Woman's Institute Library of Cookery. Volume 4: Salads and Sandwiches; Cold and Frozen Desserts; Cakes, Cookies and Puddings; Pastries and Pies

by Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences

NECESSARY INGREDIENTS

7. QUALITY OF INGREDIENTS.--The materials used in the making of cakes should be of as good quality as possible, and when put into the cake they should be in the best condition. In this phase of cookery, as in all others, better results are obtained when good materials are used. Besides possessing this general characteristic, certain of the ingredients require special attention.

8. FAT FOR CAKES.--The fat used for cakes must necessarily be of an agreeable flavor, and for this reason butter is the kind in general use. There are, of course, other fats that may be used to advantage either as part or all of the fat required. However, when another fat is to take the place of butter, one that is practically flavorless should be chosen. Oleomargarine of various kinds, Crisco, and even some of the liquid fats are very satisfactory, especially in the making of cookies.

9. SWEETENING FOR CAKES.--Numerous varieties of sugar may be employed in the making of cakes. Probably granulated sugar is used more frequently than any other, but brown sugar, soft sugar, and confectioner's sugar all have a place in cake making. Any of these may be used in the preparation of icing as well as for an ingredient of the cake itself.

10. LEAVENING FOR CAKES.--An important source of leavening in cakes is eggs. For cakes to be most satisfactory, the eggs employed should be strictly fresh. During the season when they are scarce and consequently high in price, recipes that require only a few eggs should be prepared.

Baking powder, which is also an important leavening in cakes, should be of an approved brand that can be relied on to do the work expected of it. Soda and cream of tartar are sometimes used together, and, again, soda is used alone with molasses or sour milk. For every 3 eggs in a cake mixture, 1 teaspoonful of the baking powder called for in the recipe may be omitted. Altitude affects the amount of baking powder required in cakes. The quantity given in the recipes is correct for altitudes varying from sea level to 1/2 mile high, but it should be reduced one-fifth at an elevation of 1 mile, and three-tenths at an elevation of 7,000 feet.

11. LIQUID FOR CAKES.--Milk, as a rule, is the liquid used in cake making. It may be skim milk or whole milk, it may consist of part water and part milk, or it may be entirely water, depending on the kind of cake. When a large number of eggs are used in a cake, very little liquid is employed. Sometimes the liquid consists of molasses and sour milk used together, separately, or with some other liquid.

12. FLOUR FOR CAKES.--The flour used in the preparation of cakes may be bread, pastry, or blend flour, depending on the kind of cake desired. While a blend, or an all-purpose, flour makes a satisfactory cake, pastry flour, which is milled from soft winter wheat, or better still, cake flour, is more nearly ideal as the excess gluten is removed, and it is much finer milled; hence it produces a lighter, finer, more delicate cake. Wheat flour is the kind that is generally used, but other flours, such as white corn meal, rice flour, and potato flour, though producing a drying effect, are sometimes combined with wheat. A tablespoonful of corn starch sifted with the bread or hard wheat flour is an improvement over straight bread flour, but as it has a drying effect, it is not to be recommended.

MISCELLANEOUS INGREDIENTS

13. In addition to the ingredients that have just been mentioned, there are numerous other ingredients that are often used in cakes. Some of them are used for the purpose of adding flavor and variety to otherwise plain cakes, while many of them are used entirely for the purpose of flavoring. These ingredients, like the necessary ones, should be of excellent quality. It is essential that their use and value be understood, for by means of them pleasing variety may often be secured with just a plain-cake recipe. For instance, a plain cake as a foundation may be varied by using with it raisins, nuts, spices, coconut, preserved fruits of various kinds, or flavoring of some sort. To be able to use these ingredients properly, it is well for the housewife to be familiar with their nature and the treatment that must be given to them before they can be used.