient sugar to make a rich sweetness, set the dish in the oven until the dish is heated through, butter each half of the short-cake, covering with the crushed fruit, and putting a liberal supply on top, sprinkle with pulverized sugar, and serve with cream.
Get small, tart, juicy oranges, pare half dozen or more, carefully remove all the white, and slice; take out all the seeds and tough fibre; then crush with enough sugar to make very sweet.
Place in agate saucepan and set on back of range to get thoroughly hot; butter the short cake liberally and apply filling between layers and on top; serve with whipped cream.
Wash the berries and pick them over carefully; cook in agate saucepan with water enough to float over a moderate fire; mash through a colander; then add sufficient sugar to make very rich and sweet; set back on range until sugar is thoroughly dissolved; butter short-cake liberally and apply filling between layers and on top.
Get a ripe pineapple; pare and slice; then shred with a silver fork; cover thickly with sugar, and set away for three or four hours; then set on range in an agate kettle to heat thoroughly; butter short-cake liberally, and apply filling between layers and on top; serve with whipped cream. Canned pineapple may be used, though the fresh fruit is best.
Slice three bananas and one orange, grate the outside rind of the orange and mix with one cupful of sugar, and juice of orange; pour on the sliced bananas. Butter the short-cake and fill with the fruit thus prepared. Serve plain, or with whipped cream.