Sponge Cake^. These are made without butter, and
when quite rich contain only eggs, sugar, flavoring, and
flour. A less expensive kind is made by using some liquid,
usually water, and more flour, and substituting soda and
cream of tartar or baking-powder for part of the eggs. In
mixing, beat the yolks of the eggs until light and thick, add
the sugar, flavoring, and water, then the flour mixed with the
soda and cream of tartar or baking-powder, and lastly the
beaten whites of the eggs. When only eggs, sugar, and
flour are used, there must be vigorous beating of the yolks
and sugar, and no beating at all after the whites and flour are
added, — only a mixing of the ingredients.
Baking Cake. Do not attempt to make cake unless you
can have entire control of the fire. It should be rather low,
but sufficient to heat the oven moderately, and to last with-
out replenishing through the entire baking. Thin cakes
require a hotter oven than those baked in thick loaves.
Cakes made w^th baking-powder or soda and cream of
tartar should bake more quickly than pound cake or sponge
cake made light with eggs alone. Cakes with molasses in
them require a quick oven, but as they burn quickly they
must be baked with care. Whichever kind you are baking,
ascertain from the time-table the time required and divide
it into quarters. Look at it quickly, within five minutes.
During the first quarter of the time the cake should merely
rise and not brown. If it brown before rising, the oven is
too hot and must be cooled.
It should continue to rise on the edges during the second
quarter and begin to brown in spots.
In the third quarter it should rise in the center and become
all over a rich golden brown, and perhaps crack a little in
the middle. If the dough boils up out of the crack the oven
is too hot, and if it remains up too much flour has been used,
for in the last quarter it should settle to a level, brown in
the crack, and shrink from the pan.
During the first and second quarter the cake may be moved
CAKE MAKING AND BAKING 273
carefully if necessary, but in the third quarter, or when it is
fully risen but not stiffened by the heat, there is danger of
its falling, if moved, or if the oven door is slammed. Pro-
tect it by a piece of stiff paper, creased on each end that the
edges may rest on the oven bottom with the top an inch above
the cake.
Cake is done when it shrinks from the pan and stops
hissing, or when a straw inserted in the center comes out
clean.
Loosen the edges of the cake with a knife and turn the
pan over carefully upon a cloth laid over a bread cooler or
sieve, leaving the cake top-side up.
Recipe, No. 188. Plain Cake
I c. butter. 1 tsp. baking-powder.
1 c. sugar. 1^ c. flour.
2 eggs. I tsp. spice, or
I c. milk. ^ tsp. flavoring✪ Plain Cake.
Page 140 · 2 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1915. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Sponge Cake^. These are made without butter, and when quite rich contain only eggs, sugar, flavoring, and flour. A less expensive kind is made by using some liquid, usually water, and more flour, and substituting soda and cream of tartar or baking-powder for part of the eggs. In mixing, beat the yolks of the eggs until light and thick, add the sugar, flavoring, and water, then the flour mixed with the soda and cream of tartar or baking-powder, and lastly the beaten whites of the eggs. When only eggs, sugar, and flour are used, there must be vigorous beating of the yolks and sugar, and no beating at all after the whites and flour are added, — only a mixing of the ingredients.
Baking Cake. Do not attempt to make cake unless you can have entire control of the fire. It should be rather low, but sufficient to heat the oven moderately, and to last without replenishing through the entire baking. Thin cakes require a hotter oven than those baked in thick loaves. Cakes made with baking-powder or soda and cream of tartar should bake more quickly than pound cake or sponge cake made light with eggs alone. Cakes with molasses in them require a quick oven, but as they burn quickly they must be baked with care. Whichever kind you are baking, ascertain from the time-table the time required and divide it into quarters. Look at it quickly, within five minutes. During the first quarter of the time the cake should merely rise and not brown. If it brown before rising, the oven is too hot and must be cooled.
It should continue to rise on the edges during the second quarter and begin to brown in spots.
In the third quarter it should rise in the center and become all over a rich golden brown, and perhaps crack a little in the middle. If the dough boils up out of the crack the oven is too hot, and if it remains up too much flour has been used, for in the last quarter it should settle to a level, brown in the crack, and shrink from the pan.
During the first and second quarter the cake may be moved
CAKE MAKING AND BAKING 273
carefully if necessary, but in the third quarter, or when it is fully risen but not stiffened by the heat, there is danger of its falling, if moved, or if the oven door is slammed. Protect it by a piece of stiff paper, creased on each end that the edges may rest on the oven bottom with the top an inch above the cake.
Cake is done when it shrinks from the pan and stops hissing, or when a straw inserted in the center comes out clean.
Loosen the edges of the cake with a knife and turn the pan over carefully upon a cloth laid over a bread cooler or sieve, leaving the cake top-side up.
Recipe, No. 188. Plain Cake
I c. butter. 1 tsp. baking-powder.
1 c. sugar. 1^ c. flour.
2 eggs. I tsp. spice, or I c. milk. ^ tsp. flavoring.
Records on this page
Plain CakeWater Sponge Cake