Foods, their selection and preparation

Proportions for cake must be developed so as to obtain a product that is of pleasing sweet flavor, tender, and light. The sugar contributes the sweetness; the tenderness is affected by both the sugar and the fat; and the eggs and the fat give the richness characteristic of cake. In beginning with a muffin recipe, one adds sugar to give the desired sweetness. When this is done the specific gravity of the mixture is increased to such a degree that the product would tend to fall if the cell walls were not strengthened by additional egg, flour, or both. As the egg is increased, the fat, too, should be increased to make the product tender. When the ingredients are numerous, as in cake, many variations are possible. The number of recipes is unlimited, especially when all the ingredients are varied. How¬ ever, if one ingredient is kept constant it may be seen that the variation is not so great as the number of recipes would in¬ dicate. In order to compare recipes, all the ingredients should be expressed in terms of one as a basis, and flour seems to serve this purpose best. Three cups flour make a large cake but one in which the proportions are easily divisible into halves or thirds to suit the needs of a small family. If all cake recipes are changed to the same amount of flour, the real limits of the proportions can be seen and a basis can be formed for work¬ ing out the interrelation among the amounts of the different ingredients. Comparison of Recipes. Table LXII shows some typical recipes summarized on this basis. There are many possible vari¬ ations among these proportions, but, in general, very small differences have little effect on the texture of the cake. Limits of Proportions. Other than pound cake, the richest of all cakes, the limits of proportions for cakes of this group, using 3 [297] Table LXII • Proportions of Typical Cake Mixtures Flour Liquid Sugar Eggs Fat1 Baking Powder Salt Sweet muffin . . Basic cake . . . 1-2-3-4 cake . . Pound cake . Cup Cup 1 2 Cup Number 2 to 3 . Cup £ Teaspoon 3 to 6 1^ to 3 Teaspoon cups flour, are these: £ to 1£ cups liquid, 1 to 2 cups sugar, 5 to 1 cup fat, and 1 £ to 4 eggs. In using these amounts, the following gen¬ eral rules governing the interrelation of the proportions should be observed. The sugar should never be increased be¬ yond the amount of 2 cups for 3 cups flour. When as few as 2 eggs are used, the sugar should be decreased to 1£ cups. Cakes with too much sugar fall in the center where the weight to be supported is greatest. These cakes exude fat and give the impression that the falling is caused by the presence of too much fat rather than too much sugar. This is probably due to the fact that the presence of so much sugar prevents the starch from being hydrolized, as it would ordinarily, so that it does not hold the fat nor does it strengthen the cell walls. An increased number of eggs makes it pos¬ sible to add more sugar. This is due to the fact that eggs strengthen the cell walls and make it possible for them to hold up the greater weight. As the fat is increased, the eggs must be increased. Fat tends to weaken the cell walls and egg strengthens them. The following relations work well between the egg and the fat in a standard cake using three cups flour: Eggs Fat