CAKE
In cake making special attention must be given to exact measurements and thorough mixing. Ingredients should always be the best. Flour, pulverized sugar and similar ingredients must all be sifted once before measuring, as they are liable to “pack” in sack or barrel. Soda, spices and baking powder should be stirred lightly before measuring. A cake is beaten well so as to get all air possible into mixture; the faster it is beaten the more air is incorporated in batter and cake in consequence will be lighter. “Folding” means mixing and blending of whites of stiffly beaten eggs which are added just before putting cake batter in pan. This must be done with care to avoid destroying lightness of air cells in either batter or eggs. You lift batter from bottom of bowl and fold it over beaten whites of eggs until they are no longer seen on top of batter.
In creaming butter and sugar, never warm them nor the bowl, because if heated just the least bit too much both flavor and texture of cake will suffer. If butter is too hard, a tbp of boiling water may be added to mixture in bowl to soften butter.
Fruit used in cakes should be washed, thoroughly dried and floured.
When measuring flour level cup with a knife. Butter or other shortening should be packed solidly into cup. Fat drippings can be used in place of butter in fruit or spice cakes; also in chocolate cake. Have the oven regulated before placing cake in it. Bake cakes in a moderate oven. As soon as the cake has risen well, the heat may be increased a little to give a good crust. Place the cake as near the center of the oven as possible. Do not open your oven door until your cake has been in the oven about 20 min.
Cake is done when it shrinks from the sides of the pan. Another test is to press the center of cake with finger, and if firm to touch, it is ready to come out of oven. Another test is piercing cake with a broom straw, and if it comes out clean, the cake is done. If sticky, bake a little longer.
Cake pans should be greased before mixing cake batter, using cold lard, dusted over afterward with flour. Large loaf cakes or fruit cakes should be baked in pans lined with greased paper.
Place pans as soon as taken from oven on wire netting or something that will allow air to circulate underneath pan. If cake sticks to pan, turn upside down and put a damp cloth over the bottom for a few minutes.
APPLESAUCE CAKE
1 c sugar, ½ c milk, ⅓ tsp salt, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 c brown sugar, 2 c flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 c applesauce.
Cream sugar and butter together; add milk; applesauce; mix well; add flour, cinnamon, salt and bp sifted together; beat well; bake in greased pan 45 min in moderate oven. 1 c raisins may be added if desired. This cake will not dry up quickly.
ANGEL FOOD CAKE
1 c sugar, 1 c sifted flour, ½ tsp cream of tartar, whites of 9 eggs, 1 tsp almond extract, ¼ tsp salt.
Sift sugar and flour together 5 times; beat the whites of eggs until foamy; then add cream of tartar sifted in them and beat till stiff; add sugar and flour; cut and fold whites in very carefully so as not to break air cells; flavor with almond extract; pour into tin lined with oiled paper; bake in slow oven; after 25 min heat may be increased a little; will require 45 min to bake. Important that cake should not be jarred while baking.
DUTCH APPLE CAKE
2 c flour, ½ tsp salt, 3 tsp bp, 3 tbp shortening, 1 egg, about 1 c milk, apples, sugar.
Sift together flour, salt and bp; rub in shortening and mix to light dough with beaten egg and milk; roll out ½ inch thick and lay on greased, shallow baking pan; pare and core apples; cut into eighths, lay pieces on dough; sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon to taste and bake about ½ hr in moderate oven; serve hot with whipped cream.
JELLY ROLL
3 eggs, 1 c sugar, tbp cold water, 1 c flour, 1 tsp bp, ⅓ tsp salt.
Beat eggs and sugar till quite thick; add water; flour, salt and bp sifted together twice; line a shallow pan with greased paper, pour in batter evenly; bake in quick oven about 12 min; turn onto a cloth or paper sprinkled with sugar; tear off paper and spread with jam or jelly; roll up quickly.
EGGLESS CAKE
½ c butter, 1⅓ c sugar, 1 c milk, 2½ c flour, 3 tsp bp, 1 c currants or raisins, ½ tsp mixed spices, ⅓ tsp salt.
Beat butter and sugar till light and creamy; add milk; fruit, and flour, salt, bp and spices sifted together. Turn into greased pan and bake in slow oven 1 hr.
WAR TIME CAKE
1½ c sugar, 3 c sifted flour, 1 c milk, ⅔ c shortening, ¾ c egg yolks, 4 tsp bp, 1½ tsp spices, 1 tbp lemon juice, ½ c raisins (these may be omitted).
Follow directions for Loaf Cake. Bake in 2 loaf tins 45 min.
LEMON CAKE
2 c sugar, ½ c butter, 3 eggs, 1¼ c milk, 3 tsp bp, grated rind 1 lemon, ½ tsp salt, 3 c flour.
Beat butter with half the sugar; add gradually remainder of sugar together with well-beaten eggs; mix in grated lemon; milk, and flour sifted with salt and bp; bake 40 min in moderate oven; cover with lemon frosting.
LAYER CAKE
1 c sugar, ½ c milk, ⅓ tsp salt, 2 eggs, 2 c flour, 2 tsp bp, 1 tsp vanilla.
Beat eggs and sugar to a froth; add milk; flour, salt and bp sifted together twice; vanilla or other flavoring; beat thoroughly; bake in well greased layer cake pans 20 min.
LOAF CAKE
½ c butter, 2 eggs, ⅓ tsp salt, 2 tsp bp, 1 c sugar, ½ c milk, 2 c flour, 1 tsp vanilla.
Cream sugar and butter thoroughly; add well beaten eggs; milk and vanilla; flour, salt and bp sifted together twice; beat thoroughly; bake in greased pan in moderate oven 45 min.
DATE CAKE
1 c sugar, 2 eggs, 3 c flour, 3 tsp bp, ½ c butter, 1 c milk, ½ tsp salt, 1½ c dates.
Follow directions under Loaf Cake. When all ingredients are mixed in batter carefully mix in stoned, cut up and floured dates; beat thoroughly; bake in well greased shallow pans in a moderate oven about 25 min.
POOR MAN’S CAKE
1 c sugar, 2 tsp butter, 2 c flour, ⅛ tsp salt, 1 egg, 1 c milk, 3 tsp bp, 1 tsp vanilla.
Follow directions for Loaf Cake.
CORNSTARCH CAKE
½ c butter, ½ c milk, ½ c cornstarch, 1 c sugar, 1½ c flour, ⅛ tsp salt, 2 tsp bp, 1 tsp vanilla, 6 egg whites.
Cream butter, sugar and salt together; add milk; cornstarch, flour and bp sifted together; mix well; add stiffly beaten whites of eggs and extract; bake 40 min in a moderate oven.
ORANGE CAKE
2 eggs, 1 c sugar, 1 tbp melted butter, ½ c milk, 1½ c flour, 2 tsp bp, 1 tbp orange juice, 1 tsp grated rind, mix in order given; bake in square pan; split and fill with orange cream.
Orange Cream: Put into a cup rind of ½ and juice of 1 orange, 1 tbp lemon juice; fill with hot water; strain and put on to boil; add 1 tbp corn starch, wet with cold water and cook 10 min, being careful not to scorch; beat yolk 1 egg with 2 heaping tsp sugar; add to mixture with 1 tsp butter; cook until butter is dissolved and cool; fill cake with cream and frost with orange icing.
LEMON CAKE
Is made by the above recipe, using lemon instead of orange.
PINEAPPLE CAKE
1 c sugar, 1 c butter, 3 egg yolks, 2 c flour, 2 tsp bp, 2 tbp pineapple juice.
Cream butter and sugar; add well-beaten yolks and flour sifted with bp; add flavoring; bake in 3 jelly cake tins. 2 tbp water and ¼ tsp mace with ½ tsp vanilla may be substituted for pineapple juice.
Filling: Boil 2 c sugar with ⅔ c cream for 10 min; take from fire and beat till thick and smooth; to ⅓ of this add 1 c grated pineapple to spread between layers. To remaining ⅔ add enough pineapple juice to make it spread smoothly for an icing.
COCOANUT CAKE
1 c sugar, 2 eggs, 2 c flour, 1 c shredded cocoanut, ⅓ c butter, ½ c milk, 2 tsp bp.
Cream butter and half sugar thoroughly; add well beaten eggs and remainder of sugar; milk and cocoanut; flour, salt and bp sifted together; beat well; bake in greased pan (either loaf or layer cake pan) about 40 min.
TEN MINUTE CAKE
1½ c flour, ¾ c sugar, 2 tsp bp, milk, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ c butter, ½ tsp flavoring extract, 2 eggs.
Sift together flour, salt, sugar and bp; melt butter in measuring cup, break in eggs and fill cup with milk; add flavoring; mix with dry ingredients; beat well for 7 min; bake in shallow pan; when cold, split; put together with any desired filling.
RAISIN CAKE
½ c sugar, 2 c flour, 3 tsp bp, ½ c raisins, ⅓ c butter, 1 egg, ⅓ tsp salt, ⅔ c milk.
Cream butter and sugar; add flour, salt and bp sifted together; floured raisins; beat egg well; add it with milk to other mixture; bake 45 min in moderate oven.
PLAIN SPONGE CAKE
3 eggs, 1 c sugar, ½ c hot water, 1 c sifted flour, 1 tsp bp, ⅓ tsp salt, grated rind of half lemon.
Beat eggs with half the sugar till they thicken; add water and remainder of sugar; beat again; put in grated lemon rind, flour sifted with salt, bp, folding these in as gently as possible. Bake about 30 min in shallow pan.
EGGLESS CAKE
½ c butter, 1 c milk, 3 tsp bp, ½ tsp mixed spices, 1⅓ c sugar, 2½ c flour, 1 c raisins or currants, ⅛ tsp salt.
Cream butter and sugar thoroughly; add milk, flour, salt, bp and spices sifted together; floured raisins; beat thoroughly; bake in slow oven 1 hr.
MARSHMALLOW CAKE
½ c butter, 1 c sugar, 2 eggs, 1 c milk, 2½ c flour, 3 tsp bp, ⅓ tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Cream butter and sugar; add yolks of eggs well beaten, milk; then flour, salt and bp sifted together twice; then vanilla; beat cake well; fold in gently whites of eggs whipped stiff; bake in 2 layer cake pans 20 min; put together with marshmallow filling.
EGGLESS-MILKLESS CAKE
1 c brown sugar rolled and sifted, 1 c raisins cut in halves, 1 c water, 4 tbp lard, 1½ tsp mixed ground spices.
Boil the above for 3 min; cool to lukewarm; add 1½ tsp soda dissolved in 1 tsp warm water; 1 tsp bp sifted in 2 c sifted flour; beat hard, and bake in greased pan.
PLAIN CAKE
⅓ c butter, 1 c sugar, 2 eggs, ½ c milk, 1¾ c flour, ½ tsp salt, 1½ tsp bp, 1 tsp vanilla.
Cream butter; add sugar gradually and continue creaming until light; add eggs well beaten; flour, bp and salt, alternately with milk; flavoring; beat well, turn into greased and floured cake pan and bake 45 min.
CHOCOLATE CAKE
Follow directions for Plain Cake; add 2 sq melted chocolate or 3 tbp cocoa and omit 2 tbp of flour.
SPICE CAKE
Follow directions for Plain Cake; add ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp clove, and omit vanilla.
NUT CAKE
Follow directions for Plain Cake; add 1 c walnut meats coarsely chopped.
SOUR MILK LAYER
¼ c butter and lard mixed, creamed with 1 c sugar; break egg in cup and fill up cup with sour milk; add this to sugar and butter; add 2 c pastry flour sifted with 1 tsp bp and ½ tsp soda; beat thoroughly; add 1 tsp vanilla.
COFFEE LAYER CAKE
½ c butter, 1 c brown sugar, 2 eggs, ½ c molasses, ½ c made coffee, 2 c flour, ½ tsp mixed spices, ½ tsp salt, 3 tsp bp.
Beat butter and sugar till creamy; add eggs, molasses and coffee, flour, salt, spices and bp sifted together; bake in layers 20 min; put together with frosting.
EXCELLENT SPONGE CAKE
3 eggs, separate whites and yolks and beat; 1 c sugar; add half the sugar to egg whites and beat; add half the sugar to egg yolks and beat; 1 c pastry flour, sifted 3 times; ½ tsp salt; add flour and salt to eggs and beat; add 3 tsp cold water and 1 tsp flavoring and beat; bake in moderate oven.
FIG LAYER CAKE
⅓ c butter, 1 c sugar, 1 egg, 1 c milk, ½ c finely chopped figs, 1½ c flour, ⅓ tsp salt, 2 tsp bp.
Beat butter and sugar till creamy; add beaten egg and milk, figs, flour, salt and bp sifted together; bake in layers 20 min; fill with fig filling.
ECONOMY CAKE
2 c molasses, 2 c hot water, 3 tbp lard, 1 pkg raisins, 1 tsp each of salt, cloves and cinnamon.
Boil these ingredients for 5 min until they bubble; when cold add 1 tsp soda dissolved in a little hot water and add 3 c flour; bake in 2 loaves 45 min.
ICE BOX CAKE
½ lb sweet chocolate, 3 tbp sugar, 1 doz lady fingers and equal amount of stale sponge cake, 1 c heavy cream, 3 tbp water, 4 egg whites, 4 egg yolks.
Cut chocolate in pieces and melt over hot water; add sugar gradually; stir until smooth; taken from fire; add egg yolks one at a time and beat into chocolate mixture; fold in stiffly beaten egg whites; line a loaf bread pan with oiled paper; put in a layer of lady fingers split in half then a layer of chocolate mixture; another layer each; stand in ice box over night; at serving time turn on platter and serve with the cup of cream beaten stiff over top.