3 General Methods of Mixing Ingredients for Cakes

1. Muffin Method
2. Conventional Method
3. New speed Method

Muffin Method- the simplest method of mixing ingredients for a cake.  It is used for making muffins.

3 Main Steps

1. Sift together the dry ingredients- flour, leavening, sugar and salt.
2. Combine the liquid ingredients- milk, beaten eggs, flavoring.
3. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients by making a well in the center & pouring the liquid into the well.  Then, stir the ingredients vigorously until they are well mixed.

Variations

1. Muffin- Meringue Method- to add extra lightness, you may cut down the amount of baking powder by separating the egg yolk & the white.  Beat the egg white stiff and fold in the mixture as a last step.  To make the meringue more stable you may use part of the sugar when beating the whites stiff.
2. Modified Muffin Method- instead of melting the fat, simply cut in or rub in to dry ingredients until the dry mixture resembles corn meal.  Then, add the liquid ingredients.

Conventional Method- best method to use for batter type cakes, but this is the most laborious and time consuming.  It is recommended for rich cakes with comparatively low sugar content.

Steps

1. Cream the fat until it is light & fluffy.
2. Add the sugar gradually & continue creaming until the two are blended into a fluffy mass.
3. Add the egg yolks &beat until well- blended.
4. Sift the dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, salt together.
5. Add the flour mixture alternatively with the liquid ingredients  of milk & flavoring, beginning and ending with the flour.
6. Fold in the beaten egg whites into the mixed batter.

Variations

1. Conventional meringue method- just like  in the modified muffin method, the egg whites may be beaten with part of the sugar to make them more stable.
2. Whole egg method- whole egg maybe added to the creamed mixture, unbeaten or beaten.

New speed method- one bowl method; quick- mix method; easy mix, mix- easy method.  This method is best used for high sugar ratio cakes.  the fat recommended is the hydrogenated vegetable shortening.

Steps

1. Sift together into the mixing bowl the dry ingredients.
2. Add the fat, milk and flavoring.
3. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes by hand ( 150 strokes/min.) or 2 minutes in the electrical mixer.
4. Add the unbeaten eggs & beat for another 2 minutes.

Variations

1. Adding the unbeaten eggs, half the milk to the dry ingredients and the flat before the first 2 minutes of beating.  Then, the rest of the milk and the flavoring are added & given the final 2 minutes of beating.
2. Creaming the lard with an equal measure of the flour before adding the remaining dry ingredients and the liquid.

Important Preliminary Steps to Baking Cakes

1. See to it that all ingredients are at room temperature, at 70 at 75 % F.  The fat should be soft but not melted.  Eggs beat to a bigger volume at room temperature.
2. Set the desired oven temperature before starting to mix.  The specified temperature for baking must be reached when you put the mixture in the oven.
3. Prepare the pans before mixing ingredients.

• Grease and flour the pans.
• Line the pans with waxed paper.

4. Measure or weigh ingredients before you start mixing them.

2 things to keep in mind in cutting cakes for serving

1. Size of the serving portion.
2. Utensils to use for cutting

• knife recommended is one with sharp- straight edged, thin blade.