14. CURRANTS AND RAISINS.--As has already been learned, currants and raisins are varieties of dried grapes. Currants do not contain seeds, but raisins come in both seeded and seedless varieties, and either of these are satisfactory for cake making. Currants are often dry and hard, and as they are usually very dirty they require considerable cleaning to prevent them from being gritty when the cake is eaten. Because of these facts, currants are not very satisfactory and consequently are usually replaced by raisins, which may be used, either chopped or whole, for any of the purposes currants are used. If small raisins are desired, sultanas, which are a small, light-colored, and mild-flavored variety, are the best to purchase. These two fruits increase the food value of the mixtures to which they are added. Raisins, being extremely high in carbohydrate, are especially valuable as an ingredient.
Before currants and raisins are used in cake mixtures, they should be thoroughly cleaned. To clean them, place them in a colander, and then turn a stream of cold water over them and rub them between the fingers until all dirt or other foreign material is removed. When clean, allow them to dry as thoroughly as possible before using them.
15. MISCELLANEOUS FRUITS.--Fruits other than currants and raisins are often used in the preparation of cakes and puddings. These, which may be dried, canned, or preserved, include dates, figs, citron, apricots, prunes, cherries, plums, pears, peaches, and pineapple. Candied orange and lemon peel are generally used in the preparation of fruit cake. All of these fruits add food value and flavor.
A certain amount of preparation must be given to fruits before they can be used in cakes. All of them except the canned fruits must be thoroughly washed, and some of them, such as dates, must have the stones removed. Those which are very hard, as, for instance, figs and citron, may be steamed to make them soft. The steaming may be done by placing the fruit in a colander over a vessel of boiling water and covering the colander to retain the steam. When treated in this manner, these fruits will cut more easily and will be softer and more moist in the finished cake.
16. NUTS.--In the making of cakes, nuts of almost any variety may be utilized. Not only do they add a large amount of food value in the form of fat, but they increase the richness of the cake and provide a very delightful flavor. The nut meats are generally too large in size to be used whole, and so they must be made smaller before they are added to the mixture. They may be put through a chopper, but usually it is preferable to chop them with a chopping knife in a bowl or cut them into pieces with a paring knife.
It should be remembered, however, that the use of nuts in a cake adds greatly to the cost, for, with the exception of peanuts, they are rather expensive, particularly when they are bought shelled. As can readily be understood, both the nuts themselves and the labor involved in removing the shells must be paid for. The cost, of course, may be reduced by buying the nuts in the shells and shelling them at home.
17. COCONUT.--The flesh of the coconut when shredded is much used in the preparation of cakes, being put in the cake mixture or used in connection with icing between the layers and over the top layer. Coconut may be purchased already shredded in boxes or cans, or it may be obtained in the shells and then shredded at home. That which is prepared commercially either is dried, when it will be found to be somewhat hard, or is mixed with the milk of the coconut or with glycerine, which keeps it soft. Much more satisfactory coconut can be secured by procuring a coconut, cracking open the shell, removing the flesh, and then grating or grinding it. Coconut of this kind will be found to be very delicious and will make excellent cake. In case coconut becomes dry and hard before it is used, it can be softened by steaming it in the manner in which dried fruits are steamed.
18. CHOCOLATE AND COCOA.--Materials that are much used for flavoring cake mixtures and icings are chocolate and cocoa. Chocolate is sold in pound and half-pound cakes in both the bitter and the sweetened form, while cocoa is sold in packages or bottles in powder form. The bitter chocolate gives the greatest amount of food value and flavor and is therefore used the most. Cocoa is neither so strong in flavor nor so high in food value as chocolate, but it can be substituted for chocolate when this is not in supply.
19. SPICES.--In many kinds of cake, spices are needed to give the desired flavor. When they are to be used for this purpose, they should be obtained in the ground form and then mixed with the dry ingredients. The principal varieties used in cakes are cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Sometimes a combination of all these is added to the mixture, but very often just a little cinnamon or a mild flavoring of nutmeg is all that is required. When spices are purchased, the best possible brands should be selected, because these things are very easily adulterated with other materials and adulterated spices have not so much strength as the better kinds.
20. FLAVORING EXTRACTS.--In cake preparation, almost more than in any other part of cookery, flavoring extracts have a place. They are used in plain cakes that do not contain any of the other miscellaneous ingredients, and some of them are also added to many cake mixtures and icings that contain fruits, nuts, spices, chocolate, etc. Vanilla, which is an alcoholic extract of the vanilla bean, is probably used more frequently than any other flavoring. The alcoholic extracts of orange, lemon, almond, pistachio, and various other flavors are also valuable in cake making. When any of these flavorings are used in cakes, it should be remembered that much of their strength is lost through the baking. Therefore, in order that the cake may be well flavored after it is baked, a comparatively large quantity of flavoring must be used.