Secret Techniques for Making Delicious Homemade Cakes
How many movies have you seen featuring an old fashioned picnic or state fair with beautiful prize-winning cakes? Or maybe you're lucky enough to remember your mom's or grandma's delicious cakes on special occasions? Forget the cake mix. Roll up your sleeves and put on that apron. With some basic ingredients and the secrets of the best cake makers from the good old days, you can surprise your family and maybe yourself with a to-die-for old-fashioned homemade cake.
Prize Winning State Fair Cakes
The Secrets
Did you know there are only TWO types of cake?
When you learn to make the two basic cakes, you can make endless variations of cakes. Every cake is a variation of one of these two. Every cake begins by being either a butter cake or a sponge cake. Biggest Cake Secret
There are only two types of cake:
1. Butter Cake
2. Sponge Cake
Cake Secrets by Janet McKenzie Hill
A Rare Glimpse Into a Professional's Techniques
Janet McKenzie Hill, renowned expert of her day, takes the mystery out of producing cakes people ooh and aah over by sharing her secrets and techniques of cakemaking.
If you really want an old-fashioned cake made authentically, this vintage/antique Cake Secrets cookbook is the gold standard.
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Regulation Butter Cakes
Basic Butter Cake Recipe
Ingredients:1/2 C butter
1 C sugar
2 C cake flour
3 teas. baking powder
3 egg whites
2/3 C milk
1 teas. flavoring extract
Method of Making
First Mixture: Beat or work the butter with a slitted wooden spoon until it has a whitish appearance around the edges. Then gradually add the sugar to the butter, beating the mixture meanwhile.
Second: Sift the flour, measure, add baking powder, and sift three times.
Third: Beat the egg whites until very light and fluffy. Dry-beaten egg whites make a dry cake. Use a wire whip, which leaves the eggs moist.
To the creamed butter and sugar add alternately the 2/3 C milk and the flour with the baking powder. Thoroughly beat the entire mixture until smooth. Add flavoring. Fold in the egg whites. Do this carefully with a wooden spoon so as not to break down the air cells in the beaten egg whites.
Grease a pan, 8 x 8 inches, sift a little flour over the grease, tap the pan on one edge to remove extra flour. Put the batter into the pan and let bake about 35 minutes. Have the heat moderate until cake has risen, then have strong heat until three-fourths of the baking time, then gradually reduce the heat.
Butter Cake Secrets
Work butter to a cream before adding any sugar.
Flour and milk should always be added alternately, beating hard after each addition.
See How It's Done
Today's Secret Cake Making Techniques
REALMEALS.TV: DIY Wedding Cake
It's really not that hard to make one of these. It's kind of shocking. We went to a bakery in Brooklyn, and two fabulous ladies showed us what to do.
Regulation Sponge Cakes
Basic Sponge Cake Recipe
Ingredients:5 eggs
1 C sugar
1/2 lemon, grated rind and juice
1 C cake flour
1/4 teas. salt
Sift the flour before measuring; grate the lemon rind into the sugar; extract and measure the juice--there should be two tablespoonfuls.
Beat the yolks with egg beater until light colored and thick, gradually beat in the sugar and grated rind with the wooden spoon, then add the lemon juice.
Beat the whites with wire whip until very light.
Cut and fold part of the whites into the yolks and sugar; cut and fold in the flour and salt; cut and fold in the rest of the egg whites. Do not stir or beat the mixture.
To bake a sponge cake, divide the time into four quarters of 15 minutes each. At the end of the first quarter the cake should begin to rise. In the second quarter it should rise to full height and brown slightly. In the third quarter it should brown all over. In the fourth quarter it will finish baking and settle somewhat in the pan. The heat should be rather low until the cake has reached its full height, then increased for 15 minutes while browning, then decreased until it is done.
A clean toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan, inverted. In this way the moist cell walls are made firm while elongated, and the light, airy texture is maintained.
Sponge Cake Secrets
Always beat and fold ingredients, never stir, as it breaks down the air and makes a heavy cake.
Cakes as Art
Ideas for Decorating Those Perfect Cakes You Make
Making a moist and delicious cake is half the battle, now make it so pretty nobody want's to cut into it!
Coconut
Strawberry
Fruitcake You Like
Mississippi Mud
Opera Cake
Tea Party
Chocolate Raspberry
Strawberry Sponge
Chocolate Mousse
Delicate Petunias
Princess Pillows
Anniversary Cake
Recipe for Marble Cake
A Variation of a Basic Butter Cake
Marble CakeFollow the recipe for the basic butter cake above. Divide the mixture and leave one half plain.
Into the other half beat:
2 squares (ounces) of melted chocolate,
1/2 teas. ground cinnamon,
1/4 teas. ground cloves,
1/4 teas. soda.
Put the two mixtures, alternately, by large spoonfuls into a loaf pan.
On the mixture may be set 15 marshmallows in three rows, sprinkling the surface with 3 tablespoonfuls granulated sugar and 1/2 teas. cinnamon.
Bake about 25 minutes. Serve cut in squares, a marshmallow on each square, eliminating the need for icing.
Cake Pans
The essentials for baking cakes.
Cuisinart Chef's Classic Nonstick Bakeware 9-Inch Springform Pan
Amazon Price: $12.95 (as of 12/02/2008) 
Cuisinart Chef's Classic Nonstick Bakeware 9-1/2-Inch Fluted Cake Pan
Amazon Price: $12.95 (as of 12/02/2008)
Chicago Metallic Professional Nonstick 9-Inch Round Cake Pan
Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 12/02/2008)
Cuisinart Chef's Classic Nonstick Bakeware 9-Inch Square Cake Pan
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 12/02/2008)
Wilton 53 Piece Supreme Cake Decorating Set
Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 12/02/2008)
Recipe for Jelly Roll
A Variation of a Basic Sponge Cake
Jelly Roll CakeBake regulation sponge cake in a large flat pan; line the pan with a greased paper that hangs over the ends. Turn the cake on a damp towel, and remove the paper. Cut off the crisp edges. Spread the cake with fruit jelly beaten smooth. Roll and turn on a cake rack to cool.
The Cake Bible
More Old Fashioned Cake Recipes
The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook: Old-Fashioned Recipes From New York's Sweetest Bakery
Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 12/02/2008)
Wedding Cakes
Martha Stewart's Wedding Cakes
Amazon Price: $37.80 (as of 12/02/2008)
Master Cake Decorating Class
Cakes to Dream On: A Master Class in Decorating
Amazon Price: $26.40 (as of 12/02/2008)
Cakes to Inspire
Cakes to Inspire and Desire
Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 12/02/2008)
Cupcake Apron
Jessie Steele Cupcakes Apron
Amazon Price: $40.23 (as of 12/02/2008)
Cake Cookbooks
Live Auctions Right Now
A chance to pick up some cake cookbook bargains.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byYour Favorite Cake
Sometimes It's Hard to Choose Just One!
My favorite has to be Devil's Food, but a close second is Sponge Cake with Chocolate Icing! I also love Lemon, Black Forest, German Chocolate, Boston Cream, White with Strawberries, Carrot Cake. . . .
Did I leave anything out?
Baking Aprons
Baking Cakes Is Messy
i love cupcakes BBQ Apron
Price: 18.99
Cupcake Girl Apron
Price: 16.99
I Bake BBQ Apron
Price: 18.99
Tagged BBQ Apron
Price: 15.99
Emperor Penguin "Cooks need big hugs! apron
Price: 19.99
A Call for Cake Lovers
Have you Ever Made a Cake From Scratch?
Mary C. Smith wrote
I am looking for a Red Velvet cake receipe. It was simply THE BEST especially layered with 7 minute frosting(beat egg whites in double boiler etc..)but all I can find is with a cake mix NO WAY!!
Posted October 04, 2008
steimannbernard wrote...
you are the reason why my blood sugar gets high! lols! i love chocolate cakes...
5 stars--
Blak Prince
Posted October 01, 2008
MrMarmalade wrote...
I am a confessed chocoholic and endeavour to make most chocolate cakes Your are a #5 in my books
Posted September 24, 2008
Stazjia wrote...
This is a lovely lens - the cake that is my favourite not listed above is Sachertorte which is just chocolate heaven.
Posted September 02, 2008
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