Early American Spice Cake Food

MOIST, TENDER SPICE CAKE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a metal or disposable foil 9-by-13-inch pan. Whisk dry ingredients and spices in a large bowl. Mix milk, eggs and vanilla extract in a 2-cup measuring cup.
• Beat softened butter into dry ingredients, first on low, then medium, until mixture forms pebble-sized pieces. Add about 1/3 of the milk mixture and beat on low until smooth. Add remaining milk mixture in two stages; beat on medium speed until batter is just smooth. Add the sugar; beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Pour batter into cake pan.
• Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the cake's center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the pan perimeter and turn cake onto rack. Let cool.

EARLY AMERICAN SPICE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
• Grease and flour a 9" X 13" pan.
• Cream shortening and gradually add sugar beating until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs all at one time, beating well after each addition.
• Sift together flour, soda, salt and spices.
• Add alternately with buttermilk, blend well after each addition.
• Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until done.

OLD-FASHIONED SPICE CAKE

Steps:

• Before you take a step, read this recipe through. Then get out all the necessary equipment and ingredients.
• Now measure all ingredients accurately using standard measuring utensils. We can't overemphasize how important accurate measuring is.
• Start your oven at 350 (F) or moderate.
• Next, heavily grease bottoms and sides of three 8-inch cake pans with shortening (do not use any salted fat).
• Then coat pans with flour by sifting a little into each pan and shaking vigorously so there is a film of flour over bottoms and sides.
• Dump out any surplus. This device helps baked cakes to drop from pans easily.
• Sift flour, then spoon lightly into a standard measuring cup and cut off excess to make a level cupful. Do not shake flour down into cup.
• Sift flour again, this time with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon and pepper. Right here, if your brown sugar is lumpy, sift or roll it.
• Now, with your nice clean hands, work or cream the shortening, butter or margarine with a beating motion until it looks like whipped cream.
• At this point, begin to work in the brown sugar a little at a time; next the granulated sugar.
• Add vanilla extract.
• Continue creaming until mixture is very fluffy and the grains of sugar almost disappear. This is a bit of a chore, but it's the trick that makes a wonderful texture.
• When sugar is all in, add the eggs, unbeaten, one at a time, beating hard after each addition. From here on, work fast. Don't fool around!
• Now you begin to add the flour mixture.
• Sift about 1/3 into the batter and stir it in. Do not beat.
• Then add about 1/2 of the buttermilk or sour milk and stir it in.
• Repeat these operations, ending with flour.
• Pour batter into greased pans, dividing it evenly.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cake edges leave sides of pans.
• Remove from oven, allow to cool about 5 minutes before turning out on a cake rack to cool thoroughly.

WASHINGTON CAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan, 9-inch springform pan, 9-inch (9-cup) tube or Bundt pan, or four 5- by 3-inch (2-cup) loaf pans, line the bottom and sides with parchment paper, and grease again.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter on low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium, gradually add the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
• Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Total time for beating in the eggs is about 4 minutes.
• Add the cream, brandy, and vanilla.
• In 3 additions, fold in the flour mixture.
• Stir in the raisins and currants.
• Pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1¼ hours for a large loaf pan or springform pan; 1 hour and 5 minutes for a tube pan; or 40 minutes for the small loaf pans.
• Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the cake to a wire rack and let cool completely, at least 1½ hours. Wrap tightly in plastic, then foil. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Use a serrated knife to cut the cake into slices.