Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 3, Number 4, DeMotte, Jasper County, 8 June 1933 — Simple Cake Baking Rules [ARTICLE]

Simple Cake Baking Rules

Fundamentals With Tested and Easily Followed Formulas. Here are some more questions about cakes (says a recognized expert on the subject). Here is the letter and here are my answers, which may interest some of you in spite of the fact that I have told you now and again much about cake: “Because you taught me how to make cream puffs, to my everlasting pride, you may now, if you will, tell me some other things I don’t know. “I make chocolate roll frequently----the kind with nothing but eggs, chocolate and sugar--but it always sticks to the pan and I have to scoop it out--rolling is out of the question. What should the pan be greased with, and does anyone ever get it out whole? “I want to make gingerbread but I want to make the kind that is a little moist and quite flaky--not either dry, hard or soggy. Have you a good recipe? I want the kind southern cooks make. It makes me sick but it’s worth it “One more thing: I cannot learn to make good butter cake--I stick to angel, sponge and the like. Creaming butter bores and tires me and I don’t know just how long to keep it up. Someone told me once just when butter and sugar are creamed but I forgot. My cakes--like tea cakes or sweet muffins--are always very loose in texture with crisp crusts--not firm and evenly grained. How can I do it? Isn’t it wrong to stir a batter? Shouldn’t it always be beaten, except when egg whites are folded in? Do help me, because I adore plain cake and cannot make it. “This is primer stuff for most cooks, I know, but I do want to make some really delicious little dough buttons.” I find that the kind of pan has much to do with the success of a thin layer such as we use for a chocolate or a jelly-roll. If you have a smooth light-colored tin pan, 15 by 10 inches, which is kept especially for this purpose, you may not find it necessary to line it with paper, but if your pan is not in good condition, or of dark tin, you will do well to use greased paper to line it. If you are using a new pan, it must be lined or else “tempered” by greasing slightly and heating before it is used. A hotter oven than is used for other sponge cake is necessary. If you use a double-action baking powder instead of a phosphate or a tartrate powder, you should use about one-third less than is demanded by the usual recipe. I will answer the third question next, because this thing about baking powders applies to all butter cakes. The only thing I can do is to give my standard recipe for butter cake,

which never fails me. Measurements must of course be made carefully. Butter must be creamed well. If it is to be used, it will soften at room temperature and will cream quite easily. If a little of the beaten egg yolk or whole egg is added while the sugar is being blended, it is easier to cream it. Cookies may be beaten one or two minutes after mixing, but not too long. I do not think it makes much difference whether the batter is beaten or stirred, if, when either milk or flour is added, alternately, each one is thoroughly mixed before more of the other is added. Now about gingerbread. There are so many different standards for this cake. I am only giving you my favorite recipes for it and will say that I think they are wonderful! One is a “cake” gingerbread which can be served hot as is, or with butter, or whipped cream, or cream or cottage cheese for a satisfying dessert. The other is “card” gingerbread which is a cross between a cookie and a cake. Standard Butter Cake. 2 cups cake or pastry flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter or other shortening 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 3/4 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla Mix sifted flour with baking pow der and salt and sift together. Cream butter thoroughly, add sugar gradually, and cream together until fluffy. Beat eggs well and add. Beat 1 minute. Add sifted flour alternately with milk. Add vanilla. Beat after each addition. Fill 2 greased, 9-inch layer pans or 2 sets of muffin pans. Bake in moderate oven, 375 degrees Fahrenheit, 25 to 30 minutes. For a layer cake made from half the mixture, use oblong pan and after baking, cut in halves and put together with frosting. Card Gingerbread. 2 cups molasses 1 cup shortening 1 tablespoon ginger 1 teaspoon soda 1 teaspoon salt 4 1/2 cups flour Heat molasses and shortening together, do not let boil. When cool, add other ingredients, using enough flour to make a stiff dough. Roll in 2 sheets 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, as preferred. Score the top with fork lines so that it will be corrugated. Bake in a moderate oven, 375 degrees Fahrenheit, 15 minutes. Cut in long strips or squares. Serve hot or cold. Ginger Cake. 4 tablespoons shortening 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg 1/2 cup sweet or sour milk 1/2 cup molasses 2 cups cake or pastry flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ginger 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon soda Cream shortening, add the sugar

gradually. Beat the egg well and add. Mix sifted flour with soda and spices and salt. Sift dry ingredients into first mixture alternately with the liquid. Bake in a greased shallow pan or in muffin pans in a moderate oven, 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 30 minutes. ©, 1933, Bell Syndicate.--WNU Service.