White Cake No. 1

This is a formula rather than a method: Mrs. Wilson assumed her reader knew how a plain butter cake is assembled. Everything below fills in what the list leaves out.

• The missing methodCream the 1/4 cup butter with the sugar until pale, beat in the eggs, then add the sifted flour and baking powder alternately with the milk in two or three additions. Overworking the batter after the flour goes in is the one thing that will ruin it — the crumb turns tough and tunnelled.
• Oven and panThe original gives no oven direction; around 350F suits a plain butter cake of this kind. The quantity is enough for one thin 8-inch round layer (roughly 20-25 minutes) or about eight cupcakes (18-20 minutes). It is well short of a modern two-layer batter, so double it if you want two tiers.
• "White" cake and whole eggsWhite cake normally means egg whites only, for a pale crumb. As written, two whole eggs give a yellow-ish cake. Using two whites instead — beaten in stiff and folded at the end, with the milk increased by a spoonful — gets the colour the title promises.
• FlourHousehold flour of Wilson's day may not match today's bleached all-purpose, though this varied by mill and region. Cake flour, spooned in and levelled, gives a lighter crumb; if using all-purpose, take out a scant tablespoon per cup.
• Baking powderOne teaspoon per cup of flour is right for modern double-acting powder, so no adjustment is needed. Check the date on the tin — stale powder is the usual cause of a flat plain cake.
• Flavouring quantities"Flavor with vanilla and lemon" means about 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract, or the grated zest of half a lemon if you would rather have the oil than the alcohol.
• Filed under VegetablesIf the page carries a Vegetables heading, that is likely an artifact of the book's arrangement or its digitisation rather than a clue about the recipe. Nothing here is a vegetable.