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Baking A Cake

Recently I heard a young woman comment that she had baked a cake from "scratch".

"I even went to the store and bought the box and the frosting," she said.

H-m-m-m, I thought, things have changed mightily from the time when I learned to bake a cake in a kitchen with no electricity, a wood-fired stove with a faulty temperature gauge, and an icebox.

Here�s how a cake was baked in those "olden days."

First, get the fire started in the kitchen range. Choose wood that will burn quickly to get a base of coals.

Get out a large mixing bowl, a small mixing bowl, a mixing spoon, two measuring cups, one for wet ingredients and one for dry, measuring spoons, a baking pan, an eggbeater, a flour sifter, and waxed paper. Get milk and butter from the icebox. Crumple a small piece of the waxed paper, dip it in the butter and coat the pan with it. Sprinkle the pan lightly with flour to keep the cake from sticking.

Check the stove. Add a bit more wood.

Get baking powder, salt, cocoa, vanilla and baking powder from the cupboard.

Open flour and sugar containers.

Using dry measuring cup fill the sifter with flour. Sift it onto one piece of waxed paper. Using the cup, measure the required amount of flour into the sifter. With measuring spoon measure baking powder, salt, and cocoa into the sifter. Sift onto the other piece of waxed paper. Sift two more times.

Check stove.

Measure required amount of sugar into mixing bowl. Measure butter and add to mixing bowl.

Using clean hands cream the butter and sugar together until thoroughly mixed.

Crack eggs into the small mixing bowl. Using beater, beat until lemon colored.

Measure milk into glass measuring cup. Add a teaspoon of vanilla

Check stove. Add more wood.

Add beaten eggs to the creamed mixture in the mixing bowl. Beat with mixing spoon until thoroughly mixed.

Add half cup of flour to this mixture. Beat thoroughly. Add about a third cup of milk. Beat some more. Continue doing this until all milk and flour are used.

Check fire. Open oven door and put hand in to see if temperature is close to right. Add wood if needed or using poker stir up the fire. If too hot partially close the damper on the stovepipe. If too cool, add wood.

Pour mixture from bowl into baking pan. Spread to make it even.

Put pan in oven. Check the clock.

Check the fire every ten minutes, adjusting as needed.

After 15 minutes check the oven . If necessary, fix the fire.

After 25 minutes begin to check the cake by poking it gently with finger. If it springs back when gently poked it is done. Keep baking until this test does not leave an imprint.

Remove cake and cool on rack.

Wash dishes.

Prepare to make the frosting.

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The new way of baking from scratch :

Turn on oven. Set temperature to 350 degrees.

Spray baking pan with PAM.

Open box and pour mix into bowl. Add water and eggs. Beat for two minutes with electric mixer. Pour mixture into pan.

Place in oven. Set timer for required baking time.

Put dirty dishes in dishwasher,

Sit down and do crossword puzzle.

When timer sounds take cake from oven and place on rack.

Open can of icing.