Part 79 (1/2)

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 quant.i.ty of salt if b.u.t.ter 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 subst.i.tuted 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 quant.i.ty 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 b.u.t.terscotch Tapioca. Continue cooking until the egg is coagulated. Remove from the fire, cool, add vanilla.

3 tablespoonfuls of cocoa may be subst.i.tuted for the chocolate. When this subst.i.tution 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 quant.i.ties of sugar (see _Chocolate Corn-starch Pudding_)?

Does the water used for making the chocolate paste change in quant.i.ty 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 quant.i.ty of moisture used in Chocolate Cake?

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

NUT CAKE

Follow the recipe for Plain Cake, use the smaller quant.i.ty 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 coa.r.s.e 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.