In the days before commercial cake mixes, homemakers crafted cakes with precision and attention to minute details.
“The mixing and baking of cake requires more care and judgment than any other branch of cookery,” wrote Fannie Farmer in her 1896 cookbook.
“The baking of the cake is more critical than the mixing. Many a well-mixed cake has been spoiled in the baking. Experience alone has proved the most reliable teacher,” she said, implying that experience comes from practice and practice might mean perfection.
“In baking cake, divide the time required into quarters . . . first quarter, begins to rise; second quarter, continues rising and beginning to brown; third quarter, continue browning; fourth quarter, finish baking and shrinks from pan.”
This week’s cake recipes come from the Fannie Farmer 1896 Boston Cooking School Cook Book.
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Hot Water Sponge Cake
2 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
3/8 cup water
1/4 tsp. lemon extract
2 egg whites
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsps. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon-coloured. Add one-half the sugar gradually and continue beating. Then add water, remaining sugar, lemon extract and egg whites that have been beaten until stiff. Add flour mixed and sifted with baking powder and salt.
Bake 25 minutes in a moderate oven in a buttered and floured shallow pan.
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Election Cake
1/2 cup butter
1 cup bread dough
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sour milk
2/3 cup raisins, seeded and cut in pieces
8 finely chopped figs
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. mace
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
Work butter into dough, using the hand. Add egg well-beaten, sugar, milk, fruit dredged with two tsps. flour, and flour mixed and sifted with remaining ingredients.
Put into a well-buttered bread pan, cover and let rise one and one-fourth hours. Bake one hour in a slow oven. Cover with frosting.
• • •
One Egg Cake
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsps. baking powder
Cream the butter, add sugar gradually and egg well-beaten. Mix and sift flour and baking powder. Add alternately with milk to first mixture. Bake 30 minutes in a shallow pan. Spread with a chocolate frosting.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
