Chapter XIII: Part 13

BAKING SPONGE CAKES.--_The baking of a cake, as well as the manner of mixing the ingredients_ and the quality of the ingredients themselves, determines the success of the cake. A practical test for the temperature of the oven is the placing of a bit of flour or white paper in the oven. If at the end of 5 minutes the paper or flour is slightly browned, the oven is of proper temperature for sponge cakes or cakes without fat. The time required to bake a cake should be divided into quarters. During the first quarter the cake should begin to rise; during the second quarter it should continue to rise and begin to brown; during the third quarter it should continue to brown, and the fourth quarter it should finish baking.

If the mixing and the baking have been successful, failure may result after removing the cake from the oven. It should not be placed in a cold place or in a draft. Invert the cake pan on a wire rack and allow the cake to remain until cool. Remove the cake from the pan, and store in a covered tin box.

SPONGE CAKE NO. II

2 or 3 egg yolks l 1/2 cupfuls sugar 1 tablespoonful lemon juice 3/4 cupful water 2 cupfuls flour 1/2 teaspoonful salt 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder 2 or 3 egg whites

Mix and bake according to the directions given above. It is advisable to oil the pan for this cake.

WASHINGTON PIE

Sponge Cake with Cream Filling is termed Washington Pie. Follow the recipe for Cream Filling and put it between the layers of Sponge Cake, or as a filling between split sheets of a loaf or thick sheet of Sponge Cake.

QUESTIONS

What is the purpose of cutting and folding the egg whites and the dry ingredients into a sponge cake mixture?

Why is it necessary to add moisture and baking powder to Sponge Cake No. II?

What is the effect of too cool an oven on Sponge Cake?

LESSON CXLIV

CAKE CONTAINING FAT--ONE-EGG CAKE

CLASSES OF CAKES.--Cakes are commonly divided into two classes: (_a_) Cakes without fat and (_b_) Cakes containing fat. Sponge Cake is an example of the first class and the One-egg Cake given below is an example of the second class. The method of mixing cakes containing fat differs from the method of mixing cakes without fat. The temperature of the oven and the length of time required for baking also differ for the two classes of cakes.

COMPARISON OF ONE-EGG CAKE AND MUFFINS.--See the recipe for Plain Muffins. Compare it with the following recipe.

ONE-EGG CAKE [Footnote 113: NOTE TO THE TEACHER.--If a richer cake is desired, follow the Plain Cake recipe given in Lesson CXLV.]

2 cupfuls flour 3 1/2 teaspoonfuls baking powder 1/2 teaspoonful salt 3/4 to 1 cupful sugar 1 egg 1 cupful milk or water 1 teaspoonful flavoring 2 to 4 tablespoonfuls fat

What ingredient does cake contain that is not present in muffins? What two ingredients exist in greater quantity in cake than in muffins?

THE INGREDIENTS OF A CAKE CONTAINING FAT.--Materials of the best quality should be used for cakes. Pastry flour and the finest granulated sugar are necessary ingredients.

In determining the kind of fat to use in a cake, one should consider all of the ingredients in a recipe, and then decide which one will give the most pronounced flavor to the combined materials. If a cake contains so much fat that the fat will be one of the predominating flavoring ingredients, table butter should be used alone or combined with some bland fat. When but little fat is used in Plain Cake, there is little difference in the flavor of cake made with butter or substitutes. Oleomargarine, tried-out chicken fat, suet, lard, or vegetable fat may be used for spice cakes or other highly flavored cakes. Cake is one of the foods whose ingredients require the greatest accuracy and care in measuring. When a cake contains much fat, the latter can usually be more easily and accurately weighed than measured.

METHOD OF MIXING CAKE CONTAINING FAT.--Since cakes contain much more fat and sugar than muffins, a different method of mixing the fat with the other ingredients of the cake has been used quite generally. The fat and sugar have usually been blended by creaming them.

However, many experiments in the mixing and baking of cakes have been made. These show that a cake of good quality may be made by following the method of mixing fat in a muffin mixture, _i.e._ melting the fat and adding it to other ingredients. The following is the method of mixing cake when melted fat is used:

Beat the eggs, add the sugar, liquid, and flavoring. Melt the fat and add it to the other ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients, _i.e._ the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add these through a sifter to the egg and sugar mixture. Beat from 1 to 2 minutes.

In cake mixing, the yolks and the whites of the eggs are often separated. 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 flavor are sacrificed. The matter of wholesomeness must also be taken into consideration. Many persons can eat with comfort plain cakes, i.e. those containing little fat and a moderate quantity of sugar, while rich cakes distress them.

SCORE CARD FOR CAKE,--DETERMINING ITS QUALITY

Flavor 40
Lightness 20
Grain and texture 15
Baking (crust and color) 15
Appearance (shape and icing) 10
---
Total 100

QUESTIONS

How should cake batter be spread in the pan to prevent it from rising higher in the center than at the edges?

What is the purpose of placing the warm cake on a cake cooler or on a cloth? Mention some substitute other than a cloth for a wire cake cooler. Why not place the warm cake _inverted_ on the cake cooler?

Explain why a hot cake should not be placed in a cool place or in a draft.

Why store a cake in a tightly covered tin box?

Give two reasons for the cracking of the crust of a cake.

What is the effect of using too much fat in a cake? Too much sugar? Too much moisture?

If the quantity of fat is increased, what ingredient in a cake recipe should be decreased?

If the number of eggs in a cake is reduced, what ingredient should be increased?

LESSON CXLV

CAKE CONTAINING FAT--PLAIN CAKE AND ITS MODIFICATIONS (A)

The "Conventional" method of mixing cake is as follows: Cream the fat; then gradually add the sugar. Cream the mixture. Add egg yolks that have been beaten until light. Add the flavoring. Then add some of the milk and part of the dry ingredients. Repeat until all the milk and dry ingredients have been added. Beat the mixture thoroughly. Cut and fold in the whites of the eggs quickly; then turn into oiled pans. Bake layer cakes at 375 degrees F., and loaf cakes at 350 degrees F.

PLAIN CAKE

2 cupfuls flour 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder 1/2 teaspoonful salt 2 eggs 1 cupful sugar 2/3 cupful liquid 1 teaspoonful flavoring 1/4 to 1/2 cupful fat

Mix according to the directions above or according to _Method of Mixing Cake Containing Fat_.

_Compare_ this recipe with that for One-egg Cake. Note that the eggs and fat are increased, while the baking powder and moisture are decreased. Can you account for these variations?

WHITE CAKE

Follow the Plain Cake recipe, using 4 egg whites instead of 2 eggs and the greater quantity of fat. Vanilla or almond flavoring are pleasing in White Cake. If almond extract is used, add only 1/2 teaspoonful.

White Cake is mixed according to the general directions, except, of course, that the egg yolks are omitted; the egg whites are beaten until stiff and folded into the other ingredients.

A cheaper but tasty white cake may be made by following the recipe for One-egg Cake and using 2 egg whites instead of 1 whole egg.

FRESH COCONUT CAKE

Break open a fresh coconut, save all the milk and use it as part of the liquid for a White Cake. Add milk to the milk of coconut to make the 2/3 cupful of liquid in the plain cake recipe. Prepare a White Cake in two layers.

CAKE

Break the coconut into pieces, pare these and put them through a food chopper or grate them. Prepare Boiled Frosting. When the frosting is ready to spread on the cake, add about 3/4 of the chopped coconut. Spread the mixture on the cake layers and sprinkle the remainder of the coconut over the frosting on the top layer of the cake.

A fresh coconut cake will keep moist for a week.

WATER FROSTING

1 cupful confectioner's sugar 1 tablespoonful hot water, milk, or cream Salt 1 tablespoonful lemon juice

Stir the hot water into the sugar and add the salt and lemon juice. If too stiff, add a little more boiling water.

3 tablespoonfuls of _cocoa_ or 1 ounce of _chocolate_ may be mixed with 3 tablespoonfuls of water, cooked for a few minutes, and used in place of the moisture and lemon juice. 1/2 teaspoonful of vanilla should be added when these materials are used. When cocoa is used the addition of 1 tablespoonful of butter improves the flavor.

_Mocha frosting_ may be made by mixing the cocoa or chocolate with strong coffee instead of water.

EGG FROSTING

1 egg white 1 tablespoonful lemon juice 1 cupful confectioner's sugar Salt

Put the unbeaten egg white into a bowl; add the lemon juice, then the salt and sugar. Mix thoroughly. Spread on warm cake.

The lemon juice may be omitted, and _chocolate_ (or cocoa) and vanilla added, as in Water Frosting.

GOLD FROSTING

2 egg yolks Confectioner's sugar 1 tablespoonful lemon juice or vanilla Salt

Add the flavoring and salt to the unbeaten yolks. Add enough confectioner's sugar to the mixture to make it thick enough to spread. Use on White Cake when it is warm.

BOILED FROSTING

3/4 to 1 cupful sugar 1 teaspoonful vinegar 1 teaspoonful flavoring 1/3 cupful water 1 egg white Salt

Mix the sugar, water, and vinegar in a saucepan. Cook _gently_ until the sirup (when dropped from a spoon) "spins a thread" 3 inches long. Remove from the fire, and gradually pour the sirup over the egg white to which a pinch of salt has been added and which has been beaten stiff. Continue to beat the mixture; when it begins to stiffen, add the flavoring, and spread over cooled cake.

The less quantity of sugar produces a more delicate and less dense frosting than the greater quantity.

CHOCOLATE-MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

1 cupful sugar 1/4 cupful boiling water 1/8 teaspoonful salt 12 marshmallows 2 ounces chocolate 3 tablespoonfuls water 1/2 teaspoonful vanilla

In a saucepan stir the sugar, boiling water, and salt. Then place over a low flame and heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Cut the marshmallows in halves, add to the sugar mixture, and beat until the marshmallows have melted. Cut the chocolate in pieces and mix with 3 tablespoonfuls water. Stir and cook over a low flame until a thick, smooth paste is formed. Add to the sugar mixture. Beat until the frosting is of proper consistency to spread, then stir in the vanilla.

QUESTIONS

Give the reason for the greater quantity of fat in cake when egg yolks are omitted.

If the conventional method of mixing cake is followed, what can be done in cold weather to hasten the creaming of fat? What is the result of insufficient creaming?

Why is the cake mixture beaten thoroughly before the whites of eggs are added?

What is the purpose of cutting and folding in the whites of eggs in the cake mixture?

What kind of fat should be used for white cake? Why?

Why use hot water rather than cold water for Water Frosting (see Experiment 11)?

When egg whites alone are used in cake, give at least three uses for the yolks of the eggs.

Why is Egg Frosting used on warm cake, rather than on cold?

What is the use of vinegar in Boiled Frosting (see Christmas Candy)?

Why should the white of egg be beaten while the hot sirup is being poured over it?

LESSON CXLVI

CAKE CONTAINING FAT--PLAIN CAKE AND ITS MODIFICATIONS (B)

CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 cupfuls flour 3 teaspoonfuls baking powder 1/2 to 1 teaspoonful salt 2 ounces chocolate _or_ 1/3 cupful cocoa 1/2 cupful water 1/4 teaspoonful baking soda 2 eggs 1 1/2 cupfuls sugar 1/2 cupful milk 1 teaspoonful vanilla 1/3 cupful fat

Cook the chocolate or cocoa in the water until a smooth paste is formed, stirring constantly while cooking. Cool, and add the baking soda.

Beat the egg yolks and whites separately. Mix as plain cake, adding the chocolate mixture after the egg yolks have been mixed with the sugar. Use the less quantity of salt if butter is used for the fat.

Bake in layers at 375 degrees F., placing Chocolate Filling between the layers and Boiled Frosting on the top layer.

Sour milk may be substituted for the sweet milk. When this is done, increase the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoonful and decrease the baking powder to 2 teaspoonfuls.

Baking soda is used with chocolate to neutralize a small quantity of acid (tartaric) contained in it. Its use with chocolate will also darken the cake.

CHOCOLATE FILLING

1/2 cupful sugar 1/3 cupful flour 1 cupful milk 1 ounce chocolate 3 tablespoonfuls water 1/4 teaspoonful salt 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoonful vanilla

Mix all ingredients except the egg yolk and flavoring in the same manner as Chocolate Corn-starch Pudding. When sufficiently cooked, add the egg yolk as directed for Butterscotch Tapioca. Continue cooking until the egg is coagulated. Remove from the fire, cool, add vanilla.

3 tablespoonfuls of cocoa may be substituted for the chocolate. When this substitution is made, mix the cocoa with the flour and sugar and omit the water.

The egg yolk may be omitted. When this is done add 1/2 tablespoonful of corn-starch to the flour and sugar mixture.

Compare the recipes for chocolate and plain cake. How do you account for the difference in the quantities of sugar (see _Chocolate Corn-starch Pudding_)?

Does the water used for making the chocolate paste change in quantity during the cooking? Explain. What ingredient do both chocolate and cocoa contain which aids in thickening the cake? From this can you account for the greater quantity of moisture used in Chocolate Cake?

Would it be advisable to use a greater quantity of fat (1/2 cupful) for Chocolate Cake? Why?

NUT CAKE

Follow the recipe for Plain Cake, use the smaller quantity of fat, and add 1 cupful of chopped nuts. A convenient way of chopping nuts is to put them through the food chopper, using the coarse knife.

CAKE CONTAINING FRUIT

Follow the recipe for Plain Cake, but add 1 cupful of raisins or currants. Clean the fruit, then dry, and sprinkle it with flour. Raisins may be chopped, or cut in two pieces (see _To Prepare Raisins for Cooking_). Citron may also be added. It should be cut in thin slices or put through the food chopper.

When light brown sugar is used instead of white sugar, dates make a pleasing addition. These should be cleaned, stoned, cut into pieces, and added as are the raisins or currants.

Spices give pleasing flavor when dried fruits are used. 1 teaspoonful each of cinnamon and nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoonful of cloves make desirable flavoring.

QUESTIONS

Mention the kinds of fat that could be used for spice cakes and for Chocolate Cake. Give the reason for the selection made. From _U. S. Department of Agriculture_, Bulletin 28, tabulate the percentage composition of some common nuts. Of chocolate and cocoa.

Explain why the minimum quantity of fat should be used for Nut Cake.

Why are the dried fruits floured?

Why are nuts not floured?

Compare cakes made with the least and the greatest quantity of fat. Which is the more tender? Which has the better taste?

Calculate the cost per pound of Sponge Cake. Calculate the cost per pound of cake containing fat (see _Plain Cake_).

LESSON CXLVII

CAKE CONTAINING FAT--COOKIES

CLASSES OF COOKIES.--Cooky mixture may be thin like a drop batter and dropped by spoonfuls on to a pan or it may be about as stiff as a soft dough and rolled and then cut into rounds or other shapes. Hence cookies may be classified as:

(1) Drop Cookies.

(2) Cut or Rolled Cookies.

TEXTURE OF COOKIES.--Drop cookies may or may not contain fat. Cut or rolled cookies usually contain fat. Since a dough is prepared in making the latter kind of cookies, fat is needed to make the mixture sufficiently tender. A dough containing little or no fat usually produces a tough cut cooky. A skilled cooky maker, however, can secure a soft cut cooky containing little fat by making a very soft dough.

If crisp, cut cookies are desired, the dough should be rolled thin. To secure soft cookies roll the dough to at least 1/4 inch thickness. If cookies containing fat are stored in a tightly covered box, they become softer after several days.

COMPARE the recipe for Sugar Cookies with that for Plain Cake. Account for the difference in the quantity of milk. Explain why the quantity of milk is decreased rather than the quantity of flour increased.

SUGAR COOKIES

2 cupfuls flour 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder 1/2 teaspoonful salt 1 egg 1 cupful sugar 1/2 cupful fat Milk or water (about 3/8 cupful) 1 teaspoonful flavoring or spice

Mix as for Plain Cake (do not separate the eggs), adding just sufficient milk to make the dough stiff enough to be rolled out. Put the dough in a cool place to chill. Roll out in small portions; then sprinkle with sugar. Cut and bake at 375 degrees F. 10 minutes or until browned.

SOUR MILK OR CREAM COOKIES

Follow the recipe for Sugar Cookies, using 1/2 cupful of thick sour milk or cream in the place of sweet milk and adding 1/4 teaspoonful of baking soda. If sour cream is used, only 1/3 cupful (instead of 1/2 cupful) of fat is needed. Nutmeg--1/2 teaspoonful--is a pleasing flavoring material for these cookies.

For _Ginger Cookies_, vary the recipe for Sour Cream Cookies as follows:

Use 1/2 cupful sugar and 1/2 cupful molasses instead of 1 cupful of sugar.

Increase the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoonful.

For flavoring use 1 teaspoonful ginger and 1 teaspoonful allspice.

Since the molasses furnishes some moisture, it is usually necessary to add more flour or decrease the sour milk or cream.

COOKIES WITH RAISIN FILLING

Prepare Sour Cream Cooky dough. Roll the dough into a thin sheet and cut it into rounds. Spread half of the rounds with a thin layer of Raisin Filling (see below). Then cover each round with another piece of dough. Press the edges together. Place on an oiled baking sheet and bake in a moderate oven.

RAISIN FILLING

1/2 cupful corn sirup 1 cupful seeded raisins 1/4 teaspoonful salt

Cook these ingredients until the mixture is thick enough to use as cake filling.

One fourth cupful of chopped nuts may be added. One egg may also be added to the mixture just before removing from the fire.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

2 1/2 cupfuls flour 3 teaspoonfuls baking powder 1/2 teaspoonful baking soda 1/2 teaspoonful salt 1 egg 1 cupful sugar 3/4 cupful peanut butter 1 cupful sour milk

Mix and bake as Sugar Cookies. It is especially necessary to make the dough for these cookies very soft. It requires skilful handling.

CORN-MEAL COOKIES

1/2 cupful melted fat 1/2 cupful molasses 1/2 cupful corn sirup 1 egg 6 tablespoonfuls sour milk 1/2 teaspoonful baking soda 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder 2 cupfuls corn-meal 1 cupful wheat flour 1/2 teaspoonful salt

Combine the melted fat, molasses, sirup, beaten egg, and milk. Sift the dry ingredients and combine with the liquid. Drop from a teaspoon on to a greased pan and bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees F.) for 15 minutes. This makes 55 to 60 cookies about 2 inches in diameter.

(Adapted from _United States Food Administration Bulletin_.)

QUESTIONS

How does the method of preparing cooky mixture differ from that of preparing cake mixture?

Why should cooky dough be chilled before rolling out?

What can be done to the cooky cutter to prevent it from sticking?

Why is less fat required for Sour Cream than for Sour Milk Cookies (see Figure 64)?

From the _United States Department of Agriculture_, Bulletin No. 28, find the per cent of fat in peanut butter. What is the per cent of fat in butter (see Figure 63)? If butter were substituted for peanut butter in Peanut Butter Cookies, how much would be needed to furnish the same quantity of fat?

LESSON CXLVIII

CAKES WITHOUT EGGS

OMITTING EGGS IN CAKE.--It was previously stated that 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder are required to leaven 1 cupful of flour when no eggs are used. The statement was also made that the quantity of baking powder is reduced when eggs are used. Hence cakes made with eggs require less than the proportionate quantity of leavening given above.

When eggs are omitted in a cake, it is necessary to use 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder (or its equivalent) for each cupful of flour.

The flavor of cakes is usually improved when eggs are used. In eggless cakes, it is advisable to use spices or other materials of pronounced flavor.

Since eggs are highly nutritious, their omission in cake decreases considerably the food value of the cake. Leavens and flavoring materials (except chocolate) used in eggless cakes have practically no food value.

APPLE SAUCE CAKE

2 cupfuls flour 1/8 teaspoonful cloves 1 1/2 teaspoonfuls cinnamon 1 teaspoonful nutmeg 1 teaspoonful baking soda 1/4 teaspoonful salt 1 cupful sugar 1 cupful apple sauce (unsweetened) 1/3 cupful fat 1 cupful raisins, cut in halves

Mix the sugar and apple sauce; add the fat. Mix the dry ingredients. Through a sifter, add them to the apple sauce mixture. Flour the raisins and stir them into the batter. Turn into a greased loaf-cake pan or into two layer-cake pans. Bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees F.). If the cake is baked in layers, put Raisin Filling between them, but omit the raisins in the cake batter.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 cupfuls flour 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder 1 teaspoonful salt 1/3 cupful cocoa 1/3 cupful water 1/4 cupful fat 1/2 teaspoonful baking soda 1 cupful sugar 3/4 cupful sour milk 1 teaspoonful vanilla

Mix the cocoa and water. Stir and cook until a thick smooth paste is formed. Add the fat. If solid fat is used stir until it is melted. Set aside to cool.

Add the baking soda and mix well. Then add the sugar and sour milk. Through a sifter, add the dry ingredients. Then add the vanilla. Beat well. Bake in two layers (375 degrees F.) or in one sheet (350 degrees F.). Use frosting or Chocolate Filling made without eggs between the layers and frosting on the top layer.

If it is desired to save sugar, a thin layer of Chocolate Filling may be used between the layers and on the top layer.

SPICE CAKE

1 cupful brown sugar 1/4 cupful molasses 1 cupful seeded raisins 3/4 cupful water 1/2 cupful fat 1/2 teaspoonful salt 1 teaspoonful nutmeg 2 teaspoonfuls cinnamon 1/8 teaspoonful cloves 2 1/2 cupfuls flour 1/4 teaspoonful baking soda 3 1/2 teaspoonfuls baking powder

In a saucepan mix all the ingredients except flour and leavening materials. Stir and cook the mixture at boiling temperature for 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Through a sifter, add the leavening materials and flour. Beat well. Turn into an oiled loaf-cake pan and bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees F.) from 45 to 60 minutes.

Chopped nuts--1/2 cupful--may be added to this cake. This addition, however, increases the cost. For economy the raisins may be omitted.

NOTE.--Various changes occur when certain of the ingredients of this cake are cooked, viz.,

(_a_) The sugar is dissolved (_b_) The raisins are softened (_c_) The fat is melted (_d_) The spices are improved in flavor.

QUESTIONS

What materials in Apple Sauce Cake leaven it?

What ingredient usually present in cake recipes is omitted in this cake? What takes the place of this ingredient?

In Chocolate Cake, how much baking soda is required to neutralize the acid of the sour milk? For what purpose is the additional quantity used?

What is the purpose of cooking the cocoa and water (see _Cocoa and Chocolate_)?

Determine the difference in the cost of Chocolate Cake with and without eggs.

What ingredient in Spice Cake contains a small quantity of acid? Explain why baking soda is an ingredient of this ingredient.

Why should the cooked mixture of Spice Cake be cool before the remaining ingredients are added?

RELATED WORK

LESSON CXLIX

THE LUNCHEON BOX

The luncheon box most commonly used is of pasteboard or tin. Both these materials have advantages and disadvantages. Bread and cake are prevented from drying out when placed in a tightly covered tin box. On the other hand, food odors are retained and one pronounced odor may permeate all of the foods. But since dry bread is unpalatable, the tin box is considered more satisfactory. It should be kept clean and free from odors, should be emptied of its contents every day, washed (scalded often), and allowed to remain open all night. The collapsible box is the most convenient.

For most lunches, a teaspoon, jelly glass, and in some cases a drinking cup are all the "dishes" needed. The jelly glass may serve for many purposes. Cup custard may be steamed or baked in it, or it makes an admirable mold for an individual steam pudding. Small fruits and fruit sauces may also be carried in jelly glasses.

MENU MAKING FOR THE LUNCHEON BOX.--A luncheon box may be made a source of pleasure to the school child or everyday worker. To bring this about, the foods must be varied on successive days. It is not necessary that each luncheon consist of various foods. Indeed, many kinds of food or foods in great quantity are not desirable for a child who sits quietly at study much of the day or for a person of sedentary occupation. It is both possible and necessary, however,--if the luncheon box is not to become monotonous,--to have different foods for each day of the week. As in any meal, all of the foodstuffs should be represented in the food of a luncheon box.

FOODS FOR THE LUNCHEON BOX.--(1) _Sandwiches_.--Bread is the basis of almost all box luncheons. Since sandwiches furnish the most convenient way of carrying foods that are to be eaten with bread, they invariably form a part of every luncheon. Because they are used so frequently they should be varied. Different kinds of bread, such as graham, Boston brown, and nut bread, may be used. Variety may be had by serving bread sometimes in the form of muffins or rolls. The slices of bread may be cut thin or thick to suit the appetite of the eater. It is often desirable to leave the crusts on the bread. Butter should be creamed before spreading it on the bread. If the sandwiches are to be cut extremely thin, spread the bread before cutting it into slices. If sandwiches are prepared some time before they are served, they can be kept moist by wrapping in a dry towel, covered with a towel wrung out of hot water.

The fillings for sandwiches offer many variations. They may be divided into two classes, seasoned and sweet. _Seasoned fillings_ may include meat, eggs, cheese, vegetables. If meat is used, it may be cut in slices, or chopped and mixed with a sauce. If sliced meat is used, it is well to tear it into pieces. (This applies also to lettuce.) If it is desired to lessen the quantity of meat in a diet, the meat should be chopped, for it has been found that only half as much meat is required when it is chopped and mixed with a dressing. Either Salad Dressing or White Sauce may be combined with meat. A French Dressing made of vegetable oil, lemon juice, and seasonings is better, so far as ease of digestion is concerned, than Cream or "Boiled" Salad Dressing. If oil is not palatable, learn to like it. Any of the seasoned fillings may be mixed with Salad Dressing. Sliced tomatoes spread with Mayonnaise or Cream Salad Dressing, chopped peanuts mixed with salad dressing, sardines or cold chicken with lemon juice and paprika make tasty sandwich fillings.

_Sweet fillings_ for sandwiches include: preserved or dried fruits, bananas, nuts. Sandwiches made with a sweet filling are most popular among children. Some of them make good substitutes for cake, and are much more easily digested. The dried fruits such as dates, figs, and prunes, cooked and combined with bread and butter, make excellent foods. The growing child is apt to become anemic. Since prunes contain iron, they should be frequently used in children's diet. Cooked prunes--seeded and flavored with lemon juice--make palatable sandwiches, especially when brown bread is used or a few chopped nuts are added. Breads containing sugar or molasses are most pleasing when used with a sweet filling. Banana sandwiches are much improved by the addition of lemon juice or Salad Dressing. Nuts are often combined with both sweet and seasoned materials; their use gives opportunity for variety. Chopped raisins and nuts may be moistened with grape juice and used as sandwich filling. Chopped dates, apples, and nuts mixed with salad dressing make a pleasing filling. Crushed maple or brown sugar mixed with cream or butter and used with whole wheat bread is a favorite sandwich among children.

(2) _Relishes_.--Celery, olives, and radishes serve as relishes for the luncheon box. Celery and olives (especially those stuffed with pimentos or nuts) are pleasing as a sandwich filling. Most relishes, however, are more suitable for the luncheon box of a mature person than for that of a child.

(3) _Desserts_.--Cake is a common constituent of the luncheon box. Not all cakes, however, are suitable for luncheons. For children, only the plainer cakes, _i.e._ those containing little fat, should be used. Plain cake and cookies, sponge cake, lady fingers, and gingerbread (if not too highly spiced) are also desirable for the school luncheon. Cookies or cakes baked in muffin pans are more suitable for packing than cut pieces of cake.

Most fresh fruits can be easily packed in the luncheon box. As has been mentioned, grapes, the small fruits such as strawberries and raspberries, sliced pineapple, or fruit sauces may be carried in jelly glasses.

Cup custards and simple puddings may be used as desserts. If a child is permitted to have sweets, a little candy may be placed in the luncheon box; it is better for a child to have candy at the end of a luncheon than after school (see _Use of Candy in Diet_).

PACKING THE LUNCHEON.--Neatness is an essential in an inviting luncheon box. All foods should be wrapped separately in paraffin paper, and placed neatly in the box. Since some foods crush readily, it is not always possible to place the foods to be eaten first on top, but it is desirable to arrange the foods so that not all of them will have to be removed before beginning to eat the luncheon. The paper napkin should always be placed on top. It is perhaps unnecessary to say that foods should not come in direct contact with newspapers or any printed matter.

QUESTION

Plan menus for five school luncheons, making them as varied as possible. If you carry your luncheon to school, follow these menus in preparing your luncheon box.

LESSON CL

PLANNING AND PREPARING BOX LUNCHEONS

Plan [Footnote 115: See Footnote 72.] box luncheons. Make sandwiches and other foods for the luncheon box. Fill one or more luncheon boxes according to plans.

LESSON CLI

REVIEW--MEAL COOKING

MENU

Cake (for Cottage Pudding) Vanilla Sauce Cocoa

See Lesson XIV for suggestions regarding the preparation of the lesson.

LESSON CLII

HOME PROJECTS [Footnote 116: See Lesson IX]

SUGGESTIONS FOR HOME WORK.--Bake cake or cookies at least once a week. If eggs are high in price, bake cake without eggs or bake One-egg Cake.

SUGGESTED AIMS: (1) To improve the quality of cake. As suggested in a previous Home Project, score your product, determine the cause of any undesirable quality, and then avoid your error at the next baking.

(2) To compare homemade and baker's cake. Determine the weight and cost of homemade and baker's cake. Compare like kinds of cake, _i.e._ plain, chocolate, etc. Compute the cost per pound of each. If possible compare the flavor, grain, and texture of each. What are the advantages of homemade over baker's cake?

DIVISION FIFTEEN

PASTRY

LESSON CLIII

PIE WITH UNDER CRUST

PASTRY.--Good pastry is: (_a_) light, (_b_) flaky or friable, and (_c_) tender. The _lightness_ of pastry is largely dependent upon the temperature of the ingredients. All the materials should be cold, so that the expansion in baking may be as great as possible. In order to keep the ingredients cold and the fats solid, a knife (instead of the fingers) should be used in mixing. It is well to chill pastry by placing it on the ice before rolling out. The lightness of pastry is dependent somewhat upon quick and deft manipulations. A little baking powder also increases the lightness of pastry.

_Flaky_ pastry results when the ingredients are mixed so as to form layers. To accomplish this, solid fat is used and it is not cut fine into the dry ingredients, but is left in pieces. Thus, when rolled, there are layers of flour and fat. Pastry is sometimes made by cutting part of the fat into the flour mixture, then moistening and rolling it out; adding the remainder of the fat in small bits, folding and rolling out again.

_Friable_ pastry usually results when oil is used instead of solid fat. The following fats may be used alone or in combination: butter, oleomargarine, lard, vegetable oil or fat, lard substitutes.

To make pastry _tender_ and not tough, the least possible moisture should be used. The quantity of fat used also determines its tenderness. The more fat used, the less the amount of water required. Less moisture is required when oil rather than solid fat is used. For this reason, many persons can produce more tender pastry by using a cooking oil. The fact that the moisture is decreased when oil is used may also account for the decreased quantity of oil given in the recipe for pastry. Less oil than solid fat will produce the same degree of tenderness, provided less water is used.

PIE WITH THE UNDER CRUST.--Pastry is somewhat difficult of digestion; but a crust that is brittle and easily crumbled is more readily digested than one that is moist and pasty. Pie crust should crumble as finely as a cracker. To prevent moist and pasty pie crust, it is advisable to bake "one crust" pie. If an under crust only is used, it should be baked before adding the filling. The filling should be cooked and sweetened before adding it to the crust.

PLAIN PASTRY (2 crusts)

1 1/2 cupfuls flour 1 teaspoonful baking powder 1/2 teaspoonful salt 1/4 to 1/2 cupful fat _or_ 1/6 to 1/3 cupful oil Ice water

Mix the dry ingredients, cut in the fat slightly; then add just enough water to hold the ingredients together. Chill; then roll out (one crust at a time).

Pastry should be baked in a hot oven. A pastry shell containing no filling should be baked at 400 degrees F., for 15 to 20 minutes.

Bake a one crust pie on the outside of a pie pan; it should be pricked with a fork before baking.

The pastry trimmings should be utilized. They may be made into tarts or cheese straws.

LEMON PIE

3 tablespoonfuls flour 3 tablespoonfuls corn-starch 1 cupful sugar 2 cupfuls boiling water 2 egg yolks Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon 1 tablespoonful butter 1/4 teaspoonful salt

MERINGUE

2 egg whites 2 tablespoonfuls powdered sugar

Mix the sugar, flour, and corn-starch, add the boiling water. Stir and cook on the back of the range, or over an asbestos mat, for 15 minutes. Add the egg yolks and cook at simmering temperature, until the eggs thicken. Add the remaining ingredients. Cool and place in a baked crust. Cover with a meringue. Bake until the meringue is a light brown, _i.e._ at 300 degrees F., 10 to 15 minutes.

Note that the lemon is added to the mixture after cooking. Cooking a starchy material with a small amount of acid, dextrinizes the starch. Since dextrin has less thickening power than starch, the starch mixture would become thinner if cooked for some time with lemon.

SCORE CARD FOR PIE,--DETERMINING ITS QUALITY

Flavor 30 Tenderness 20 Lightness 10 Flakiness 10 Appearance (color and thickness) 10 Filling (flavor and consistency) 20 --- Total 100

QUESTIONS

Why should not the fingers be used to mix the fat with the dry ingredients in pastry making?

Why is it easier to roll out pastry, if it has been chilled after mixing?

Why should a lower crust, when used alone, be baked before adding the filling?

What is the purpose of pricking the lower crust with a fork before baking?

Compare the filling for Lemon Pie with that for Cream Puffs. How do they differ in moisture, method of preparation, and length of time in cooking? Give the reason for these differences.

From _U. S. Department of Agriculture_, Bulletin No. 28, tabulate the percentage composition of butter (see Figure 63), oleomargarine, lard, lard substitute, and vegetable oil. What is the price per pound of each?

Which furnishes more fat,--a pound of butter or a pound of lard? If lard, lard substitute, or vegetable oil were substituted for butter in a cake or other quick bread, should the same quantity be used? Explain.

LESSON CLIV

PIES WITH UPPER CRUST

DIGESTION OF PASTRY.--As previously mentioned (see _Frying and Digestion_), when fats are heated to a high temperature, they decompose. The products of this decomposition are less readily digested than is fat before it is decomposed. Hence in fried foods, the fat is made somewhat indigestible. Thus it is much better to spread uncooked fat over hot potatoes than to combine the two foods by frying the potatoes.

Fat is the most slowly digested of all foodstuffs. Hence a combination of fat and carbohydrates is more slowly digested than carbohydrate. For this reason, foods consisting of fat and flour such as pastry may remain in the digestive tract for a long time and cause disturbances. Distressing effects are less likely to result, however, when a person's work is out of doors. Since fatty foods remain in the stomach longer than others, they may serve to allay the feeling of hunger which is caused by the contracting of an empty stomach.

PIE WITH THE UPPER CRUST.--In the previous lesson (see _Pie with Under Crust_), it was mentioned that "pasty" pie crust was not readily digested. For this reason, fresh fruit pie may be made with an upper crust only. Such pie should be baked in a pan of granite, glass, or similar material. The fruit is placed in the pie pan, then a half-inch strip of pastry is placed over the rim of the pie pan; the strip is moistened and the crust placed over the top. The strip of pastry and the upper crust are pressed together, then the edges of the latter are trimmed. The upper crust should be cut in several places for the escape of steam.

RHUBARB PIE

2 cupfuls rhubarb, cut in small pieces 1 egg 4 tablespoonfuls flour 1 cupful sugar Salt Lemon rind

Mix the sugar, salt, lemon rind, and flour; beat the egg. Add the rhubarb and flour mixture to the egg. Turn into an earthenware dish or a granite pan, and cover with pastry as directed above. Bake until the rhubarb is tender and the crust is brown, i.e. at 425 degrees F., 35 to 45 minutes.

Rhubarb contains such a large percentage of moisture that it is well to use but one crust.

QUESTIONS

Explain why it is that baked potatoes and butter are more readily digested than fried potatoes.

What is the advantage of using only a top crust for fresh fruit pie?

What is the purpose of egg and flour in Rhubarb Pie? Why is it desirable to use these ingredients with rhubarb?

Why should the flour in Rhubarb Pie be mixed with sugar?

How much water is there in apples and rhubarb (see _U. S. Department of Agriculture_, Bulletin No. 28 and Figure 70)?

LESSON CLV

TWO-CRUST PIES

TWO CRUSTS.--If both upper and lower crusts are used in making a pie, the lower crust should be placed inside the pan. The filling should be added, the edge of the crust moistened, and the upper crust placed over the pie and pressed around the edges. Then the edges should be trimmed. As was mentioned before, upper crusts should always be cut in several places for the escape of steam.

Sometimes a half-inch strip of pastry is placed around the edge of the under crust before placing the upper crust. This is thought to aid in preventing the escape of the moisture of the filling.

APPLE PIE

Cut 4 or 5 apples into slices, and for each apple use 2 tablespoonfuls (or more) of sugar. If the apples are not juicy, add from 1/2 to 1 tablespoonful of water for each apple. Flavor with 1 teaspoonful each of lemon juice and rind, 1/4 teaspoonful cinnamon or nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoonful salt. Line the inside of a pie pan with pastry, pour in the apple mixture. Add bits of butter, and cover with pastry as directed above. Bake until the apples are soft and the crust is brown, i.e. at 425 degrees F., 35 to 45 minutes.

Apple sauce may be used as a filling for a baked crust. Such a pie is sometimes covered with meringue or strips of pastry.

FRUIT PIE WITH TWO CRUSTS

2 cupfuls fruit 1/2 to 1 cupful sugar 3 tablespoonfuls flour

If the fruit is fresh, wash and drain it well. Mix the sugar and flour. Line the inside of a pie pan with pastry, add half of the sugar and flour mixture. Add the fruit, and then the remainder of the sugar and flour. Cover with a top crust according to the directions above.

QUESTIONS

Explain why pie with only one crust, if properly made, is more desirable than that with two crusts (see _Pie with Under Crust_).

Why should fresh fruit, for fruit pie with two crusts, be well drained after washing?

Give three ways of preventing the juice from boiling over, in a pie with two crusts.

Compare pastry that is made with lard, lard substitutes, vegetable oils and butter, as to taste, appearance, flakiness or friability, and tenderness.

RELATED WORK

LESSON CLVI

INFANT FEEDING

PERFECT FOOD FOR INFANTS.--Nature in her wisdom provides ideal food for the infant,--mother's milk. No perfect substitute has been found for it. It is most unfortunate when a child is denied this food.

It has been found [Footnote 117: See "Feeding the Family," by Mary Swartz Rose, Ph.D., p. 98.] that babies fed with mother's milk are much less likely to contract disease and much more apt to grow to maturity. A mother's milk is adapted to the needs of her child. It agrees with the infant and nourishes it well. A practical advantage of a healthy mother's milk is that it is sterile and of the proper temperature.

MODIFIED MILK.--In case it is necessary to give the infant artificial diet, the greatest care should be taken to provide clean, easily digested food. Cow's milk is the basis of the food generally chosen. The way babies digest cow's milk shows the necessity of changing or _modifying_ it to meet the needs of an infant. Cow's milk is modified sometimes by diluting it to make it digest easier and adding other ingredients to it. In order to increase the fuel value of diluted milk, carbohydrate food of some soluble, easily digested kind is added. Sometimes gruel or cereal water is used as one of the constituents of modified milk.

Formulas for modified milk vary with the individual infant. A physician should be consulted regarding the formula for food for a baby.

(_a_) _Utensils_ for measuring and preparing the ingredients of modified milk should be kept very clean. Before using, all glass and metal utensils used for measuring and holding the milk should be covered with cold water, then the water should be heated and allowed to boil for twenty minutes. Just before using rubber nipples, place them in boiling water for a few minutes. After using, they should be rinsed in cold water and then carefully washed inside and out with soap and water. When not in use, nipples should be kept in a clean covered jar or jelly glass. (The jar and cover should be sterilized daily.) After using the milk bottles (have as many bottles as there are feedings a day), rinse them in cold water, and then fill them with water and add a pinch of baking soda. Before filling the bottle with milk, wash with soap and water--using a bottle brush--and then sterilize in boiling water for twenty minutes (as directed above). Bacteria cannot pass through cotton, hence it is used for stoppering the filled milk bottles. It should be clean, however. Paper caps are also used.

(_b_)_ Ingredients_.--(1) _Milk_.--The selection of milk for an infant is an important consideration. _Clean milk_ is most essential. Milk is considered clean when it comes from dairy farms where clean milkers work under sanitary conditions, approved by a medical milk commission (see _Care of Milk_). Such milk contains few bacteria and is called _certified milk_. This is by far the safest milk for infant diet, but it is expensive. It usually costs almost twice as much as ordinary milk. Milk is _pasteurized_ commercially by heating it to 150 degrees F., keeping it at that temperature for about thirty minutes, and then quickly cooling it. While pasteurizing kills most of the disease-producing germs, it does not destroy all the spores (see _Microorganisms in theSpore Form_). The taste of milk is not affected by pasteurizing. Milk is _sterilized_--all germ life destroyed--by heating at 212 degrees F. from one to one and one half hours.

Since the value of milk as an infant food depends upon its cleanliness, it is difficult to state just how old milk may be before it is unsafe for infant feeding. It is safest to use only _fresh_ milk. Bacteria in milk may develop so rapidly that it is unfit to use a few hours after it has been drawn from the cow. Unless milk is certified, it should not be used in summer after it is twenty-four hours old, and in winter, after it is forty-eight hours old. _Bottled_ milk should be used for infants. According to most plans for modifying milk, _whole milk_ is used.

(2) _Sugar._--Several kinds of sugar are used in modified milk. These are:

Milk sugar or lactose. Malt sugar combined with dextrin or dextrimaltose. Granulated sugar or cane sugar.

The advice of a physician should be consulted regarding the kind of sugar best suited to the needs of the particular infant. The first two kinds of sugar can be obtained at a drug store. Granulated sugar is too sweet for general use.

(3) _Water or Cereal Water._--If plain water is to be used with milk, it should be boiled before adding to the other ingredients.

In some cases, gruel or cereal water is added. Usually rolled oats or barley flour is the grain used. To prepare either of these use:

4 tablespoonfuls rolled oats _or_ 3 tablespoonfuls barley flour 1 quart cold water

Mix and boil gently until the mixture is reduced to a pint. Then strain through a fine wire strainer or muslin.

(_c_) _Method of Mixing_.--Measure the sugar. This ingredient is usually measured in ounces, tablespoonfuls, or teaspoonfuls. (1 1/2 dipperfuls (Figure 87) of milk sugar weigh 1 ounce.) In the graduated measure (Figure 87), measure the water or cereal water for diluting the milk and dissolve the sugar in it. Stir the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then pour it into the mixing pitcher. Measure the milk (and other ingredients if required) and pour into pitcher. Mix thoroughly. While stirring, turn the proper quantity of food into as many sterilized bottles as are required for a day's feeding. Stopper with cotton or cap. If the milk used is certified, place in a clean refrigerator until used for feeding. If the milk is not certified, it may be pasteurized.

PASTEURIZING MILK AT HOME.--Place the bottles of milk in a wire basket. Then place the basket in a kettle. Pour water in the kettle so that the water is a little higher outside of the bottles than the surface of the milk inside. Heat the water and let it boil for 5 minutes. (Do not begin to count the time until the water reaches the boiling point.) At once cool the milk by allowing a stream of cold water to displace the hot water. Do not allow the cold water to run directly on the hot bottles. When the milk is cooled, place the bottles immediately in a clean refrigerator.

PREPARATION OF MILK BEFORE FEEDING.--At feeding time, milk should be heated to about 98 degrees F. Place the bottle in a pan of warm water. Test the milk for proper temperature. Use the method described in Junket "Custard", for testing the temperature of the milk. Shake the bottle before feeding.