The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-11-30
HINTS Or CAKE MAKING.

-. LOUIS ltblt.
Tn these article we have considered
practically all the essentials of a dinner
except the cake, ice cream and other
ices that the fair sex so dote upon. Ice
cream is certainly a pleasing addition
to a dinner and in these days, when ev
eryonc can own a freezer at so small an
expense, II has ceased to be a luxury
that cannot be afforded upon the average
table If you like to live we'll buy a
freezer, and a little elbow grease, fur
nishcd by the man of the house, will do
the rest-after you have prepared the
ingredients.
But if you have ice cream, you must
have cake, ana If 1t will not be too
presumptuous for a man to discourse on
cake making | desire to give you some
suggestions that will repay you for the
reading Cake making is an art, and
good results can only be obtained by
following certain conditions. The first
essential is a good oven with fire that
will furnish a steady heat. While some
cake requires a quicker oven than others,
all demand steady oven, Be sure then
to attend to your fire. get the oven just
as you want it, so you will not have to
put on coal when the cake is baking.
An oven too hot burns the top of the
rake me not hot and quick enough
make the cake soggy.
One ord about preparing your cake
tins. Grease them with fresh lard (for
cake made with butter-with butter if
for sponge cake) dredge over a little
flour, and then shake all off that will
come off readily.
AS butter and eggs are essential in
gradients of nearly all cake | wish to
call special attention to their use. AS
pointer number one, let me suggest that
these ingredients, and all others used
in cake making, should be mixed in a
crock or bowl and never in tin. No good
cake maker uses tin for mixing. Next
in using butter it must be warmed, but
only slightly mot melted), for if it melts
you will not have good cake. This mis-
take is one of the most common of in
experienced cooks.
The eggs are the backbone of the cake.
They must be fresh. Stale eggs would
ruin your best endeavors. The beating
of the eggs properly is important, and
can only be done by beating whites and
yolks separately. Your cake spoon
should be of wire or one with Sits in the
a foam (you can hardly overdo this)
Then beat yolks as thoroughly as the
whites, and pour together.
l have been very explicit in pointing
out the above rules, for upon them your
success in cake making lies.
When the cake is done remove from
the oven and turn upside down on clean
white paper on the shelf, cake box o!
larger than the cake. AS a precaution
it is well to run knife around the cake
before turning out, so as to be sure it
comes out intact.
OF recipes for cake there are legion
but I wish especially to commend those
which follow this number of Good Cook
tried recipes, not expensive and cannot
fail to please.
l will however, venture to suggest
my method of making chocolate frostng
Beat the whites of two eggs to a froth
add one and one-half cups powdered
sugar and five tablespoonfuls grated or
scraped, unsweetened chocolate and a
few drops extract of vanilla. AS soon
as you turn your loaf out of the tin put
on the frosting with a silver knife (hav-
ing dipper of hot water in which to
heat the knife, smooth and smooth the
frosting till the chocolate is all melted
and frosting well distributed on both
top and sides. Then put at once into the
cake box.