To ^Iix Butter Cakes. — Use an earthen bowl, if
possible, for the mixing of butter cakes, and a wooden
spoon. The spoon without the slits is preferred. Meas-
ure the dry ingredients, flour, baking-powder, sugar
and butter, and separate the eggs. If the butter is
hard, pour some boiling water in the mixing-bowl and
let it stand for a few moments. Turn out and put the
butter in at once. Cut into small pieces, and let it
stand for a few moments to soften before creaming.
Stir butter until soft and very creamy, then add sugar-
slowly and continue the stirring. Separate the eggs,
and if yolks are to be used, beat them until thick, and
whites until stiff and dry. Add and fold in yolks, then
whites, folding lightly, then the flour in same way.
When all ingredients are added, beat vigorously for a
few moments, and turn into pans that have been pre-
pared, by buttering and lining with paraffin paper.
If this method is used in cake-making, the work is
quickly accomplished, and one measure-cup will answer
for all, by first measuring flour, sugar, butter, and
then the milk or Avater, whichever is to be used. A
fine-grained cake is made by long beating, and you
must use care -to have the butter and sugar well creamed^
298 SCIENTIFIC COOKING.
for this is the foundation of the cake. The sugar wants
to be dissolved in the butter. Never stir cake after
the final beating.
Fruit, when added to cake, is usually floured to
prevent its settling to the bottom. This precaution is
not necessary if added directly after the sugar, which
is usually done in the case of dark fruit-cake. Citron
is first cut into slices, then into strips, floured and put
in between layers of the cake mixture. Raisins are
cleaned, seeded and cut (not chopped). The raisins
and currants come in packages cleaned and ready for
use.
To Butter and Fill Pans.t— Put butter in small
saucepan, and place on warm part of range where it
will melt and salt settle to bottom. Use soft piece of
paper, and rub the pan so that every part will be well
buttered. Line with soft paper (paraffin is the best) ;
this protects bottom of cake in case oven is a little hot,
and makes it come out of pan easily, and gives a nice
surface for the frosting. In lining only cover the bot-
tom of pan; it is not necessary to butter paper if pan
is well buttered ; as soon as the heat of the oven strikes
it, the butter strikes right through the paper. Fill
pans two-thirds full of the cake mixture, and draw the
dough well to the sides and corners, leaving a slight
depression in center; this will give a flat top.
To Bake Cake. — The baking of cake is as impor-
tant as the mixing, and the best of cake is often spoiled
in the baking. The gas stove is the way to be sure of
your cake, as the cook can control the heat to any de-
gree she desires, if she is at all experienced. The oven
thermometer has not as yet proved a success, while the
hand of an experienced cook is a never-failing guide.
In bakinof cake a good wav to do is to divide the
CAKES. 299
Page 132
Presented as published in 1911. 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
To Mix Butter Cakes. — Use an earthen bowl, if possible, for the mixing of butter cakes, and a wooden spoon. The spoon without the slits is preferred. Measure the dry ingredients, flour, baking-powder, sugar and butter, and separate the eggs. If the butter is hard, pour some boiling water in the mixing-bowl and let it stand for a few moments. Turn out and put the butter in at once. Cut into small pieces, and let it stand for a few moments to soften before creaming. Stir butter until soft and very creamy, then add sugarslowly and continue the stirring. Separate the eggs, and if yolks are to be used, beat them until thick, and whites until stiff and dry. Add and fold in yolks, then whites, folding lightly, then the flour in same way. When all ingredients are added, beat vigorously for a few moments, and turn into pans that have been prepared, by buttering and lining with paraffin paper.
If this method is used in cake-making, the work is quickly accomplished, and one measure-cup will answer for all, by first measuring flour, sugar, butter, and then the milk or Avater, whichever is to be used. A fine-grained cake is made by long beating, and you must use care -to have the butter and sugar well creamed
for this is the foundation of the cake. The sugar wants to be dissolved in the butter. Never stir cake after the final beating.
Fruit, when added to cake, is usually floured to prevent its settling to the bottom. This precaution is not necessary if added directly after the sugar, which is usually done in the case of dark fruit-cake. Citron is first cut into slices, then into strips, floured and put in between layers of the cake mixture. Raisins are cleaned, seeded and cut (not chopped). The raisins and currants come in packages cleaned and ready for use.
To Butter and Fill Pans.t— Put butter in small saucepan, and place on warm part of range where it will melt and salt settle to bottom. Use soft piece of paper, and rub the pan so that every part will be well buttered. Line with soft paper (paraffin is the best) ; this protects bottom of cake in case oven is a little hot, and makes it come out of pan easily, and gives a nice surface for the frosting. In lining only cover the bottom of pan; it is not necessary to butter paper if pan is well buttered ; as soon as the heat of the oven strikes it, the butter strikes right through the paper. Fill pans two-thirds full of the cake mixture, and draw the dough well to the sides and corners, leaving a slight depression in center; this will give a flat top.
To Bake Cake. — The baking of cake is as important as the mixing, and the best of cake is often spoiled in the baking. The gas stove is the way to be sure of your cake, as the cook can control the heat to any degree she desires, if she is at all experienced. The oven thermometer has not as yet proved a success, while the hand of an experienced cook is a never-failing guide.
In baking cake a good wav to do is to divide the