Advice To The Housewife

Well, mix and bake the dainty cake,
And beat the frosting light;
The sweetest plan to please a man
Is through his appetite.


My little baby girl tried her best to blow the candles of her dads birthday cake. It was a Chocolate Chiffon Cake, frosted with Boiled Icing and Buttercream Icing.

Orange Chiffon Cake

I often use this recipe because it requires simple ingredients, it is not
so sweet and it is so simple to do.

• 2-1/4 cups sifted cake flour; 1-1/2 cups sugar; 3 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup salad oil; 5 egg yolks; 3/4 cup orange juice; 1 cup egg whites; 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar.
  

Follow this procedure:

• Sift dry ingredients into mixing bowl.
  
• Make a well then add salad oil, egg yolks and orange juice. Beat until smooth.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tartar.
• Beat until they form very stiff peaks.
• Pour egg-yolk batter in thin stream over entire surface of egg whites.
• Gently cut and fold just until blended.
• Bake in ungreased 10-inch tube pan in slow oven, 325 degrees for 55 minutes.
• Then increase heat to 350 degrees and bake 10 minutes more.
• Invert and cool thoroughly.
  

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

In these cakes, I used Chocolate Buttercream Icing as the frosting to cover the cakes. For the decorations, I used Boiled Icing.

To make a Chocolate Buttercream Icing, just follow the recipe below and add 3 ounces of melted Unsweetened Chocolate and 1 Tbsp. more of milk or water. That's it. It is now ready for frosting . :)

Buttercream Icing Recipe

Here's another easy to prepare icing using butter. This recipe freezes well and can be thawed and rebeat to proper consistency once needed.

Prepare the following ingredients:

• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1 lb or about 4 cups sifted confetioners sugar
• 2 Tbsp. milk or water
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

The direction:

• Cream shortening and butter.
• Add sugar, water and vanilla.
• Blend on medium speed until all ingredients are well mixed.
• Blend a few more minutes or so until creamy.
  

My first Wedding Cake

A little more than 2 decades ago, I gave away a wedding cake as a gift to a young couple who decided to get married with just a simple ceremony and a simple celebration.

I baked the cake for them, my first attempt in making a wedding cake. It took me 2 days to finish it, from preparation of ingredients to baking the cakes, to icing and decorating it until it was finished and ready for presentation.

I used the Buttercake recipe for the cakes. Boiled Frosting and Royal Icing for covering the cakes and decorations.
(A big 'Thanks' to my good friend Sandra for helping me out with the 'Royal Icing' decorations.)

Photos of Cakes with Boiled Icing

Here's a few photos of cakes I've made for my family and friends
where I used the Boiled Icing recipe.

Boiled Frosting

For an icing, here's a quick one. The ingredients are the following:

• 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water, 1 egg white (beaten stiff), 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar or 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice.

The Procedure:

• In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water and cream of tartar and stir until dissolved.
  
• Bring the sugar mixture to a boiling point.
• While at it, whip the egg white in a separate mixing bowl until stiff and hold a peak.
  
• Boil syrup until it spins a long thread.
• Pour gradually the hot syrup over the egg white, beating constantly.
• Add the flavoring and beat until cool and of spreading consistency.
• Spread it now on your cake.