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Cornstarch Cake
1 cup butter 2 cups sugar 1 cup milk 1 cup cornstarch 2 cups flour 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder Whites 5 eggs 3/4 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract Follow recipe for mixing butter cakes. This mixture makes two loaves.
A silver cake in which cornstarch replaces a third of the flour, giving a fine, tender crumb. The original leans on a master "butter cake" method printed elsewhere in the book; here is what that method is and where the recipe needs a modern hand.
- The mixing method it refers toThe mixing method it refers to is not reproduced here, but the standard butter-cake procedure runs: cream the softened butter until light, beat in the sugar gradually, then add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the milk in three or four additions. Fold in the stiffly beaten whites and the flavouring last, and stop as soon as no streaks remain.
- Oven temperatureThe recipe gives none. A moderate oven, around 350F, suits loaf cakes of this richness; reckon on roughly 45 to 55 minutes for two loaves, testing with a skewer in the centre, which should come out clean, and looking for the cake just pulling from the sides of the pan.
- The baking powder is highFour and a half teaspoons for three cups of dry ingredients is roughly half again what a modern cook would use. The phosphate and tartrate powders of the period were single-acting and could lose strength on the shelf, which may account for the generous hand. With current double-acting powder, 3 teaspoons will do; the full amount can leave a coarse crumb and a soapy edge.
- Why cornstarchCornstarch has no gluten, so swapping it for part of the flour lowers the protein of the mixture and gives a softer, closer texture than plain flour alone. Sift it with the flour and baking powder at least twice so it disperses evenly.
- Egg whitesFive whites is about 5 fl oz, or a scant 2/3 cup if you are working from a carton. Beat them to soft peaks rather than dry and stiff, or they will be hard to fold into a batter this heavy. The five yolks keep a day or two for custard.
- Almond extractUse ordinary almond extract. Historic recipes sometimes called for bitter almond preparations, which are not the same thing; unrectified bitter almond oil contains hydrocyanic acid and is not a kitchen ingredient.
- Pans and yieldTwo 8x4-inch loaf pans, greased and lined, or a single large tube pan. Each loaf gives 10 to 12 slices. Cool in the pan 10 minutes before turning out; the high sugar makes the crust fragile while hot.