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(3) FRESH-FRUIT FILLINGS—Crushed and sweetened fresh berries, peaches, apricots, etc.—put between layers at the last moment.

(4) PRESERVED-FRUIT FILLINGS—Jams, jellies and marmalades are good as fillings, too.

(5) CREAM-CHEESE FILLINGS—Very simple mixtures of plain white cream cheese blended with marmalade or jam, are good.

(6) FROSTINGS (either cooked or uncooked)—Sometimes used as fillings, with or without the addition of fruits, nuts, etc.

(7) WHIPPED CREAM-—-Sometimes used as a filling, as well as a topping. Thick cream is whipped stiff, lightly sweetened and flavored, and (on occasion) tinted with government-certified food coloring. (Sometimes a whipped cream mixture is stiffened with gelatine.)

HOW TO FILL A CAKE

(1) Make filling thick enough to spread easily and when cold, hold its shape under the weight of upper cake layers. (Observe proportion of thickening material in recipes in this lesson.)

(2) The cake must be cold and the filling cooled, before they are brought together; if either the cake or filling is warm, the filling will soak into the cake and make it soggy. When possible, put fillings between bottom surfaces of the two cake layers.

(3) Drop filling by spoonfuls over surface of cake layer, then smooth quickly to an even layer all over; if the filling is a little stiff, dip the spatula or knife into hot water. Filling layer should usually be about 14-inch thick. Allow filling to ‘‘set” before putting on the upper layer of cake. For a cake of three layers or more, spread all but one layer with the filling, and then pile them on each other when filling has set.

CREAM FILLINGS

Cream fillings may be simply flavored or have such additions as coconut, cut-up fruits, nutmeats, etc. Others may be chocolate cream filling, delicious and delicate lemon or orange filling, butterscotch or coffee cream filling, etc.

Here are the basic steps in making a cream filling.

(1) Heat the required amount of liquid. (This cuts down on the time you will have to stir the mixture.)

(2) Measure the required amount of Monarch Pastry Flour, sugar, and salt (if recipe calls for it) into a bowl... mixing sugar with a starchy material like flour, separates all the tiny starch grains and is the first step in preventing the formation of lumps in the mixture.

(3) Very gradually stir about one-half of the liquid into the flour mixture; return all to saucepan (preferably top of double Boiler) and cook, stirring constantly, until the filling is smoothly thickened. (Remember—don’t stop stirring for one moment before thickening has taken place, or lumps will form.) Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until no raw flavor of the starchy ingredient is evident.

(4) Beat eggs slightly. (When part of their function 1s to act as a thickening agent, eggs are just beaten enough to completely intermingle white and yolk—a fork is sufficient for the job.) |

LESSON 10 72