This section is from the book "The Rocky Mountain Cook Book. For High Altitude Cooking", by Caroline Trask Norton. Also available from Amazon: Rocky Mountain Cook Book.
All measurements level, with the exception of baking powder, which is measured rounding with the side of the can. Sift flour before measuring.
The baking of cakes is more affected by the high altitude than anything else we cook. Our sea level receipts can be used in high altitudes by adding one more egg, not changing the receipt in any other way, in this way making a rich, moist cake.
The oven should be slow, and enough fire to last until the cake is done. Grease the pans with lard, as butter burns very quickly, making the cake black.
The butter and sugar should be creamed together very lightly, making a creamy, soft mixture. A great deal depends upon creaming the butter and sugar properly. The eggs should be beaten light and foamy. When the whites are to be beaten alone, put them in a flat dish - a plate or platter - and beat with the Daisy beater; they beat up much quicker beaten in this way, although if one cares to, they can beat the whites in a bowl with the Dover beater before beating the yolks, thus having the beater to wash but once. Sift salt and baking powder with the flour. When fruit is used, roll it in flour and add it last. When a cake cracks open in baking, too much flour has been used. It is hard to give the exact amount of flour a cake will take, as some flour will take more moisture than others. Layer cakes require a hotter oven than thick cakes.
When a cake browns before it has raised, the oven is too hot. Any loaf cake can be baked as a layer cake. All cakes should be baked as soon as they are made. Mix cake in an earthen bowl and beat with a wooden spoon. Do not use a cheap quality of butter or stale eggs. For cake making use a very fine granulated sugar; the coarse sugar makes cake heavy and coarsegrained. Have everything ready before beginning to make the cake. Cakes are divided into two classes - cakes with butter, and cakes without butter.
4 eggs.
1/2 cup of powdered sugar.
1/4 teaspoonful of salt.
1 teaspoonful of lemon or vanilla flavoring.
Make the same as sponge cake. Drop in buttered lady finger pans, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. Bake from ten to fifteen minutes. Drop by the spoonful on a buttered pan for sponge drops.
Beat the yolks of six eggs till light; gradually beat into these one-half cup of sugar, then two tablespoon-fuls of orange juice and one-half cup of sifted flour, sifted again with a level teaspoonful of baking powder and one-fourth teaspoonful of salt; bake in small cakes and cover with orange icing.
By changing the receipts a little, various cakes can be made from one receipt, simply by adding spices, fruits, chocolate and different flavorings. When the fruits are used, roll in flour first. Where chocolate is used, vanilla combines with it to give the best flavoring.
 
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