The Good Cook Techniques & Recipes Series – Cakes

182 Pages·1981·242.401 MB·English

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This volume is one of a series that explains and demonstrates
how to prepare various types of food, and thor offers in eoch
book on international anthology of greot recipes.
--------------------THEGOODCOOK-------------------
TECH N IQUES & RECIPES
BY
THE EDITORS OFT IME-LIFE BOOKS
---------------TIME-LIFE BOOKS/A LEXAN DR lA, VIRGIN lA---------------
Cover, Fragile chocolate shavings and a piped garland of
sweetened whipped cream adorn a sumptuous four-tier
Block Forest coke (recipe, page 153). Hidden from view
until the coke is cut into wedges, the layers ore
sandwiched together with poached whole cherries
and more whipped cream.
Time-Life Books Inc. CHIEF SERIES CONSULTANT ic Service, is the author of several cookbooks and
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Richard Olney, on Ameri the founder of Prospect Books, which specializes
TIME INCORPORATED can, has lived and worked in scholarly publications about food and cookery.
Founder, Henry R. Luce 1898-1967 for some three decodes in Pot Alburey, special consultant for this volume, is a
Editor-in-Chief, Henry Anatole Grunwald France, where he is highly member of the Association of Home Economists of
President, J. Richard Munro regarded as an authority Great Britain. She has been responsible for some
Chairman of the Boord, Rolph P. Davidson on food and wine. Author of the step-by-step photographic sequences in this
Executive Vice President, Clifford J. Grum of The French Menu Cook volume. Alice Woo/edge Salmon, special consultant
Choirmon, Executive Commirree, James R. Shepley book and of the award for this volume, is a chef who has worked at Ma
Editorial Director, Rolph Groves winning Simple French Cuisine restaurant and at The Connaught Hotel in
Group Vice President, Books, Joan D. Manley
Vice Choirmon: Arthur Temple Food, he has also contrib London. She is also a contributor to many publica
uted to numerous gastro tions including the Journal of the International Wine
TIME-LIFE BOOKS INC. nomic magazines in and Food Society. FRANCE: Michel Lemonnier, the co
Monoging Editor, Jerry Kern; Executive Editor: David France and the United founder and vice president of Les Amities Gastro
Maness; Assistonr Monoging Editors, Dole M. Brown Stoles, including the inlluenliol journals Cuisine et nomiques lnternotionoles, is a frequent lecturer on
{planning), George Constable, Martin Mann, John Paul Vins de France and Lo Revue du Vin de France. He wine and vineyards. GERMANY: Jochen Kuchenbecker
Porter, Gerry Schremp (acting); Art Director, Tom Suzuki; is a member of several distinguished gastronomic trained as a chef, but worked for 10 years as a
Chief of Research, David L. Harrison; Director of societies, including L' Academie lnternationale du food photographer in several European countries
Photography, Robert G. Mason; Assistant Art Director, Vin, La Confn§rie des Chevaliers du Tastevin and before opening his own restaurant in Hamburg.
Arnold C. Holeywell; Assistant Chief of Research, Carolyn L.
La Commanderie du Bontemps de Medoc et des Anne Brakemeier is the co-author of a number of
Sackett; Assistant Director of Photography: Dolores A.
Littles; Production Editor: Feliciano Madrid; Operations Graves. Working in London with the series editori cookbooks. ITALY: Massimo Alberini is a well-known
Manager, Gennaro C. Esposito, Gordon E. Buck al stall, he has been basically responsible for the food writer and journalist, with a particular interest
(assistant); Quality Control: Robert L. Young (director), planning of this volume, and has supervised the fi in culinary history. His many books include Storia
James J. Cox (assistant), Daniel J. McSweeney, Michael nal selection of recipes submitted by other consul del Pranzo all'ltaliana, 4000 Anni a Tavola and
G. Wight (associates); Art Coordinator: Anne B. Landry; tants. The United States edition of The Good Cook 100 Ricette Storiche. THE NETHERLANDS: Hugh Jans has
Copy Stoff: Susan B. Galloway (chief), Nancy Berman, has been revised by the Editors of Time-Life Books published cookbooks and his recipes appear in
Tonno Gibert, Bobbie C. Paradise, Celio Beattie; Picture to bring it into complete accord with American cus several Dutch magazines. THE UNITED STATES: Judith
Deportment: Alvin Ferrell; Traffic: Kimberly K. Lewis toms and usage. Olney, author of Comforting Food and Summer
Choirmon: John D. McSweeney; President: Carl G. Jaeger; CHIEF AMERICAN CONSULTANT Food, received her culinary training in England and
Executive Vice Presidents: John Steven Maxwell, David J. Carol Cutler is the author of a number of cook France. In addition to conducting cooking classes,
Walsh; Vice Presidents: George Artondi (comptroller); books, including the award-winning The Six-Minute she regularly writes lor gastronomic magazines.
Stephen L. Boir (legal counsel); Peter G. Barnes; Nicholas
Benton (public relations); John L. Canova; Beatrice T. Souffle and Other Culinary Delights. During the 12
Dobie (personnel); Coral Floumenholt (consumer affairs); years she lived in France, she studied at the Cor
James L. Mercer (Europe/South Pacific); Herbert Sorkin don Bleu and the tcole des Trois Gourmandes,
{production); Paul R. Stewart (marketing) and with private chefs. She is a member of the
Cercle des Gourmettes, a long-established French
THE GOOD COOK food society limited to just 50 members, and is also
The original version of this book wos created in London lor a charter member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, Wash
Time-Life International (Nederland) B.V. ington Chapter. Correspondents: Elisabeth Kraemer (Bonn); Margot
European Editor: Kit von Tu lleken; Design Director, Louis Hopgood, Dorothy Bacon, Lesley Coleman (london);
Klein; Photography Director: Pamela Morke; Planning SPECIAL CONSULTANT Susan Janos, Lucy T. Voulgaris (New York); Moria
Director: Alan Lothian; Chief of Research: Vanessa Kromer; Jolene Worthington received degrees in pastry mak Vincenzo Aloisi, Josephine du Brusle [Paris); Ann
Chief Sub-Editor: lise Gray; Production Editor, Ellen Brush; ing and candymaking from the Culinary Institute of Natonsan [Rome).
Quality Control: Douglas Whitworth America in Hyde Park, New York, and worked as a Valuable assistance was also provided by: Jonny Hovinga
[Amsterdam); Judy Aspinall [London); Bona Schmid,
Stoff for Cokes: Series Coordinator: Liz Timothy; Head restaurant pastry chef for many years. Formerly the Mario Teresa Marenco [Milan); Carolyn T. Chubet,
Designer: Rick Bowring; Text Editor: Ann Tweedy; Test Kitchen Chef in recipe development at Cuisine Miriam Hsia, Christina Lieberman [New York); Mimi
Anthology Editor: Morkie Benet; Stoff Writers: Alexandra magazine, she contributes articles to food maga Murphy (Rome).
Corlier, Joy Ferguson, Mary Harron, Thorn Henvey; zines and conducts classes in cooking and pastry
Designer: Zoki Elio; Researchers: Ursula Beary, Nora Corey, making in Chicago. She has been largely responsi C 19B1 Time-life International (Nederland! B.V.
MKaatrieg aLrloeyt dH, aSllo, llEyl eRaonwolra nLidn;e sD, eDsiegnb oArasshis Ltaitntot:n C; hSeurbr-yE dDiotoyrlse:; ble for the step-by-step photographic sequences CN o1 9pBo1r t Toifm thei-sli fbeo Booko mksa yIn bc.e A rlel prirgohdtusc reedse irnv eadn.y form or by any elec
in this volume. tronic or mechanical means, including information stOfage and re
Editorial Deportment: Pot Boog, Debra Dick, Beverly
trieval devices or systems, without prior written permission from the
Doe, Philip Garner, Brion Scm brook, Molly Sutherland, PHOTOGRAPHER publisher, except that brief passages may be quoted far reviews.
Julio West, Helen Whitehorn A/do Tutino, a native of Italy, has worked in Milan, First printing.
U.S. Stoff for Cokes: Series Editor: Ellen Phillips (acting); New York City and Washington, D.C. He has won PSuchbolisohl eadn dsi mliburlataryn edoisutrsilbyu intio Cna bnya dSailv. er BurdeH Com pony,
Designer: Ellen Robling; Chief Researcher: Barbaro Fleming; a number of awards for his photographs from the Morristown, New Jersey 07960.
Picture Editor: Adrian Allen; Text Editor: Mark Steele; Stoff New York Advertising Club.
Writer: Leslie Marshall; Researchers, Ann Ready TIME-LIFE is a trademark of Time Incorporated U.S.A
INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANTS
(techniques), Pamela Gould {anthology); Assistant
DEedsitiogrniaelr :A Psesigs taSncths:r eBirbeenrd; Aa rHt aArswsiestlal,n Pt: aRtroicbioer tW Hheitrenfdoordn;; bGRoEoAkTs B aRIbTAoIuN:t Jfoanoed Garnigds ohna sh baes ewnr iatt ecno oa kneurym cboerrr eo f FR54ae1ra idnNefoor rrItmnhf aoFtriamoirnab taaionbnko,su TtC imaonueyr- tl,Ti feCim hBeioc-aloifkgeso b , oIlolinko, ipsl e6a0s6e1 1w rite:
Special Contributors: Norman Kolpos (text), Christine spondent for the London Observer since 1968. A/on
Bowie Dove (research) Davidson, a former member of the British Diplomat- library of Congress CIP data, page 175.
----------------------CONTENTS----------------------
INTRODUCTION 5 Symbols of celebration I Sugar: The substance of
toppings I Icings based on egg whites I Butter creams for
1
frosting and molding I Chocolate toppings I Nut
preparation I Piping decorations: Basic tools, borders, flowers,
leaves and stringwork ITa ilor-made linings for baking
EGG-FOAM CAKES 31 Delicate confections from airy batters/ Angel food: An
2 ethereal structure from egg whites I Including yolks for moistness
and color I A classic spongecake enhanced with butter I
Chiffon cake: A marriage of methods I Crisp meringue layers
swathed in butter cream I Luxurious replacements for flour
CREAMED CAKES 49 Melting richness from beaten butter I A traditional
poundcake I An extravaganza packed with fruit I Fortifying
3
butter with almond paste I An old-fashioned American layer
cake I Meat and milk from a coconut I A triple
leavening for perfect cupcakes
BLENDED AND YEAST-LEAVENED CAKES 61 Exploiting ready-made lightening
agents I A molten mixture of sugar
74
and spice !The simplest cake of all I A high-liquid
batter for a spongy texture I Kneading
for a breadlike cake
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS Glories of the baker's art/ A triumph of trompe
I' oeil I Mushrooms from meringue I Showcases for fresh fruit I A
hidden filling of blackberries I A glittering mosaic I Gleaming
gems of cake and fondant I Colorful layers of ice cream and
cake I Ivory tiers graced with garlands
ANTHOLOGY OF RECIPES 85 Angel food and meringue cakes 86/ Spongecakes
92 I Pound and butter cakes 103 I Fresh-fruit cakes 111 I
Dried-fruit and nut cakes 124 I Spirit, spice
and sugar cakes 137 /Chocolate cakes 147 / Yeast
cakes 156 I Standard preparations 164
RECIPE INDEX 168
GENERAL INDEX/GLOSSARY 170
RECIPE CREDITS 173
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND PICTURE CREDITS 175
4
- - -- - -- - -INTRODUCTION- - - - -- - - -
Symbols of Celebration
Towering wedding cakes festooned with frosting garlands, lay were produced by adding honey or fruit to the grain pastes.
ered birthday cakes glowing with candles, fruited Christmas . Evidence of growing sophistication in cakemaking is seen in a
cakes moist and dark-all are symbols of celebration. So, on a bas-relief on the tomb of the Third Millennium Egyptian pha
less magnificent scale, is a seedcake baked for afternoon tea, or raoh Ramses II at Thebes; it shows a bakery stocked with a
a cupcake shaped to please a small child. Cakes, in sum, are variety of cakes formed into rings and various other shapes.
festive food, and the techniques for making them constitute one For centuries, cake baking remained confined to the Middle
of the happier culinary arts. East, where cooks had a veritable treasury ofi ngredients. Sugar
This volume addresses the entire field of cakemaking. The cane had been grown in the region since the Fourth Century
following pages give some historical information about cakes B.C., and Arabs also had the spices and perfumes of the Orient
and offer practical advice on using ovens for baking and on to lend distinction to their desserts. Persians of the Seventh
serving wine with ·cake. Next, a series of demonstrations ex Century A.D., for instance, made cakes flavored with cinnamon,
plains the preparation of all the elements that decorate cakes: nutmeg, cloves, almonds, walnuts and rose water.
Step-by-step photographs show how to handle nuts, chocolate These delicacies spread slowly into Western Europe with
and other ingredients; how to mix icings and frostings; and how the Muslim invasion of Spain in the Seventh Century, the Cru
to use a pastry bag to pipe those icings and frostings into decora sades of the 11th Century and the development of the great
tive borders, intricate leaves and many-petaled flowers. In this Eastern trade routes during the early Middle Ages. Because the
introductory section you also will find information on preparing most important Western ports were in Italy, Italians had the
baking pans so that cakes may be perfectly unmolded. closest contact with Arab traders and were the first to translate
The chapters that follow deal with the making of particular and use their treatises on food and cooking. From Italy, the
types of cake. The lightest cakes-spongecakes, angel food, me culinary arts spread into France-and many recipes from great
ringue and other cakes leavened by the air trapped in beaten French cooks acknowledge their Italian origin in their titles.
eggs-are the subject of the first chapter. The second chapter That most famous of spongecakes, genoise, for instance, is
addresses poundcakes, fruitcakes and other dense, moist confec named for its supposed city of origin, Genoa.
tions leavened by air trapped in beaten butter. A third chapter The egg-lightenedgenoise, however, appeared fairly late in
teaches how to make cakes that are leavened not only by air in the history ofbaking. Until the Renaissance was well advanced,
the batters, but also by the carbon dioxide that yeast, baking European cakes were leavened by yeast; they were, in effect,
powder or baking soda releases. In this group are quickly made sweetened breads. As late as 1660, Robert May, English author
cakes such as gingerbread, as well as classic yeast cakes-sa of The Accomplisht Cook or The Art and Mystery of Cookery,
varin from France and panettone from Italy. A final chapter recorded a recipe called "To Make an Extraordinary Good
describes the assembly of special cakes, from rolled cakes such Cake." The cake was leavened by yeast and contained no eggs. It
as butter-cream-filled yule logs to a three-tiered wedding cake. did, however, contain generous quantities of almost everything
Used in conjunction with the international anthology of rec else-half a bushel of flour, 3 pounds of butter, 14 ounces of
ipes that makes up the second half of this volume, all of these currants, 3 quarts of cream, 2 pounds of sugar and 3 pints of ale.
demonstrations will help you to become skilled and versatile in The first recipe for true spongecake appeared in 1699 in a
a branch of cookery so distinguished that Urbain Dubois, a cookbook titled Occasional Confectionery, by Mistress Maria
great 19th Century Parisian chef, characterized it as "un art Schellhammer. This cake, known as "French Sweet Bread," was
dans l'art'' -an art within art. made by warming eggs, beating air into them, and then folding
in flour and other ingredients in the manner·s till used today and
A little history demonstrated on pages 36-37.
The cakes baked today are the end products of centuries of re Delicate yet rich, egg-lightened cakes quickly became a
finement, both of ingredients and ofthe way those ingredients large and important group. As early cookbooks show, the use of
are manipulated. Like bread, pastry and pasta, cakes made eggs was nothing less than profligate. In Home Cookery, a book
their appearance about 10,000 years ago as coarse mixtures of published in Boston in 1853, a Mrs. J. Chadwick specified 90
grain and water, flattened and cooked on hot stones by the early eggs for a wedding cake; an ordinary cake, she allowed, needed
farming peoples of the Middle East. Sweet cakes eventually no more than 32. Christianity in the Kitchen, another American
5
INTRODUCTION
cookbook of the day, specified 20 eggs-and three hours ofbeat able is called "double-acting" because, in addition to moisture
ing them-to make just one cake. activated tartaric acid, it contains an acid that requires heat for
During the 19th Century, advances were made not only in reaction. Cake batters leavened with it rise somewhat during
cake-baking techniques but also in the ingredients that formed mixing, when the baking powder is liquefied, but most of the
the batters, permitting the creation of a wider range of cakes rising occurs during baking.
than had ever been known. Flour-essential to almost every
cake-was no longer the coarse, mealy mixture known in the The stuff of ceremony
Renaissance. Millers learned to sift it even finer, and in 1856, in Except for bread, no food speaks so strongly of ritual as cake. In
Evansville, Indiana, a young miller named Addison Iglehart prehistoric times, cakes-symbols of the life-sustaining grain
took soft winter wheat, ground it, sifted it, then ground it again. -were important sacrificial foods, and the eating of food thus
sanctified was thought to confer magical benefits upon the eat
er. It is not surprising that even now almost every major reli
gious festival- and private rites of passage such as birthdays
and weddings-has its attendant cake. For example, All Hal
lows' Eve (October 31) has long been celebrated in Spain and
Italy with the eating of Dead Man's Cake, a dark-chocolate con
fection (recipe, page 154). In Sicily, small, elongated cakes
known as St. Joseph's Fingers are baked in honor of that saint's
day (March 19); and Polish cooks, on November 11, bake St.
Martin's Horseshoes, shaped to recall the hoofs of the mount of
that much-traveled saint.
Christmas is celebrated everywhere with cakes. In Ireland,
Christmas Eve is known in Gaelic as Oidhche na Ceapairi; the
name means "night of cakes." The classic English Christmas
The result was very fine, exceedingly light cake flour, now used fruitcake (pages 52-53) is a dark confection filled with dried
to give many cakes-angel food cakes and spongecakes, in par fruits-and sometimes with small favors such as rings and
ticular-their airy distinction. coins that bring luck to the diners who receive them. In France,
Similar advances occurred in the manufacture of leaven the traditional Christmas confection is a spongecake rolled
ings. Yeast cakes certainly were made in quantity before the around a filling and frosted to resemble a yule log. German
19th Century, but the formation of the yeast culture was ate Christmas confections, called Stollen or fruit loaves, are yeast
dious process: First, flour was mixed with liquid to provide a cakes shaped into oblongs and dusted with sugar to imitate the
growing medium; then the cook had to wait for airborne yeast Christ Child in swaddling clothes.
cells to multiply in it, producing a spongy medium known as a Birthday cakes, too, are rich in tradition. In classical times,
starter that could be used to leaven cakes. In the 1850s, howev the birthdays of Roman emperors were marked not only by the
er, ready-made fresh yeast designed just for bakers was devel offering of cakes to the gods but also by the donation of cakes to
oped in Germany and brought to the United States. (Dried yeast all and sundry. Early Christians banned the celebration of
did not appear until just before World War II.) birthdays, along with all of the other evidences of pagan festivi
Chemical leavening also came into use during the 19th Cen ties, but during the Middle Ages birthday cakes reappeared in a
tury. The Arabs had leavened cakes with wood ash in the early new guise: People received rich yeast cakes on the feast days of
Middle Ages: Mixed with acid liquids such as sour milk, the ash the saints for whom they were named.
produced bubbles ofc arbon-dioxide gas, which helped raise cake The first candle-covered birthday cakes seem to have ap
batters. The effects of wood ash were unknown in the West, peared in Germany during the late Middle Ages; the candles
however, until the late 18th Century, when bakers discovered were themselves a dim reminder of ancient votive candles. The
that a refined wood ash called pearl ash would produce carbon German birthday cake of the period bore a large, central candle
dioxide when mixed with an acidic ingredient such as sour milk. called the Lebenslicht, or "light of life," surrounded by smaller
The use of pearl ash quickly became widespread, but it was candles, one for each year of the honored person's life. For luck,
confined to highly spiced cakes, such as gingerbread (pages 64- the celebrant blew out the Lebenslicht and its surrounding can
65), whose strong flavors would mask the unpleasant, soapy dles, making a wish at the same time; the number of puffs re
aftertaste of pearl ash. quired to extinguish the candles denoted the number of months
Pearl ash was soon replaced by baking soda-sodium bicar it would take for the wish to come true.
bonate. And by the mid-19th Century, cooks could buy the first Weddings and cakes have been paired since antiquity. At a
commercial baking powder. This was a mixture of baking soda Roman wedding, a cake was broken over the heads of the bridal
and an acid (usually tartaric acid) that would activate it in the pair as a sign of plenty, and all of the guests took some cake to
presence of moisture; to keep the mixture dry and prevent the share in the good fortune. That custom survived well into mod
soda and acid from interacting in storage, the leavening agent ern times. Here, for instance, is a description of a wedding from
also included rice flour. The form of baking powder now avail- the 18th Century English novel Humphrey Clinker by Tobias
6
Smollet: "A cake being broken over the head of Mrs. Tabitha High altitude baking
Lismahago, the fragments were distributed among the bystand Lowered air pressure at high altitudes necessitates some adjust
ers .. . on the supposition that every person who ate of the hal ments in cake recipes: Under such conditions, heated liquids
lowed cake should that night have a vision of the man or woman evaporate more rapidly than at sea level, and heated air and
whom Heaven designed should be his or her wedded mate." gases expand more dramatically. Without changes in cake rec
Today, guests take pieces of wedding cake-sliced, not crum ipes designed for baking at sea level, cakes baked at high alti
bled-home to eat or, perhaps, to dream on. tudes will emerge overinflated, dry and coarse-textured. You
will have to experiment with recipe adjustments to achieve per
Knowing ingredients fect results. The following guidelines for baking cakes at alti
Most cake batters are mixtures of flour, sugar, moisture and fat, tudes higher than 3,000 feet [914 meters] above sea level, how
interlaced with myriad tiny air bubbles produced by beating. ever, should aid your experiments:
Moisture causes a complex of flour proteins called gluten to • If a cake recipe specifies large amounts of butter-as in a
develop into an elastic network that strengthens cakes; fat and poundcake-reduce the total amount of butter by 1 to 2 table
sugar prevent the gluten from overdeveloping and toughening spoons [15 to 30 ml.].
the cakes. During baking, the cake is puffed up by steam from • Each cup [ 1/4liter] ofs ugar in a cake recipe should be reduced
the batter's moisture, by the expansion of air bubbles, and by 1 to 3 tablespoons [15 to 45 ml.].
perhaps by the release of carbon dioxide from baking powder, • Each cup ofliquid such as milk should be increased by 1 to 4
baking soda or yeast. tablespoons [15 to 60 ml.].
The very lightest cakes are made with fine-textured cake • If a recipe includes baking powder, each teaspoon [5 ml.] of
flour; other cakes are made with heavier, all-purpose flour. All the powder should be reduced by lfs to %teaspoon [ lf2 to 1 ml.].
purpose flour may be substituted in recipes calling for cake flour
if 2 tablespoons [30 ml.] of flour are removed from each cup Wines and other beverages
specified, to allow for the greater firmness of all-purpose flour. When a cake is served at the end of a meal that has been accom
Whatever the flour, most cake recipes are written on the as panied by a succession of wines, the cake, too, should have its
sumption that it is sifted before it is measured; since the aer wine-a white, sweet dessert wine such as French Sauternes or
ation caused by sifting significantly increases volume, be sure Barsac, German Beerenauslese or sweet Hungarian Tokay. To
to follow this sequence unless a recipe specifies otherwise. prevent the wines from tasting oversweet, chill them in the
Sugar in cakes is usually simple granulated sugar, although refrigerator for three hours or in an ice bucket for one hour.
recipes for very light cakes may specify superfine or confection Cakes should always be less sweet than the wine served
ers' sugar for easier mixing. The moisture and some of the fat in with them; otherwise the wine will taste thin and acidic. Some
cakes is provided by eggs; use eggs graded "large" unless an
other size is called for in a recipe. Most cakes are enriched with
butter-fresh unsalted butter should be used. The exceptions
are a few old-fashioned cakes enriched with meat fat (recipe,
page 132) and some cakes, such as chiffon cakes, that derive
richness and lightness-but not flavor-from vegetable oil.
Know your oven
No equipment is more important for cakemaking than the oven.
Oven thermostats are often inaccurate, so temperatures should
be monitored with an oven thermometer bought at a kitchen
supply store: Preheat the oven to the desired temperature, and cakes are made with ingredients that preclude serving them
move the thermometer to various positions within to be sure the with wine. Chocolate overwhelms a wine, and an abundance of
oven is heating accurately and evenly. cream may have a dulling effect. Acid fruits such as strawber
Quite possibly, your oven will have hotter and cooler areas; ries or currants may clash with a sweet wine, but cakes that
the hot areas most commonly are found in the top or back. Ift hat contain apples, pears, peaches or almonds make excellent foils
is the case, bake cakes on the lower oven racks-rather than on for dessert wines.
the center one, as you would in an evenly heating oven-and There are so many different kinds of cakes and so many
turn the cakes around during baking to ensure that they cook different occasions to enjoy them that it is pointless to lay down
evenly. You cannot, however, bake very light cakes such as too many strictures. Coffee may seem the ideal beverage for
angel food in ovens that heat unevenly: Moving the cakes dur cakes served at midmorning, and there is no question about the
ing baking might cause them to collapse. drink that should accompany cakes at afternoon tea. A home
Do not bake more than three cakes or cake layers at a time: made layer cake and a glass of milk are a pairing hallowed by
Otherwise, the circulation of heat in the oven will be impaired, American children. And a wedding cake would be unthinkable
and the cakes will bake unevenly. If you bake several layers, without Champagne. In these and many other cases, common
stagger the pans on the oven racks. sense and the occasion itself will lead to the correct choice.
7