The cake pans (with a few exceptions found among the recipes) should be well buttered, and clean, thick manilla or heavy writing paper fitted to the bottoms of the pans, and for rich fruit or wedding cakes which require baking for hours, 3 or 4 thicknesses will be a safe^guard against burning the bottoms of the cakes. Butter well the top sheet next the cake. It is not necessary to line the sides and ends of the pans if they are well buttered; a knife slipped around the cake will easily detach it. In baking layer cakes the pans are not usually papered to pre- vent them from sticking, but when paper is not used butter the pans well, throw in a handful of flour and shake it .well over the inside of the pan; then droj) it, bottom side upward, to remove all the flour which does not adhere to the butter. If layer cakes do not easily remove from the pans, leave them for a few moments bottom side upwards, turned on a cloth, and the steam from the cakes will soon cause them to drop. If buttered paper is used put it in buttered side up, and let it overlap the sides about 1 inch to assist in lifting out the cake. If a cake pan with a tube in the center is used the cake will bake more evenly. Many substitutes are devised by those who are without such pans, such as a lamp-chimney, glass bottle or paper tube. They should be greased, and placed in the center of the pan before the batter is poured in. Something weighted down is best, like a tumbler or bottle filled with sand. The Oven and Baking. — While cake is being made there should be no other cooking done on the stove, for as success depends very much on the baking, the cake maker should constantly watch and have absolute control of the fire. Make the fire the first thing, and while the oven is heating mix and prepare the cakes. In the absence of a thermometer, a few rules are here given for testing the heat of the oven, but as every stove or range bakes a little differently from others, the cook must learn by practice the proper heat required for different kinds of cake (1) Put white writing pai3er in the oven, and if it turns to a dark yellow color — not brown — in five minutes, the oven is of the right temperature for most cakes. (2) Place a little flour on a tin plate, and set it in the oven; if it turns a dark yellow in 5 minutes the heat is right, (3) Hold the hand in the oven and count 12. If you cannot do this the oven is too hot. 23 354 CAKE Small cakes require a quick oven when they are first put in, to make them rise, but the heat should not be increased after they have begun to bake. Large cakes should be put into a more moderate oven, in order that they may be well done in the middle before they are over==done on the outside. Cake will not be light if the oven is too cold at first, or if it is too hot and bakes the cake too quickly. The oven is too hot if it browns the cake before it rises. Cake should first rise at the edge, the middle should come up, crack a little, then settle back and the cracks close. Too much flour has been used if it rises in the cen- ter the most, cracks, and remains up. Most loaf cakes require an oven about the same as bread, but layer cakes are best baked quickly and need a brisk fire.

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The cake pans (with a few exceptions found among the recipes) should be well buttered, and clean, thick manilla or heavy writing paper fitted to the bottoms of the pans, and for rich fruit or wedding cakes which require baking for hours, 3 or 4 thicknesses will be a safeguard against burning the bottoms of the cakes. Butter well the top sheet next the cake. It is not necessary to line the sides and ends of the pans if they are well buttered; a knife slipped around the cake will easily detach it. In baking layer cakes the pans are not usually papered to prevent them from sticking, but when paper is not used butter the pans well, throw in a handful of flour and shake it .well over the inside of the pan; then drop it, bottom side upward, to remove all the flour which does not adhere to the butter. If layer cakes do not easily remove from the pans, leave them for a few moments bottom side upwards, turned on a cloth, and the steam from the cakes will soon cause them to drop. If buttered paper is used put it in buttered side up, and let it overlap the sides about 1 inch to assist in lifting out the cake. If a cake pan with a tube in the center is used the cake will bake more evenly. Many substitutes are devised by those who are without such pans, such as a lamp-chimney, glass bottle or paper tube. They should be greased, and placed in the center of the pan before the batter is poured in. Something weighted down is best, like a tumbler or bottle filled with sand. The Oven and Baking. — While cake is being made there should be no other cooking done on the stove, for as success depends very much on the baking, the cake maker should constantly watch and have absolute control of the fire. Make the fire the first thing, and while the oven is heating mix and prepare the cakes. In the absence of a thermometer, a few rules are here given for testing the heat of the oven, but as every stove or range bakes a little differently from others, the cook must learn by practice the proper heat required for different kinds of cake (1) Put white writing paper in the oven, and if it turns to a dark yellow color — not brown — in five minutes, the oven is of the right temperature for most cakes. (2) Place a little flour on a tin plate, and set it in the oven; if it turns a dark yellow in 5 minutes the heat is right, (3) Hold the hand in the oven and count 12. If you cannot do this the oven is too hot. 23 Small cakes require a quick oven when they are first put in, to make them rise, but the heat should not be increased after they have begun to bake. Large cakes should be put into a more moderate oven, in order that they may be well done in the middle before they are over==done on the outside. Cake will not be light if the oven is too cold at first, or if it is too hot and bakes the cake too quickly. The oven is too hot if it browns the cake before it rises. Cake should first rise at the edge, the middle should come up, crack a little, then settle back and the cracks close. Too much flour has been used if it rises in the center the most, cracks, and remains up. Most loaf cakes require an oven about the same as bread, but layer cakes are best baked quickly and need a brisk fire.

The household cook book