To the Student. It has been said that there is really no need to include a lesson on cake making in a formal course of instruction, for whether they are taught or not, girls will naturally make cake, and the principles involved can be taught by means of those more prosaic and every- day dishes which are far more important in the daily diet. This lesson, then, may be omitted, or if it is included may be used as an exercise in originality, since no recipe, but general instructions only, will be given. There are two great classes of cakes — those made with butter or other shortening, and those made without. The first is the more important class, in that it is the larger, and it includes the greater variety. The standard or type form of this class, from which ever so many other cakes can be derived, is the old-fashioned one called the '' one-two-three-four " cake, so named because one (part) of butter, two of sugar, three of flour, and four eggs are called for in the orthodox recipe. Experienced cake makers have called this the " mother of cakes." A diagrammatic representation of this standard mixture is given on page 202. This shows how variety may be intro- duced, and it illustrates the wide scope for individual taste that is afforded in the various kinds and amounts of ingredients that may be used. An explanation of the diagram will follow. Note. For every cup of nuts, when nuts are used, one-quarter teaspoonful of salt should be added to the cake mixture. This will 201 202 PRINCIPLES OF FOOD PREPARATION bring out the flavor of the nuts in such a way as greatly to add to the deliciousness of the cake. Likewise, when nuts are used, one-quarter cup of butter should be subtracted from the maximum amount, since nuts are rich in fat, and an excess of this will cause the cake to fall. When chocolate is used, one-half ounce of butter should be subtracted from the maximum amount, since chocolate contains nearly half its weight of fat. ^ tupsoLdcia yA"fep.oLSattf DIAGRAM OF CAKE MAKING EXPLANATION OF THE DIAGRAM The three cups of flour are here taken as the standard and unalterable quantity, since the proportion of all the other ingredients may vary according to circumstances^ CAKES, PIES, AND PUDDINGS 203 Even the amount of flour may vary, according to its thickening property, as shown in the work in preceding chapters. But it is in this case assumed to be constant, and all the other ingredients are allowed for on the basis of this quantity. A question mark follows the prescribed amount of salt, since if salted butter is used this may be omitted or lessened. Extending from the angles of the hexagon to right and left are the minimum and maximum quantities of eggs, milk, butter, and sugar. The eggs and milk, taken to- gether, should equal one and one-half cups of liquid, ac- cording to the rules for the thick batter given on page 146 ; thus, the smaller the number of eggs the larger will be the amount of milk used. The baking powder will simi- larly be used in larger quantity if the number of eggs is fewer.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

To the Student. It has been said that there is really no need to include a lesson on cake making in a formal course of instruction, for whether they are taught or not, girls will naturally make cake, and the principles involved can be taught by means of those more prosaic and everyday dishes which are far more important in the daily diet. This lesson, then, may be omitted, or if it is included may be used as an exercise in originality, since no recipe, but general instructions only, will be given. There are two great classes of cakes — those made with butter or other shortening, and those made without. The first is the more important class, in that it is the larger, and it includes the greater variety. The standard or type form of this class, from which ever so many other cakes can be derived, is the old-fashioned one called the '' one-two-three-four " cake, so named because one (part) of butter, two of sugar, three of flour, and four eggs are called for in the orthodox recipe. Experienced cake makers have called this the " mother of cakes." A diagrammatic representation of this standard mixture is given on page 202. This shows how variety may be introduced, and it illustrates the wide scope for individual taste that is afforded in the various kinds and amounts of ingredients that may be used. An explanation of the diagram will follow. Note. For every cup of nuts, when nuts are used, one-quarter teaspoonful of salt should be added to the cake mixture. This will bring out the flavor of the nuts in such a way as greatly to add to the deliciousness of the cake. Likewise, when nuts are used, one-quarter cup of butter should be subtracted from the maximum amount, since nuts are rich in fat, and an excess of this will cause the cake to fall. When chocolate is used, one-half ounce of butter should be subtracted from the maximum amount, since chocolate contains nearly half its weight of fat. DIAGRAM OF CAKE MAKING EXPLANATION OF THE DIAGRAM The three cups of flour are here taken as the standard and unalterable quantity, since the proportion of all the other ingredients may vary according to circumstances^ Even the amount of flour may vary, according to its thickening property, as shown in the work in preceding chapters. But it is in this case assumed to be constant, and all the other ingredients are allowed for on the basis of this quantity. A question mark follows the prescribed amount of salt, since if salted butter is used this may be omitted or lessened. Extending from the angles of the hexagon to right and left are the minimum and maximum quantities of eggs, milk, butter, and sugar. The eggs and milk, taken together, should equal one and one-half cups of liquid, according to the rules for the thick batter given on page 146 ; thus, the smaller the number of eggs the larger will be the amount of milk used. The baking powder will similarly be used in larger quantity if the number of eggs is fewer.

Principles of food preparation