The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-11

Have your ingredients properly made ready
before you think of mixing your cake.
Keep your materials as free from dampness as
posslble; otherwise your cake may be heavy.
Select your flour with care, remembering al
ways that with this, as with every other mate
rial that goes into the kitchen, this maxim holds
good: 1.-THE best is always the cheapest"
In preparing your flour. sift and dry it first;
then weigh it.
Baking powder is preferable to yeast for cake.
making, although with the use of yeast less but
ter and eggs are required The cake is lighter
when made with baking powder, apd, what is
sometimes a consideration, keeps much better.
Be careful in selecting your spices, essences
and extracts, and purchase none of these from
other than reliable dealers. You will find it
quite as economical and much more satisfactory
to heed than to ignore this suggestion.
Have your eggs fresh if you can get them so,
and follow the prudent iule of breaking each
separately into a cup, thus guarding against the
accidental damage a bad one may cause you.
In cake-making, the yolSs and whites should be
beaten separately 1.-THE latter until they become q
stiff froth), and, if not used Immediately, should
be kept in a cool place till wanted.
After all of your ingredients are put together,
they should be beaten for a considerable time,
as the lightness of your cake will depend chiefly
upon these being thoroughly mixed.
Cream and milk are important things, and
where either the one or the other may be re-
quired, condensed milk as made to-day (Can-
fields) will be found satisfactory. When the
latter is used. however, less sugar is required.
Use the best white sugar, pounded and sifted.
Wash your cuFrants well in cold water, which
is best effected by putting them into a colander
and allowing the water to run over them. stir
ring them at the same time. They should then
be spread out and cleaned of any little piece of
stone or stem that might remain; then placed
near the fire and thoroughly dried, for if they
are at all wet or damp when put into the batter
your cake will be more or less heavy.
In preparing your lemon or orange peel. be
careful to let the knife run only deep enough to
take the zest, avoiding the white underlying
kid-like skin, which has no flavor excepting a
very bitter one.
Don't have any cheap thought about butter.
Cooking butter is a snare and a delusion
when it means that with which, in its raw state,
you wouldn't think of insulting the palate.
The oven for the baking of small cakes should
be ''quick," for a slow oven will prevent the
cakes from rising properly. Nor should the
heat be increased after the baking has com
menced. When the cake is large, a
moderate oven will be required, otherwise it will
be burnt or overdone on the outside before it is
baked in the middle. To discover when your
cake is done, thrust a thin wooden splinter or
skewer through the middle of it; if It'll sufficient
ly baked, the skewer when drawn out, will be
perfectly clean. After your cake is done, turn it
gently from the mould or b~aking-tin, place it on
the top of the range where it may dry a little.
and then set it away. After it becomes cool put
it into your cake-tin and cover it closely.