Foods, their selection and preparation

When this method is used to its best advantage the result is an even, fine-grained cake of feathery lightness and "melt in your mouth” quality. Following carefully the order of work does not insure a cake as just described, even with the highest quality of ingredients and proper baking. Work, time, and skill play important roles in attaining the results desired. Thoroughness in combining the ingredients is of major importance. When this is skimped the results show in the finished cake. For example, creaming the fat and sugar should be continued to just the right point; the two should be blended into a smooth fluffy mass resembling whipped cream. This well-creamed foundation is essential to a fine-grained feathery cake. It is difficult to state the amount of time needed for mixing a cake by this method, since an experienced cook works more rapidly than a beginner. When mixing by hand, few experienced persons will complete it in less than 15 minutes of working time, taking time out for resting. There are a number of variations of the conventional or standard method. Some of these follow. Conventional-Meringue Method. Just as with the modified muffin method, the separated egg whites may be made into a meringue with a part of the sugar. This [301] meringue is folded into the batter last. Excellent cakes of feathery texture have been made from lard by this method. Whole-Egg Method. Instead of sepa¬ rating the eggs and adding the yolks to the creamed fat and sugar, the whole eggs may be added at this stage. When the whites are not beaten separately and added last, more baking powder is needed. The whole eggs may be well beaten before adding to the creamed fat and sugar, which makes them combine more easily and adds some extra air to the mixture. As a shortcut in this method, the eggs may be added unbeaten, one at a time, to the creamed fat and sugar. This method, how¬ ever, requires vigorous beating and unless an electric mixer is used, it is easier to beat the eggs before adding them. New Speed Method. For many years there has been little change in cakemaking. Most cakes of the group containing added fat have been made by the standard or conven¬ tional method. There have been quickly made "dump cakes” made in electric mixers and cakes made by the muffin method; but, in the main, these quickly made cakes were usually plain economy cakes, made to be eaten at once or served with a hot sauce. Not everyone wants always to serve these plain cakes, nor does everyone have the time, patience, and skill required for the conven¬ tional method of making a cake. To solve this problem, a new speedy method of making cakes has been developed. This method is an adaptation of one long used by professional bakers, and for this reason has been called, by some authorities, the "modi¬ fied bakers’ method.” By others, it has been named the "one-bowl method,” since one bowl is all that is needed to complete the process of mixing the cake. Essentially the same method also is known as "quick-mix,” "easy-mix,” "mix-easy,” etc. There is no doubt that cakes made by