Puff Cake

A plain butter cake of the ratio type, written for a cook who already knew the method. The proportions are sound; what the original leaves out is the mixing order, the pan, and the oven.

• Method, since none is givenCream the butter with the sugar, beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the sifted flour and baking powder alternately with the milk. Half a cup of butter to two cups of sugar is a lean creaming ratio, so beat it well before the eggs go in or the crumb turns coarse.
• Oven temperatureThe book assumes you know your range. Bake at 350F: about 30 minutes for two 9-inch layers, 50 to 60 minutes for a tube or loaf pan. It is done when a skewer comes out clean and the sides pull from the pan.
• Sweet milkSimply fresh whole milk, named to distinguish it from the sour or buttermilk called for in soda-raised cakes. Whole milk is the right substitute; skim gives a drier crumb.
• Flour is not the same flourHousehold flour of the period varied a good deal in strength, and a cup measured by dipping holds more than a modern levelled cup. Measure by spooning into the cup and levelling, and hold back a few tablespoons of the last half cup if the batter looks stiff rather than thickly pourable.
• The layer variationCutting to three cups of flour for layers gives a slacker batter that spreads and rises thin, which is what you want under a filling. Use the full three and a half cups only for a loaf or tube cake.
• FlavouringNone is specified. A teaspoon of vanilla, or the grated rind of a lemon, keeps it from tasting flatly of egg and flour.
• YieldClose to three pounds of cake: two 9-inch layers from the reduced-flour version, or one 9-by-5 loaf, serving ten to twelve.