When this is done, the yolks and sugar are blended, the moisture,
flavoring, melted fat, and dry ingredients are added, the mixture beaten,
and finally the beaten whites are folded in.
In combining cake ingredients, great care must be taken to mix all
ingredients _thoroughly_. Cakes, except those containing very little
moisture and much fat, such as Jumbles or Pound Cake, can be made
satisfactorily by adding melted fat. It has been estimated that half as
much time is required for mixing a cake in which melted fat is used as one
in which the fat is creamed. It has been found [Footnote 114: See Journal
Home Economics, Vol. X, pp. 542-7, December, 1918.] that the amount of
mixing and the preparation of ingredients in a cake are much more
important factors than the manner of combining the ingredients. Too little
beating makes a cake of coarse, crumbly mixture. Too much beating makes it
compact in texture with "tunnels" through it.
PREPARING THE PANS FOR CAKES CONTAINING FAT.--The pans for cakes that
contain fat should be well oiled. It is well to line the pans with paper
and to oil the paper thoroughly, or to oil the pans well and to sprinkle a
little flour over them before adding the cake batter.
BAKING LAYER AND LOAF CAKES.--If a bit of flour or white paper is
delicately browned after being placed for 2 minutes in the oven, the oven
is of proper temperature for layer cakes containing fat. For a loaf cake
the oven should be cooler, since a longer time for baking is required. It
is especially important that a crust does not form over the top of a cake
before the cake has risen, or before it has been in the oven one fourth of
the time required (see _Baking Sponge Cakes_). To avoid this, the
temperature of the oven should be quite low when a thick loaf cake is
first placed in it. Some housekeepers find it most satisfactory to cover
the top of a pan containing loaf cake with paper until the cake has risen.
In general, layer cakes require 20 to 35 minutes for baking and loaf cakes
from 40 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Shortly after taking from the oven, cake
containing fat may be removed from the pan, and placed on a wire cake
cooler or towel until cold. In a heat-regulated oven, bake layer cakes at
375 degrees F., and loaf cakes at 350 degrees F.
THE QUALITY OF CAKE.--Desirable cake is tender and light, but of fine
grain. The quantity of eggs, sugar, fat, and moisture affects these
qualities. Too much sugar makes a cake of coarse grain and of waxy or
tough texture. On the other hand, a cake containing too little sugar is
not as fine grained as one having "just enough."
A cake in which there is too much fat is crisp or crumbly,--i.e. it will
not hold its shape. Too little fat may make it tough in texture. Generally
the more fat a cake contains the smaller the quantity of moisture needed.
Note that the One-egg Cake recipe contains 1 cupful of liquid, but when
the fat is increased to 1/2 cupful, the moisture is decreased to 2/3
cupful (see Plain Cake recipe).
Many eggs without a proportionate quantity of fat and sugar produce a
tough cake. The toughness occasioned by eggs, may be offset, of course, by
the tenderness produced by fat. It is a most interesting study to compare
cake recipes. Some are well proportioned, others could be greatly improved
by variations in the quantity of ingredients.
The flavor of a cake is largely affected by the proportion of ingredients
in a cake. For the sake of economy, however, certain ingredients,
especially fat and eggs, must be decreased even though texture, grain, and