Foods, their selection and preparation

Sponge cakes well may be considered along with egg cookery, since the high pro¬ portion of egg which they contain is respon¬ sible for their character. They are in reality a development from omelets and souffles. Sponge cakes differ from the large group of cakes containing fat, sometimes called "butter cakes,’’ in that they contain no added fat, except that contributed by the yolks, and have a sufficiently large amount of egg for the enclosed air to leaven them. This high proportion of egg is responsible for the texture of this group of cakes and the method of combining and baking them. These cakes should be very light and spongy; hence their name. Kinds of Sponge Cakes. This group of cakes may be divided into three subgroups on the basis of the portion of the egg used. In sponge cakes proper, the whole egg is used; in angel-food cakes, only the white; while in sunshine cakes, the whole egg is used with a larger proportion of white than yolk. In a typical member of this group of cakes no baking powder is used. Basic Proportions. Basic proportions for sponge cakes are quite simple: approxi¬ mately equal measures of flour, sugar, and eggs; or, 1 part flour to 2 parts each, by weight, of sugar and eggs. Table XXII gives basic proportions for sponge, angel-food, and sunshine cakes. In sunshine and angel-food cakes, the sugar is frequently increased over the other ingredients. Increasing the sugar increases the tenderness of the cake. Acid is added to this group of cakes to make them more tender, since acid lowers the coagulation temperature of the mixture. If too much acid is used, the cake becomes 'ted into the whip comes out clean. [107] Table XXII • Basic Proportions for Sponge Cakes Ingredients Sponge Cake Sunshine Cake Angel Food Cake flour, sifted . . . Granulated sugar, fine . Eggs, fresh . Salt . Acid . Flavoring . Water . 1 cup 1 cup 1 cup (4 to 6 me¬ dium) 5 teaspoon 1 tablespoon lemon juice Grated rind of \ lemon 2 to 3 tablespoons, hot 1 cup 1 to 1½ cups 1 cup (3 yolks, 6 whites) 5 teaspoon 1 tablespoon lemon juice Grated rind of ^ lemon 0 to 1 tablespoon 1 cup 1 to 1^ cups 1 to 1½ cups whites (8 to 10 medium) 5 teaspoon 1 teaspoon cream of tartar \ to 1 teaspoon ex¬ tract too tender, tends to shrink and fall, and shows an excess of moisture in the crumb. Since the flavor of lemon is liked in the yellow sponge cakes, lemon juice is the acid frequently used. Lemon juice serves a triple purpose: (1) acts as acid, (2) gives a desir¬ able flavor, and (3) furnishes necessary liquid for the concentrated egg yolk. Since the amount of water in egg varies, it may be necessary to vary the amount of water used in sponge cakes. It will be help¬ ful to study the appearance of batters and the results obtained, thus learning what con¬ stitutes a good sponge-cake batter. When too much liquid is used the cake batter is too thin and separates into layers during baking. (Another reason for layering is failure to bake the batter promptly after mixing.)