Bread, cakes, and biscuits

cooling it shrinks, and leaves the tin, so is easier to slip out. If it should stick, slip the point of a knife round the edges, tap the mould gently on the table, then cover the mould with a hair sieve, reverse these, and the cake should slip out clean and uninjured on to the sieve, where it should be left untouched in a warm corner till set, when it can be lifted up without breaking or crumbling. The oven must be a very moderate one, so that the cake may heat through gradually, and a crust form round the sides to support the top as it rises. In an overheated oven the top will rise up sharply in a cone shipe drawn up by the heat, and the sides not being properly set as the top hardens, and con- sequently becomes heavier, they give way, the top falls in, and the cake becomes heavy. It must also be remembered that a draught (before the cake is properly set), or a jar in putting it into the oven, or the slamming of the oven door when this has been opened to examine the cake, are each and all sufficient to make the cake drop and “ sadden.” Bear in mind also that the cake mould should never be set flat on the oven shelf, but in a baking tin containing a good layer of sand or salt. If this is neglected, the cake will be burnt, or at least too darkly coloured on top. To test if the cake is done, prick it with a clean splinter of wood or a fine knitting needle, draw this- out gently, and if it is quite clean and dry, the cake is ready. If, however, it is stained or damp, the sponge requires longer baking. It cannot be too strongly impressed on the amateur that a great deal of the success in this cake- making depends on the preparation of the mould. Try it in this way: Wash the mould thoroughly, and dry it per- fectly. Now dissolve 2oz. or 3oz. of butter, and either paint the inside of the mould thickly and evenly with this liquid, or pour the butter into the mould and turn and tilt the mould till every particle of its surface is buttered ; then pour out the superfluous butter in a jar (this can be used again) and dust the inside of the mould with equal parts of 112 BREAD, CAKES. AND BISCUITS. tine dried flour and caster sugar (for an average tin a table- spoonful each of sugar and flour sifted together, will be sufficient), then turn the mould upside down, and tap it to drive out the loose sugar, &c., leaving a smooth even white surface. No w fasten a strip of white buttei’ed paper, coated like the mould, round the top of the tin as for a souffle, and, when this is all firm, pour in enough cake mixture to half till the mould and bake as described above A sponge cake mould should always be got ready first, so that the moment the mixture is ready, it may at once be put into the mould, while the flour and sugar coating should be firm before the mould is filled up. The appearance of a sponge cake depends so much on the care with which the mould is prepared that care on this point is well repaid. Do not forget that till a sponge cake is perfectly set, it should never be moved from a warm corner as the slightest chill is enough to make it close and heavy at once. A quickly made sponge cake is prepared thus : Beat the yolks of three eggs separately till quite light, then beat them well (with a Dover egg beater for five to seven minutes, or twelve to fifteen minutes with a fork), then mixing in gradually and lightly the weig