Whangarei Cakes Are Insufficiently Mixed

Northern Advocate, 27 June 1939, Page 4

Whangarei Cakes Are Insufficiently Mixed

Excellent scone makers though they be, the housewives of Whangarei require to spend more time over the mixing bowl when cake making, according to Mrs D. D. Horton, of Wa_iuku, who judged the cookery classes. With domestic bread making going out of fashion as the result of door-to-door delivery, scones were coming to the fore in all shows, Mrs Horton said, and Whangarei was no exception. The large offering at the show was fine in texture and delightfully light. Referring to the bigger cakes, Mrs Horton said although there were several particularly fine entries, the chief fault was that insufficient attention was given to mixing. Butter h'ad to be beaten to the consistency of cream and the more eggs-were beaten into the other ingredients the more palatable and less porous the cake became. Quickly beaten cakes were too open in texture, the sugar was inclined to come to the top, and the cake did not keep as long. More Sponges Wanted.

Although generally the competition -was excellent, Mrs Horton was surprised to see so few sponges. In the Waiuku show she had seen as many as 36 entries in one class. Tire decorated cakes were good, but one which would certainly have won a prize was disqualified because it was not a cake, but simply a decorated box. Great artistry had been devoted to its preparation, but to have included it in the competition would have been unfair to other entrants as the shaping of the cake was one of the most difficult factors with which to contend before icing. Decoration of cakes should appeal to all cooks with an artistic bent, said Mrs Horton, who said that at Christmas time she had been thrilled and intrigued by turning out 35 cakes all of different "design. She commended this aspect of competitive work to the housewives of the North.

The fancy decorated biscuits would have done credit to any professional. The first prize entry by Miss N. Swinbourne contained several highly novel articles, such as & nest complete with blue eggs, a swan, a mushroom, and a pot plant.