The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
Reveals Secrets
 Of Making GoodCakes
By MRS. CHRISTINE FREDERICK Household Efficiency Expert

The first necessary step to successful | cake baking is the grouping and organi- sation, as it were, of both materials | and needed utensils. The best cake can he spoiled if we have to stop in the middle of the beating and run to get | the pan and take time to grease it. Read the recipe; gather together on your table flour, milk, eggs and other re- quired ingredients; be sure you have assembled the mixer, beater. spoon, last that the pan be either oiled and floured if it is to be layer or small cup cake, or lined with parchment paper if large and made in loaf form.
 Second, decide which classification your cake belongs to, for "'all cakes may be divided into two parts," after without shortening, and (2) cakes with shortening. Each is made in quite a different manner, and once you have mastered the technique of a standard cake of either type, then dozens, yes, hundreds, of variations await your mix Z ing spoon!
 Third, do the preliminary steps re- quired by your particular recipe, such as chopping the nuts, melting the choc- Olate, measuring and sitting flour and all dry ingredients. With these de- tails arranged for, start the real work of making cake with shortening as fol- lows:: Separate eggs and beat sepa- i, rately; have ready flour and baking powder and dry spices sifted several times; start the work of 'creaming" the butter or other shortening with the sugar, adding only a small amount of augar at time and keeping the mass ' light and fluffy and using either wooden or metal perforated spoon. GA liquid shortening saves great deal of time and can also be more accurately lneasured.) Next add yolks to butter sugar, then flour alternately with milk or other liquid so that cold liquid will not recongeal the fat, and last, the beaten whites are folded in. If fruit or nuts are to be included they should be added to the butter and sugar be- fore the yolks, and add all flavoring, the very last. By following these exact steps any and every butter mixture cake is made.
 When the mixture is combined (never beat after the whites are added, as this will lessen the sponginess) pour or push on with q spatula sufficient mass to cover the pan, having it thick enough to spread and making it higher on the edges and corners than in the center, so that when baked the cake will be level. For butter mixtures the oven must be hotter than for non-butter mixture cakes, but it is the size that really de- termines the temperature-small and cup cakes cooking quickly at high heat, large and loaf cakes cooking more slow ly and longer. Layer cakes should be baked at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, while rich loaf cake is best at 25O degrees Fahrenheit.
 Here is a standard two-layer recipe which may be varied by adding differ ent flavoring, cocoa or chocolate nut meats, chopped citron and put together In layers or baked in q large pan or muffin tins:
 4 cup butter or 2 teaspoonsful of other shortening, baking powder,
 l cup sugar, l teaspoonful of
 3 eggs, vanilla,
 F cup milk, k teaspoopful 1% cups pastry salt.
 flour,
 When we come to making the sec- 0nd, or butterless, cake, we proceed as follows: The yolks are beaten until thick and lemon colored; the sugar is slowly and thoroughly beat in; the flavoring is added; then half of the whites is folded into the yolks and su- gar, then half of the flour, then half of the whites, and last the remaining flour. Stirring is always avoided. Cakes of this type are the familiar sponge, sunshine, angel cake, etc. While this type of cake may seem simpler and does require less time,~ nevertheless it is more difficult cake than one with shortening owing to the rapidity with which it is necessary to get the mixture into the pan and also the carefulness with the right temperature.
 Indeed, perhaps the main secret of cake success lies in the baking and not in the mixing. The oven should be, when the cake is first put in, at that temperature which will raise the cake to its full height in one quarter the full time of baking During this period cake must not brown, but during the second quarter it may brown slightly and complete the browning during the third quarter. The heat should be gradually reduced the last half of the baking period.
 On removing a cake from the oven let 1t stand few minutes to contract and cool. Or if in a tube pan, invert the pan TOT the same purpose. Never ice a cake until it is cool. Preferably use wire cake rack covered with par affin paper for all icing and filling, then when chilled, carefully remove with wide spatula to ornamental plate.
 Here is master recipe for any but terless cake:
 eggs' 1 tablespoon lem
 l cup sugar, on iuice.
 Grated rind 1b l teaenoon hoI. lemon. ing nowder
 1 cup pastry fl teaspoon salt. flour. Suite
 This may be varied by baking in one small loaf, in two square layers. or 1 cup shape. By licing with different flayors or in different colors, or by cutting in cubes and topping each with different colored icing, many varia- tons can be had. Twice this recipe makes large round tube mold. par- tlcularly suitable for child's party Very dainty sponge or angel cake is made by using F teaspoon cream of tar tar and by increasing the proportion of eggs to the same amounts of flour and sugar. An average size sponge cake should rise to twice it's bulk in a moder- ate oven of 90 minutes baking.