7. QUALITY OF INGREDIENTS.--The materials used in the making of cakes
should be of as good quality as possible, and when put into the cake
they should be in the best condition. In this phase of cookery, as in
all others, better results are obtained when good materials are used.
Besides possessing this general characteristic, certain of the
ingredients require special attention.
8. FAT FOR CAKES.--The fat used for cakes must necessarily be of an
agreeable flavor, and for this reason butter is the kind in general use.
There are, of course, other fats that may be used to advantage either as
part or all of the fat required. However, when another fat is to take
the place of butter, one that is practically flavorless should be
chosen. Oleomargarine of various kinds, Crisco, and even some of the
liquid fats are very satisfactory, especially in the making of cookies.
9. SWEETENING FOR CAKES.--Numerous varieties of sugar may be employed in
the making of cakes. Probably granulated sugar is used more frequently
than any other, but brown sugar, soft sugar, and confectioner's sugar
all have a place in cake making. Any of these may be used in the
preparation of icing as well as for an ingredient of the cake itself.
10. LEAVENING FOR CAKES.--An important source of leavening in cakes is
eggs. For cakes to be most satisfactory, the eggs employed should be
strictly fresh. During the season when they are scarce and consequently
high in price, recipes that require only a few eggs should be prepared.
Baking powder, which is also an important leavening in cakes, should be
of an approved brand that can be relied on to do the work expected of
it. Soda and cream of tartar are sometimes used together, and, again,
soda is used alone with molasses or sour milk. For every 3 eggs in a
cake mixture, 1 teaspoonful of the baking powder called for in the
recipe may be omitted. Altitude affects the amount of baking powder
required in cakes. The quantity given in the recipes is correct for
altitudes varying from sea level to 1/2 mile high, but it should be
reduced one-fifth at an elevation of 1 mile, and three-tenths at an
elevation of 7,000 feet.
11. LIQUID FOR CAKES.--Milk, as a rule, is the liquid used in cake
making. It may be skim milk or whole milk, it may consist of part water
and part milk, or it may be entirely water, depending on the kind of
cake. When a large number of eggs are used in a cake, very little liquid
is employed. Sometimes the liquid consists of molasses and sour milk
used together, separately, or with some other liquid.
12. FLOUR FOR CAKES.--The flour used in the preparation of cakes may be
bread, pastry, or blend flour, depending on the kind of cake desired.
While a blend, or an all-purpose, flour makes a satisfactory cake,
pastry flour, which is milled from soft winter wheat, or better still,
cake flour, is more nearly ideal as the excess gluten is removed, and it
is much finer milled; hence it produces a lighter, finer, more delicate
cake. Wheat flour is the kind that is generally used, but other flours,
such as white corn meal, rice flour, and potato flour, though producing
a drying effect, are sometimes combined with wheat. A tablespoonful of
corn starch sifted with the bread or hard wheat flour is an improvement
over straight bread flour, but as it has a drying effect, it is not to
be recommended.