of milk or cream. The cakes are baked in all kinds of sizes and shapes and may be eaten plain or in layers separated by a jelly, marmalade, or some other preserve. The exterior of the cake is often frosted with a mixture consisting of the white of egg beaten up with white sugar. The methods of mixing the ingredients of these cakes as well as the method of frosting are so various that it would not be possible to undertake any minute description of them.
For flavoring various materials are employed, either the real article or the imitation thereof, such as artificial strawberry, vanilla, etc. The cake or sweet cake is a very common dainty which is served at dessert. The ordinary cane sugar of commerce is the common sweetening matter usually employed in the refined state although sometimes yellow sugar is used. Honey is not so commonly used as a sweetening agent in this country as it is in European countries.
In the manufacture of one of the common varieties known as ginger cake sugar-cane sirup or molasses is a common ingredient.
An examination of a large number of samples of cake shows the following average composition:
Moisture, 11.65 percent
Protein, 6.29 "
Ether extract, 9.81 "
Crude fiber, 0.50 "
Ash, 1.17 "
Salt, 0.39 "
Sugar, 24.57 "
Starch, 46.01 "
In the dry substance:
Protein, 7.29 percent
Ether extract, 11.41 "
Crude fiber, 0.57 "
Ash, 1.30 "
Salt, 0.44 "
Sugar, 27.84 "
Starch, 51.59 "
Calories, 4,805
A study of the individual data shows extremely wide variations from the mean. The ether extract in the moisture samples in some cases amounted to over 19 percent and in the dry substance to over 24 percent. The moisture in one case was over 64 percent while in the dry cake of biscuit character it sinks below 5 percent and in one case below 4 percent. The average data, therefore, are to be considered only as a representative of this class of bodies and not as a type of any particular variety.
Adulterations.—It is difficult to speak of adulterations of a substance of the composition of cake. Any wholesome flavoring or sweetening ingredient or other wholesome ingredient may be used in the manufacture of a cake
