Giddy for Gold Cake

This is the second antique cake I've made from the 1920's cookbook Cakes Cookies and Confections. They call it the Shapleigh Gold Cake. A challenge I've experienced baking from old cookbooks is when important instructions or details are missing. For example, in this recipe they don't tell you how long to bake the cake and they simply call for "fat". I used shortening for the fat, but you could also use butter or lard I believe.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fat
1 cup sugar (fine granulated)
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup flour (I used cake flour)
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp lemon rind
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:
Cream fat and sugar. Add lemon juice and rind. Add egg yolks beaten until very light. Sift dry ingredients together. Add alternately with milk. Bake in a moderate oven. (For the first five minutes, 380 F degrees, then reduce to 360 degrees). Makes two layers or 54 small cup cakes.

Notes: I baked at 360 for 10 minutes, but the cake was a little dry. Try 5 minutes at 380 F degrees and test with toothpick after 5 minutes at 360 F degrees. I frosted the cake with cream cheese icing from the Joy of Cooking cookbook and topped with more grated lemon rind.