Foods, their selection and preparation

BOTH BAKING POWDER AND SODA (Devil’s-Food Cake) -H m So > 5 Baking Powder Soda2 -H Z CZ ZJO m CO Feet Sea level 2.500 to 3,000 . 5,000 . 7.500 . 10,000 . Tea¬ spoons Tea¬ spoons f Tea¬ spoons Tea¬ spoons °F. Since at 10,000 feet the internal tempera¬ ture attained within cakes during baking is lower than at sea level, because of the low¬ ered boiling point of water, the strength or rigidity of the cakes derived from the flour and eggs is less; therefore, those ingredients which make cakes tender, fat and sugar, and those which give added strength, eggs, are indirectly affected by high altitude. Both fat and sugar should be decreased at 5,000 feet and above: approximately 10 per cent at 5,000 feet, 15 per cent at 7,500 feet, and 1 Cakes and Cookies. Bulletin No. 489, Colorado Experiment Station, pp. 18, 20, and 33.2 This depends upon how the soda is used and the type of chocolate or cocoa.3 At 10,000 feet the internal temperature attained within the baking cake has been found to be at least 18° F. lower than at sea level, because of the lowered boiling point of water. Hence the oven temperature must be increased. 30 per cent at 10,000 feet. Eggs should be increased by the time 10,000 feet is reached, approximately one extra egg to a two-cups-of flour cake. Cakes containing large amounts of sugar, fat, and eggs show the most pronounced effects of high altitude. ICING THE CAKE Icing a cake serves two purposes. First, by covering the outside it prevents drying out and keeps the cake moist. Second, the icing increases the attractiveness and palatability of the cake. All icings are candy mixtures and the principles used in candymaking should be applied in their preparation. They are simply cooked to a lower concentration. Cake icings or frostings may be classified as follows : Uncooked Icings. Confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar is added to a liquid or to a suitable fat, until the consistency is right to spread. Frequently both fat and liquid are used. These icings are seldom as smooth as properly prepared cooked icings, but are quickly made and there is little chance for a failure. Butter icings (same as hard sauce) are especially easy to handle when used in a pastry tube to decorate a cake. Boiled Icings. This group includes the fondant, fudge, caramel, and divinity icings. These should be cooked in the same way as the corresponding cream candies (except a few degrees less hard), cooled, and creamed. The icing may be spread on the cake before it begins to harden in creaming, or it may be resoftened in order to be spread on the cake; it may also be used with a pastry tube for decorating the cake. Small cakes are fre¬ quently dipped in icing just as large candies are dipped in melted fondant. Some of the most desirable icings are those given a special texture by the addition of egg white to the sirup. The texture which re- [305] General Foods Corporation Making Double-Boiler Icing • {Left) Place ingredients in top of double boiler over boiling water and beat until peaks hold from the beater. {Right) Remove from the hot water, add flavoring, and continue to beat until it is thick enough to spread