Foods, their selection and preparation

. i CUP . £ cup . £ cup . 1 cup As the eggs and the fat are increased, the liquid must be decreased or the mixture will become too soft and the cell walls will not become firm during baking. When the fat is no more than 1 cup and the number of eggs does not exceed 4, 1 cup liquid gives good results, probably because of the relation between the sugar and the liquid. If the eggs are increased beyond 4, the liquid should be decreased to £ cup. In pound cake,2 in which 6 eggs are used, no other liquid is added. In this case, the amount of fat is large (1 £ cups) and decreases the necessity for liquid. The texture of pound cake is quite different from that of the other cakes in this group. Checking Recipes. From what has been said, it may be seen that it is possible to tell whether a cake recipe will work before mak¬ ing a baking test. The proportions of the ingredients should conform, in general, to the following basic rules: 1. Sugar should not exceed § of the meas¬ ure of the flour, and in most cases £ is safer. 2. There should be at least 2 eggs if the fat is as much as £ cup; 3 eggs for £ cup fat, and 4 eggs for 1 cup fat. 3. The liquid should be approximately £ the measure of soft- wheat flour; when less than 2 eggs and £ cup fat are used, the liquid is increased. Variations in Cake. There are endless va¬ riations in cake. As has been seen, the ba¬ sic ingredients may be varied within wide 2Pound cake gets its name from the fact that, in a larger recipe than the one given here, there is one pound of each of the essential ingredients: flour, sugar, fat, and eggs. ^nsalted fat. limits, from a very plain cake, resembling muffins, to a very rich one, such as pound cake. There are other ways to vary cake to ob¬ tain entirely different results. One is the part of the egg which is used: Gold cake is made by using all yolks, double the number of whole eggs called for. The milk and leavening may need to be in¬ creased slightly. White cake is made from all whites, sub¬ stituting the same measure of whites for whole egg. Other variations include these: Spice cake is made by adding \ teaspoon cinnamon and smaller amounts of other spices, such as nutmeg and clove, to each cup flour. The simplest method of combining the spices with the other ingredients is to sift them with the other dry ingredients. Some authorities suggest combining them with 1 tablespoon boiling water, then adding them to the batter. Fruit cake usually is spiced, and contains chopped dried fruits and nuts. These are combined with part of the flour, and added last. Chocolate cake is made in various ways and with either cocoa or chocolate. The simplest proportions are to substitute 2 tablespoons cocoa for 2 tablespoons of each cup of flour called for. An equivalent amount of chocolate may be used. It is melted over hot water or over low heat and added with the fat. Chocolate cakes vary considerably in color from light brown to dark brown and deep mahogany-red. The quantity and kind (see page 344) of cocoa or chocolate affect the color of chocolate cakes. The kind and amount of chemical leavening also affect their color. Any baking powder that leaves an acid residue tends to give a grayed effect. Red chocolate cake, known as "devil’s food,” is alkaline in reaction, usually as the result