FoodNetArchive

Boston Cooking-School cook book

1896

Page 267

Presented as published in 1896. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Use fine sugar, fresh eggs, and good shortening, either butter or one of the many excellent cooking fats. Use cake or pastry flour. Cake and pastry flours are made of soft wheat and are used wherever delicate texture is required. If bread flour is used, reduce amount by two tablespoons for each cup of flour required in recipe. To Mix Sponge Cakes. 1. Measure all ingredients. Sift sugar through fine sifter one to four times before measuring. Sift flour once before measuring. 2. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and beat in gradually 1 tablespoon sugar for each egg white (out of sugar called for in recipe) and set aside. 3. Beat egg yolks with same beater until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in remaining sugar. 4. Combine yolks and whites. 5. Mix and sift remaining dry ingredients and cut and fold into egg mixture. Do not beat after adding flour, to avoid breaking air bubbles. To Mix Butter Cakes. 1. Measure allingredients. Sift flour before measuring. Out of sugar called for in recipe, reserve 1 table- spoon for each egg white used. 2. Cream butter by working with wooden spoon until soft and creamy. Add remaining sugar gradually, beating until light. 3. If eggs are to be added whole, beat thoroughly and add reserved sugar. If eggs are to be separated, beat whites until stiff but not dry and beat in sugar reserved for the purpose, and set aside; beat yolks thoroughly with same beater. 4. Add beaten eggs or yolks to butter and sugar mixture. (over) 648 THE BOSTON COOKING-SCHOOL COOK BOOK 5. Add dry ingredients and liquid alternately. Beat thoroughly but do not stir. 6. Fold in egg whites. To Mix Cake with an Electric Beater. 1. Measure all ingre- dients. Have all materials at room temperature and the butter cut in pieces and soft. Sift flour before measuring. Add flavoring to liquid. If egg whites are to be added separately, beat until stiff but not dry and add 1 tablespoon for each egg white out of the amount of sugar called for in recipe. 2. Cream butter until soft and creamy and beat in sugar until light. 3. Beat in whole eggs or egg yolks vigorously. 4. Change to slow speed and add flour and milk. Beat only long enough to mix. Do not overbeat. 5. Fold in egg whites with mixing spoon. Special recipes and instructions generally come with the mixer. A few recipes especially well adapted to this method are: Lightning Cake (p. 656) Grandmother’s Pound Cake (p. 661) Cream Cake (p. 654) Quick Date Cake (p. 668) Prize Cake (p. 656) Banana Cake (p. 668) Chocolate Cake (p. 662) Harvard Cake (p. 668) Golden Spice Cake (p. 669) To Add Fruit to Cake Mixture. Flour fruit before adding to light mixture. Add directly after sugar, without flouring, to dark mixture. Cut citron in thin slices, then in strips, flour, and put between layers of cake mixture. Cut raisins with scissors, but do not chop. Cake-Making at High Altitudes. At high altitudes the pressure inside the cake must be decreased unless sufficient binding material, such as flour and eggs, is used to keep the gas in after it is formed. In very rich cakes reduce the baking powder, shorten- ing, and sugar, or use the same amounts of these ingredients and add slightly more flour or more eggs. For most cakes use one tea- spoon baking powder for each cup flour, and reduce sugar by one-fourth. To Butter and Fill Pans. Do not grease pans for sponge or angel cake mixtures. x i, ¥ 1 s, : a — i vi _ LOAF AND LAYER CAKES 649 For butter cakes, grease pan with melted fat, using pastry brush or waxed paper. Dredge thoroughly with flour, invert, and shake to remove superfluous flour. Pans may be lined with wax paper before greasing. In filling, have mixture come well to corners and sides of pans, leaving a slight depression in the center. Fill pans two-thirds full to have cake come to top of pan when baked.