Ornamental Icing

3 egg whites 3 c. confectioner's sugar 3 tsp. lemon juice

Put the egg whites into a bowl, add a little of the sugar, and beat. Continue adding sugar until the mixture becomes too thick to beat well, and then add the lemon juice.
Add the remainder of the sugar, and continue beating until the icing is thick enough to spread. Spread a thin layer over the cake and allow it to harden. When this is dry, cover it with another layer to make a smooth surface, and add more sugar to the remaining icing until it is of a very stiff consistency. Color and flavor as desired, place in a pastry bag, and force through pastry tubes to make any desired designs.

To ice a layer cake, pour some of the icing on the layer that is desired for the bottom and then spread it over the layer quickly until it is smooth and as thick as desired. If coconut or any other ingredient, such as chopped nuts or fruit, is to be used, sprinkle it on the icing. Then take up the second layer carefully, as shown, and place it on the iced first layer. Pour the remainder of the icing on this layer and spread it evenly over the top and down the sides. The cake will then be covered with a plain white icing that will be sufficient in itself or that may serve as a basis for any desired ornament. If coconut, fruit, or nuts have been used between the layers, sprinkle the same over the top while the icing is still soft.

Sometimes, after the icing has been spread, it may be found that the surface is not so smooth as it should be. Any roughness that may occur, however, may be removed as soon as the icing has become entirely cold by dipping a clean silver knife into hot water and running it gently over the entire surface. This treatment takes only a little time and greatly improves the appearance of the cake.