Home › Cakes › General Rules for Mixing and Baking

General Rules for Mixing and Baking

Have all necessary utensils and ingredients ready before starting work. A round-bottomed bowl is the best type of mixing bowl to use. A wooden spoon is more suitable to use for beating than a metal spoon, and is noiseless, too. For beating egg whites a wire beater should be used. The shortening used in cake making must be of the best quality. The equivalents for½ cup of butter are as follows: cup oleomargarine 7 tablespoons vegetable 1½ cups thick cream cooking fats 6½ tablespoons lard Fine granulated sugar makes a finer-textured crust than coarse granulated sugar. If coarse sugar is used it should be sifted and only the finer particles put in the mixture.

Pastry flour made from the winter wheat makes a lighter, whiter and more tender cake than bread flour made from the spring wheat. If bread flour is substituted about 2 tablespoons less to a cup should be used, or the cake mixture will be too stiff.

Sift flour before measuring. After combining dry materials, flour, baking powder and spices, sift again.

Break the eggs carefully and in separating see that no particles of the yolk are dropped in the whites. When yolks and whites of eggs are added separately beat yolks until thick and lemon-colored; fold in last the stiffly beaten whites. Long beating is the only way to make a cake fine-grained. When fruits and nuts are used they should be lightly dredged with flour. Grease the cake pan in which "butter cakes" are baked with melted shortening and sift a layer of flour over this, then shake off surplus. Pans for butterless cakes, such as sponge cake, should never be oiled, floured, or lined with paper.

Fill cake tins two-thirds full and press the cake mixture from the center to the corners of the pan so the finished product will be level on the top. Pastry chefs recommend a round pan with a tube for loaf cake. The oven temperature and time required for baking depend upon the size and kind of cake. In general, oven temperature should be moderate and steady and increased gradually. From 325°F. to 375°F. is the range for most cakes. If the temperature is too high a crust is formed before the cake has had a chance to rise fully, and the finished product will show cracks and unevenness. If the cake browns too quickly on top, cover with oiled paper. The cake should be placed in or near the center of the oven so it will bake evenly. 1-43-41 cup shortening cup sugar 1 egg