Today's world offers us so very many conveniences and short cuts. We get used to those short cuts and sometimes don't even realize that there is something missing, which actually makes sense because when you take a short cut, you leave something out or cut corners to make it a quicker trip from one thing to another...
For a couple of bucks you can pick up a box of cake mix at the grocery store and once you are at home take 5 minutes to mix in some water and oil and bake for 1/2 an hour...
But, there is an amazing difference and texture in a home made from scratch cake! And you know, the thoughts of making this cake with my Mother's guidance is always a pleasant childhood memory, so not only is the taste of it special to me but it holds so many good time thoughts!
CAKE from Scratch...
Procedure for making cakes,
1. Collect utensils and ingredients
2. Prepare (turn on oven)
3. Prepare pans
4. Measure and sift dry ingredients, then measure liquids
5. Beat eggs
6. Combine ingredients
7. Place batter in pans and bake at once.
A few hints:
On combining ingredients - Cream fat (or butter) (which means to beat or mix until it is soft and creamy) before adding any other ingredients.
Add sugar and beat well until sugar is dissolved.
Beat eggs together and add gradually to the butter sugar mixture.
If you add the eggs to quickly the mixture may 'curdle'.
Add sifted dry ingredients alternatively with liquids and mix well after each addition. Do not beat mixture too much because it can make a tough of heavy cake, mix enough to combine.
If the recipe has called for beaten egg whites, fold or carefully mix in egg whites by lifting batter from botton of the bowl up and over the egg white, repeat this motion until the egg white is incorporated into the batter.
Test for Baked Doneness: The cake is done when it shrinks from the sides of the pan; when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake come out clean, or when you touch the top of the cake and it immediately springs back and does not leave a finger mark.
And here is the Cake recipe that I learned from this book with the help of my Mother, explaining each step. I became my family's official celebration cake baker.... That little chore in our home meant I baked everyone's birthday cakes and now and then my father would say, before he went to work in the morning that he thought " Today is an UnBirthday! We need to Celebrate" and that meant I should make a cake when I got home from school so we could share in it as after dinner treat! It did make me feel quite important!
" There are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents, and only one for birthday presents, you know" Lewis Carrol
Two Egg Cake
1/2 cup fat (butter or margarine)
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs (of course!)
3/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups pastry flour, sifted
3 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream the fat, add the sugar. Beat egg yolks and add gradually to butter mixture. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and add to the butter mixture alternatively with the milk. Stir to combine. Beat egg whites until stiff. Add vanilla to batter then add egg whites by folding into batter.
Pour batter into a 9"x9" cake pan that has been carefully greased before hand and place into oven at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes.
This is a very basic cake recipe, but as I became more proficient at this "ART" I learned to add a few variations. A combination of 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger and nutmeg would make a mildly spiced cake, that always went wonderfully well with ice cream. Or adding about 1/4 cup cocoa powder and a extra few tablespoons of sugar made for a nice chocolate cake, especially if I was allowed to make chocolate icing (butter, icing sugar, and cocoa powder)
And back to Modern Times....
Here is a link to How to make a Cake from scratch... It doesn't have the recipe, but explains very well the procedure...
I haven't given you any lucious photos of cakes or even photos of in progress making of cakes, cause I just don't have one of my own right now and I really don't want to put up someone elses photos.... So like the book that my Mom studied her Household Sciences from, there are no photos today!
