The
New York
Cake Book:
Fifty Recipes
By
A Famous New York Chef.
New York:
C. A. Montgomery & Co.,
1904.
Copyright, 1904,
by
C. A. Montgomery & Co.
General Directions
for
Making Cake.
It is absolutely essential to themaking of good cake that thematerials should be good; the flourmust be white and dry, and carefullysifted before using; the sugarwhite and free from lumps; theeggs above suspicion; the buttersweet and fresh, and the milk wholeor unskimmed. It is hardly lessimportant that the measuring andweighing should be accuratethroughout, and that each step inthe process of mixing should berightly taken. The flour, as wehave said, should be sifted before4measuring, and if damp driedthoroughly. The eggs should bebeaten separately,—the whites in acool room till they are solid enoughto slice. The milk may be usedeither sour or sweet, but the twomust never be mixed; sour milkmakes spongy cake, sweet makes itmore solid. The soda should bethoroughly dissolved in hot waterand strained before it is stirred intocake. Currants should be carefullyrinsed, rubbed in a dry cloth to getout the stems, and then spread onplatters and dried, before beingused. Almonds should be blanched,by pouring boiling water on them;drain and repeat the process andthey will readily pop from the skin;when blanched, dry and then poundthem fine with a few drops of milk,to prevent their oiling. All kindsof cake that are made without yeast5are better for being stirred till justbefore they are baked. When readyto mix, stir the butter to a cream,then add the sugar, and stir tillwhite; next beat the yolks of theeggs, strain them and add them tothe sugar and butter; meantimeanother person should beat thewhites to a stiff froth and put themin; then add the spices and flour,and last of all the fruit, if any beused. Earthenware is best to mixin, and a wooden spoon should beused. Butter the cake pans well;the cake will be less liable to burnif the pans are lined with white butteredpaper. The oven should be“quick” but not furiously hot; if itbe slow the cake will not riseproperly. The cake must not, whilebaking, be moved, or changed fromone oven to another, and if it brownstoo rapidly on top, cover it over6with a piece of white butteredpaper. To find out when it is bakedenough, half open the oven door,and try the center of the loaf witha clean broom-straw. If the cake isbaked the straw will come out dry;if not, a little of the batter willadhere to it, in which case the doorof the oven must be closed immediatelyor the cake will fall. Cakethat is to be frosted should bebaked in pans with sides perpendicular,instead of slanting. Itshould be iced as soon as takenfrom the oven, to insure its dryingquickly and smoothly. As soon asthe cake is cool, wrap it in a thick