If objected to, the brandy may be omitted, and another egg may be added.
Wash, pick, and dry the currants, cut the cherries into moderate-sized pieces, slice the candied peel into thin shreds, blanch and pound the almonds, or cut them into very small pieces, and crush the flavored sugar to powder.
Put the butter into a large bowl and beat it to cream, either with a wooden spoon or with the hand.
Add very gradually the sugar, flour, and eggs, and when they are thoroughly mixed work in the rest of the ingredients.
Put them in, a little at a time, and beat the cake between every addition.
It should be beaten fully three-quarters of an hour.
Line mould with double folds of buttered paper, pour in the mixture, put it in a moderately heated over.
Put paper under the mould above the cake, to keep it from burning, and keep the oven at an even temperature until it is done enough.
If the cake is to be iced, first prepare the almond part: Take half a pound of almonds, throw them into boiling water, and skin them.
Pound them in a mortar with a few drops of orange-flower water, 1 pound of fine white sugar, and as much white of egg as will make a soft, stiff paste.
Spread this over the top of the cake, and keep it from the edge as much as possible.
Put it in a cool oven, or in a warm place, till it is dry and hard.
To make the sugar icing, put 2 pounds of icing sugar into a bowl and work into it the whites of 2, or, if necessary, 3, or even 4 eggs.
The whites must not be whisked, but thrown in as they are.
Work the mixture to a stiff, shiny paste, and whilst working it add occasionally a drop of lemon juice.
Be careful to obtain icing sugar.
If a drop of liquid blue is added, it will make it look whiter.
The icing will need to be worked vigorously to make a paste which will not run, and the fewer eggs taken the better.
The cake ought not to be iced until a short time before it is wanted, as it may get dirty.
The icing should be spread evenly over with hands wetted with cold water, then smoothed with an ivory knife, and it should be put in a gentle oven to harden.
It may be ornamented with little knobs of icing placed around the edge; and on the day of the wedding a wreath of white flowers and green leaves may be placed round it by way of ornament.
If anything more elaborate is required, a pretty centre ornament may be added.
Time to bake the cake, about six hours.
