Cake
Many students who come to my school, and many of those who are taking my Correspondence Courses, seem to feel that they cannot make cake without what they term the "best" ingredients. By this, they evidently mean the highest priced butter, the most costly eggs, the richest milk, etc. This brings up an important question: "What are the 'best ingredients'?"
I have come to the conclusion that the best ingredients are the best of their kind, and that it is not necessary to use the most expensive butter in the making of cakes and other dishes, but rather the best of the vegetable fats which may be used in a like manner.
To this end, I am advocating the use of Snowdrift in cake making (as well as in other cooking) without the use of any butter whatever. It is much easier to use, as it is so creamy in itself, has a delicate blandness of taste which does not affect the flavor of the cake in the slightest degree and as it is a pure fat, containing no water, it goes farther than butter. It can be used in just the same quantity as you would use butter, without disturbing the recipe, only the result will be a little richer than as though you had used butter. Only, in making this substitution, be sure to add a scant fourth teaspoonful of salt to each half cupful of Snowdrift, as this is an unsalted fat.
The mixing procedure is the same as in making butter-cakes; (except the creaming process takes but a moment as Snowdrift is so soft.) First stir the Snowdrift with a spoon and gradually add the sugar. If the eggs are to be separated, the beaten yolks should then be added, together with the flavoring, and then the dry ingredients, sifted together, should be added alternately with the liquid. The egg whites, beaten stiff, are then folded in, and the mixture is transferred to the pan, which should be rubbed lightly with Snowdrift, then dusted with flour. In case the cake is to be baked a long time, it is advisable to line the bottom of the pan smoothly with light-weight paper. If close texture is desired, the eggs should be beaten together without being separated, and added to the creamed Snowdrift and sugar.
The baking-time is divided into quarters. During the first quarter the cake rises, during the second, it sets, during the third, it begins to brown in spots, and during the fourth, it browns evenly. Cake is done when it responds to a light touch, when it shrinks from the sides of the pan, or when it ceases to hiss or steam.
The oven temperature depends upon the cake. Fruit or rich wedding cake, demanding two hours or more for cooking, calls for a slow oven, about 225 degrees F. Sponge or Angel Cake calls for a quicker oven, about 300 degrees F. Loaf cakes made with Snowdrift, need a moderate oven, at about 350 degrees F., while Snowdrift layer and cup cakes call for a hot oven, about 375 degrees F.
When taken from the oven, the cake should be allowed to stand in the pan for two or three minutes, then be loosened gently around the edges and turned out on a cake-cooler to allow a free circulation of air. If a boiled icing is to be used, it should be put on a cold cake. An uncooked icing may be spread on either a slightly warm or a cold cake.
All Measurements are Level 1/2 Cupful Snowdrift 1½ Cupfuls Sugar 114 Teaspoonfuls Vanilla 3 Cupfuls Flour 14 Teaspoonful Salt 4 Teaspoonfuls Baking Powder 1 Cupful Milk 4 Egg Whites