2 cupfuls flour 3 teaspoonfuls baking powder 1/2 to 1 teaspoonful salt 2 ounces chocolate or 1/3 cupful cocoa 1/2 cupful water 1/4 teaspoonful baking soda 2 eggs 1 1/2 cupfuls sugar 1/2 cupful milk 1 teaspoonful vanilla 1/3 cupful fat

Cook the chocolate or cocoa in the water until a smooth paste is formed, stirring constantly while cooking. Cool, and add the baking soda.

Beat the egg yolks and whites separately. Mix as plain cake, adding the chocolate mixture after the egg yolks have been mixed with the sugar. Use the less quantity of salt if butter is used for the fat.

Bake in layers at 375 degrees F., placing Chocolate Filling between the layers and Boiled Frosting on the top layer.

Sour milk may be substituted for the sweet milk. When this is done, increase the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoonful and decrease the baking powder to 2 teaspoonfuls.

Baking soda is used with chocolate to neutralize a small quantity of acid (tartaric) contained in it. Its use with chocolate will also darken the cake.

CHOCOLATE FILLING

1/2 cupful sugar 1/3 cupful flour 1 cupful milk 1 ounce chocolate 3 tablespoonfuls water 1/4 teaspoonful salt 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoonful vanilla

Mix all ingredients except the egg yolk and flavoring in the same manner as Chocolate Corn-starch Pudding. When sufficiently cooked, add the egg yolk as directed for Butterscotch Tapioca. Continue cooking until the egg is coagulated. Remove from the fire, cool, add vanilla.

3 tablespoonfuls of cocoa may be substituted for the chocolate. When this substitution is made, mix the cocoa with the flour and sugar and omit the water.

The egg yolk may be omitted. When this is done add 1/2 tablespoonful of corn-starch to the flour and sugar mixture.

Compare the recipes for chocolate and plain cake. How do you account for the difference in the quantities of sugar (see Chocolate Corn-starch Pudding)?

Does the water used for making the chocolate paste change in quantity during the cooking? Explain. What ingredient do both chocolate and cocoa contain which aids in thickening the cake? From this can you account for the greater quantity of moisture used in Chocolate Cake?

Would it be advisable to use a greater quantity of fat (1/2 cupful) for
Chocolate Cake? Why?

NUT CAKE

Follow the recipe for Plain Cake, use the smaller quantity of fat, and add 1 cupful of chopped nuts. A convenient way of chopping nuts is to put them through the food chopper, using the coarse knife.

CAKE CONTAINING FRUIT

Follow the recipe for Plain Cake, but add 1 cupful of raisins or currants. Clean the fruit, then dry, and sprinkle it with flour. Raisins may be chopped, or cut in two pieces (see To Prepare Raisins for Cooking). Citron may also be added. It should be cut in thin slices or put through the food chopper.

When light brown sugar is used instead of white sugar, dates make a pleasing addition. These should be cleaned, stoned, cut into pieces, and added as are the raisins or currants.

Spices give pleasing flavor when dried fruits are used. 1 teaspoonful each of cinnamon and nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoonful of cloves make desirable flavoring.

QUESTIONS

Mention the kinds of fat that could be used for spice cakes and for
Chocolate Cake. Give the reason for the selection made. From U. S.
Department of Agriculture, Bulletin 28, tabulate the percentage
composition of some common nuts. Of chocolate and cocoa.

Explain why the minimum quantity of fat should be used for Nut Cake.

Why are the dried fruits floured?

Why are nuts not floured?

Compare cakes made with the least and the greatest quantity of fat. Which is the more tender? Which has the better taste?

Calculate the cost per pound of Sponge Cake. Calculate the cost per pound of cake containing fat (see Plain Cake).