GENERAL EQUIPMENT FOR CAKE MAKING
22. The different forms of cake require, of course, different utensils, and these are taken up in connection with the preparation of each class. However, it is well for the housewife to be familiar at the outset with the general equipment used in the making of cakes and similar foods.
23. The utensils required for the mixing of the ingredients are somewhat similar to those used in the preparation of hot breads. An earthen bowl is preferable for the mixing of the batter. If this kind is not available, an enamel one rather than an aluminum one should be used. When cake dough is stirred in an aluminum dish, the sides usually become darkened and are liable to discolor the mixture.
Spoons for the mixing of the ingredients are also important. Enameled spoons are not very satisfactory, because the enamel is likely to chip off the edges. Aluminum spoons may be used. In fact, they have lightness in weight which recommends their use, but if much stirring is done, a slight discoloration is apt to occur from the spoon. Wooden spoons or spatulas are found to be the most satisfactory for this purpose. They are light in weight, cause no discoloration, and do not chip nor wear off.
24. Two measuring cups, one for the dry ingredients and one for the wet materials, should be provided, as they will prove a convenience. A tablespoon, a teaspoon, and a case knife are also necessary for measuring. To remove any foreign material from the flour and at the same time make it light, a flour sifter is required.
25. Certain utensils are required for the beating of the eggs used in cakes. If they are to be beaten separately before being put into the mixture, a bowl and a rotary egg beater should be provided. In case the eggs are to be separated and the whites beaten alone, a flat dish, such as a platter or a soup plate, and an egg whip are the most satisfactory.
26. The kind of pan required for the baking of cakes depends entirely on the kind of cake that is to be prepared. Fig. 1 shows the types of pans for which the housewife will have the most use. The square pan at the left is suitable for any kind of cake that is to be baked in the form of a loaf. In front of this is a layer-cake pan with a removable bottom. This type of layer-cake pan is the most satisfactory, for the cake may be lifted right out of the pan rim on the cake-pan bottom and the bottom then easily removed from the cake after it has been placed on the cooler. Of course, pans without false bottoms may also be used successfully with a little care. The large flat pan at the right is a pan for the baking of all kinds of cookies. On this is shown a round pan having a removable bottom, to the center of which is attached a tube. Sponge cakes, although they may be baked in loaf-cake pans, are generally baked in a pan of this kind. Pans for individual cakes range in size from large muffin pans, like the one shown at the right front, to pans that produce cakes very small in size.
