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RS a

79
CAKES

All ingredients should be prepared before
commencing to mix any of them. Flour
should be sifted, and thoroughly mixed with
the baking powder. Pastry flour makes a
lighter, more tender cake than bread flour,
as it contains less gluten. If bread flour is
used, substitute 2 tablespoons corn-starch
| in each cup. Sugar should be rolled and sifted;
eggs fresh from the ice-box or cellar, as they beat up much lighter and

- quicker when cold. They should be well beaten, whites and yolks separately,

as specified; the yolks to a thick cream, the whites to a stiff froth. Raisins,
currants, and all fruits must be thoroughly dry, and floured, before adding
to other ingredients.

HINTS

To Cream Butter-—Put the butter in an earthenware vessel (but do
not use tin or iron, as they will discolor it), and beat it with a spoon or fork.
After beating it about, the butter gradually comes back into a creamy state.

Beating, Stirring and Folding—There is a good deal of difference
between these. Stirring merely mixes the different ingredients together,
while beating carries in air and thoroughly distributes it through the mass,
and in baking this air expands and makes the cake light. Folding one
ingredient into another is to put the spoon or spatula in edgewise, lift the
ingredients and turn them over, repeat until thoroughly mixed. Avoid
stirring after beating or folding.

To Grate Lemon Peel—There is a right and wrong way to grate it.
The flavor comes from an essential oil found only in the yellow rind at the
surface. The white part underneath is bitter, contains no lemon flavor,
will curdle milk or cream, and is objectionable. Therefore, grate a lemon
carefully, aiming to remove all the yellow surface, but no more.

Spices should be of the very best quality. Blue Ribbon spices are
not guy absolutely pure, but are ground from the best quality of whole
stock. |

Never move a cake in the oven until the centre is thoroughly set. Do
not put anything in the oven while the cake is baking, or the cake will
probably fall.

In general cakes require a moderate temperature, 350° Farhenheit.
Divide the baking. time into quarters: during the first. it should begin to
rise; the second, it should continue rising aad begin to brown; the third, it
should continue to brown, rising should be completed; the fourth, it should
finish browning and leave the sides of the pan.