12.3 Shortened Cake: Conventional Method Recipe

Ingredients

• ¾ cup sifted cake flour
• ¾ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/16 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable shortening
• ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
• ½ egg (2 Tablespoons)
• ¼ cup milk

Instructions

Heat oven to 375°F. Line the bottom of 6 × 3¼ inch loaf pan with waxed paper; lightly grease the paper.

Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt together three times. Set aside.

Measure vanilla flavoring, butter, and vegetable shortening into a medium bowl; mix well using an electric mixer. If the fats get too soft, chill the bowl in ice.

Creaming:

Add measured sugar by teaspoons to butter and shortening with an electric mixer, creaming each time until light and fluffy. After all the sugar is added, beat for one minute with an electric mixer.

Wash mixer beaters, and in another small to medium bowl, beat half an egg for 3–5 minutes at high speed with an electric mixer until thick and foamy. Add foamy egg by thirds to creamed sugar, butter, and shortening, beating for ½ minute with an electric mixer after each addition.

Alternate Additions of Flour and Milk:

Add ¼ of the flour mixture; hand stir (don’t beat) just until the flour is blended, about 10–15 strokes. Add ⅓ of the milk and hand stir just until the milk is blended, approximately 8–10 strokes. Repeat alternate additions of flour and milk. After the final flour addition, stir the batter 100 strokes.

Immediately push the batter into the pan and snap the pan once. (Raise pan 6 inches from tabletop, then set it down sharply.) Bake at 375°F until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center, about 25–30 minutes.

Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan. Do not cut until the cake has cooled to room temperature.