CAKES AND MORE

BOXED CAKE MIXES ..... have given us the idea there are only a handful of flavours and icings . GO find a vintage cookbook at your local op shop and you will see how far off the mark you are . Back in the day when people baked from scratch , there were dozens and dozens of flavours and combinations . Get yourself a 'vintage ' cookbook and you will find enough inspirations to keep you baking from scratch for years . TO BAKE A PERFECT CAKE ...... before you start , make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature . DO NOT SKIMP ........ on the time you spend creaming the butter / marg and sugar , this is how the air that makes your light gets incorporated to the butter/ marg . Cream the butter/ marg on its own for about 5 minutes then gradually add the castor sugar and continue to cream until the sugar is no longer gritty . COMBINE THE CAKE"S DRY INGREDIENTS........... in a bowl and stir well , using a fork to fluff and lighten the flour . TAP THE CAKE PAN............ filled with batter on the counter before placing it in the oven , to bring the air bubbles to the surface . TO BAKE A CAKE THAT'S MORE LEVEL ........... than domed , use the back of a tablespoon to pull the batter from the centre out towrds the edges of the cake pan . TO ICE A CAKE ON A PLATE ............ you plan to serve the cake on , place a smear of the icing at the centre of the plate and spread it out .This will hold the cake in place keeping it from sliding around when applying the icing .