Basic Fabulous White Cakes

From the 1950's Edition of the Betty Crocker Cookbook:

This is a good solid egg-whitecake. You can also make it with low-fat milk. Perfect for petite-fours and cupcakes. Excellent when split and used a shortcake (with sugared fresh strwaberries and whipped cream).

Creaming method for a Basic White Cake

13x9" oblong or 2 9" round layer cake pans - grease and flour

Cream together (beat with a hand mixer for 2 minutes or longer as required) 1/3 Cup Crisco and 1/3 Cup butter (regular) with 1 3/4 Cups white sugar. The shortening should be well mixed into the sugar, no lumps; scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl (a large deep one) as you go. Light and fluffy should be the result. For a really white cake - use all Crisco.

Mix together (either sift together or use one of those mixing/slicing/chopping machines to mix the dry ingrediants and fluff them up. 2 2/3 Cups Gold Medal flour. 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (make sure it isn't more than 3 months old - if it is, replace it). 3/4 teaspoon salt.

Mix together 1 1/3 Cup thinned milk and 2 teaspoon of vanilla. Thinned milk is half regular milk and half water. If you use non-fat milk, use 1 Cup non-fat milk and 1/3 Cup water. Use real vanilla for the best flavor.

Alternately add the dry and wet ingrediants to the shortening-sugar mixture, beating in well with each addition. Mixture will be a little thin and should be lump-free.

Pour into the pan(s). Bake at 350 degrees 30-40 minutes until cake tests done (a toothpick struck into the center pull out dry). Touching the top of a done cake should not leave an imprint. Overdone, it will be shrinking and pulling away from the edges.

Perfect foil for fresh fruit, ice cream, whipped cream, or a creamy frosting.

 
Creaming method for a Silver White Cake   

This is basic birthday cake I've made for years. You can do a lot of different things with it including colling and cutting into shapes, wild decorations (Hot-Wheels cars, frozen strawberries).

13x9" oblong or 2 9" round layer cake pans - grease and flour

Sift together 2 2/3 Cups Gold Medal flour, 1 7/8 Cups sugar, 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoons salt.

Beat in 2/3 Cups Crisco (beat at least 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl). Start with the mixer on low or you will have flour flying in all directions.

Add1 1/4 Cups milk mixed with 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Beat 2 minutes.

Add 5 egg whites (unbeaten). Egg whites should measure 2/3 Cup.

Beat well again (2 minutes).

Pour into pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

This cake is great when you make it in the large pan in a wedding-cake pan set. Turn it out to cool. Then make a fudge cake in the same pan. Put the layers together with filling and frost them with white frosting and decorate at will. This combo will serve a classroom or 30-40 kids when decorated.