Page:Cakes, cookies and confections.djvu/12



In making an untested recipe for the first time it is interesting to know that:

1. If the cake has a gummy surface with a tendency to fall, an excess of sugar was used.

2. If there are heavy streaks and a friable crumb, too much fat was used.

3. A dry, bready cake is the result of too much flour.

4. An excess of baking powder makes a porous cake which falls easily.

5. An excess of egg gives tendency to toughness and produces "tunnels."

If all else has been observed and the cake is carelessly baked, failure is usually the reward. One should learn the good and bad points of the oven used and act accordingly.

The cake is usually placed in the center of the oven. A large square of asbestos insures against burning on the bottom. The top shelf of the oven is used for browning.

An over thermometer, purchasable for a small sum, does away with guess work if one records results of each baking.

(Table given in Bulletin No. 8. Good House-keeping Series.)

Plain Cake (sheet or cup)—375°F.—30 minutes. Plain Cake (loaf)—350°F—45 minutes. Plain Cake (layer)—375°F.—20 minutes. Fruit Cake( cheap)—235°F.—1¼ hours.