FoodNet

Foods, their selection and preparation

1935

Page 282

Presented as published in 1935. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
The cake should be iced as soon as it is thoroughly cool, since one of the purposes of the icing is to keep it in a fresh condition. In order to keep the crumbs from mixing with the icing and giving an untidy appear¬ ance to the outside of the cake, it should be crumbed or spread over with a thin layer of icing which is allowed to dry before the re¬ mainder is put on. This serves to hold the crumbs in place, and the remainder of the icing can be applied without danger of loosening crumbs. If the icing is thick, it can be spread evenly by first dipping a spatula or knife into hot water. A more even sheen is ob¬ tained if the icing is poured on smoothly and allowed to dry on the outside without too much handling. For layer cakes, place one layer, rounded side down, on the cake plate and spread with icing. Should the icing be too soft to stay in place, do not put on the next layer imme¬ diately. When icing has set enough, place second layer, flat side down, gently on top of it. The layers may be held in place with wooden picks. When the layers are all in place, ice the sides of the cake, holding the spatula in a vertical position and pulling the icing up from the bottom toward the top of the cake. Last, pile the remaining icing on top of the cake and spread it lightly, giving it an uneven appearance. A cake is more attrac¬ tive if the icing is left somewhat rough, unless it is to be decorated by the use of a pastry tube. CARE AND STORAGE To keep a cake from drying out, it should be stored in tin, under glass, or in another airtight container. Cakes high in fat dry out less quickly than those low in fat. Icing the Cake • (Left) Spread icing carefully on lower layer; fit the next layer. (Right) Ice the sides, holding the spatula in a vertical position and lifting the icing toward the top. Pile remaining icing on the top. Leave the surface uneven. General Foods Corporation Cake Showing Good Texture and Attractive Icing and Showing Use of Filling An excellent way to keep cakes is to wrap them in vapor-proof- cellophane and freeze them at low temperature. After freezing they may be stored as near 0° F. as possible. In this way they will retain their original freshness for many weeks. COOKIES^VARIATION OF CAKE A cookie might be called a tiny cake. Cookies of one group are meringues (see pages 331-333), dried crisp in a slow oven. Most cookies are modifications of cake, how¬ ever. There are sponge-cake mixtures baked in forms and called "ladyfingers”; others made sufficiently stiff to retain designs pressed upon them, called "springerle” ; and a large group of varied products made from a base of cake containing fat. Those in this group are made by decreasing the amount of liquid in cake to form sheet cookies, drop cookies, rolled and cut cookies, and molded and sliced cookies. Sheet or Drop Cookies. From a cake bat¬ ter which pours, the liquid is decreased to form a drop batter. For sheet cookies, the batter is spread out in a thin layer on a greased pan or sheet for baking and cut into cookies after baking. For drop cookies, the