Cake

Cake is an item of soft sweet food made from a mixture of flour,

fat, eggs, sugar, and other ingredients, baked and sometimes
iced or decorated.

Types of Cake

shortened cakes

Cakes made with fat or shortening are known asshortened cakes.

Such cakes usually require a chemical raising agentsuch as
baking powder to lighten them.

foam cakes
Cakes made without fat are known as foam cakes .A true foam
cake does not contain any raising agent, but it contains a large
number of eggs which are beaten to trap air. As the cake bakes,
this air expands making the cake light fluffy and spongy.
Chiffon cakes
Chiffon cakes are also made with a large quantity of eggs, but
they are much more tender because oil is used. They can
therefore, be classified as shortened cakes or put into a category
all by themselves.

Method of cake mixing

Rubbed-in
Creamed
All-in-one
Melted fat
Wisked

Ingredients in cake making Flour forms the framework of the cake. Weak or soft flour is best for most
cakes. 'This type of flour can be made at home by adding one ounce cornflour to seven ounces of all
purpose flour. Selfraising flourissuitableforplain cakes,butricher cakesrequireplain cake flour. Fat makes
cakes tender and helps to keep them moist. Butter and margarine are the fats most commonly used but
lard and clarified fat can be used in plain cakes. Sugar sweetens cakes and helps to make them tender.
Sugar also helps to give the crust its brown colour. Granulated and brown sugar are suitable for rubbed-
in mixtures but castor sugar or finely ground granulated sugar is best for creamed cakes. Eggs entrap air
and help to lighten cakes. The more eggs used, the lighter the cake will be. Liquid provides moisture,
helps to raise cakes and helps to blend ingredients. However, ifexcessis used, it toughens the gluten
producing a heavy, tough cake. The amount needed depends on the number of eggs used and the
proportion of fat to sugar in the recipe. Flavouring creates interest in cakes. Citrus and dried fruits also
extend their shelf life. Except in the case of Black Cake, all dried fruits should be cleaned, dried and
floured before they are add to a cake mixture. In the case of Black Cake,the fruits are cleaned, ground
and sometimes soaked in wine or liquor before addition to the mixture. Dry powders should be sieved
into flour and granules should bemixed with liquid to prevent a speckled appearance.