Hard Wheat vs. Soft Wheat Flour - What's the Difference?

1. Demonstrate the differences between hard wheat and soft wheat flour. In separate bowls, mix 1/4 cup of each flour with 2-3 teaspoons of water to form a ball. Knead and stretch dough to determine the strength of each. Cake flour, milled from soft winter wheat, has little gluten or protein and will produce a delicate, finely textured cake.

2. Ask students to check supply of ingredients. Cake flour, sugar, and eggs are basic ingredients used in all cakes. Clabber Girl Baking Powder and liquid are necessary for cakes with shortening or butter. Clabber Girl, a double acting baking powder, is a mixture of correctly proportioned powdered acid and baking soda, which reacts when liquid is added and again in the oven.

3. Demonstrate the cake recipe in class. Explain the purpose of the ingredients. Sugar, shortening, egg yolks, flavoring, and a leavening agent such as Clabber Girl Baking Powder are tenderizing agents that offset the binding ingredients - flour, egg whites, and milk solids.

4. Supply students with this recipe.

This lesson plan refers to the recipe for:
1-2-3-4 Cake.

Ingredients
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons Clabber Girl Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Mixing Directions
Preheat oven to 350¡ F. Grease and flour three 9-inch layer cake pans, or line with waxed paper. Cream butter. Gradually add sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Beat 10 minutes on electric mixer, or longer by hand. Sift cake flour with Clabber Baking Powder and salt. Add eggs one at a time to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with milk and flavorings, beating after each addition until smooth.

Baking Instructions
Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans. Bake at 350¡F for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans and finish cooling on racks. Frost as desired when cake is cool.

Student Learning Steps
1. Review the conventional method of mixing cake batter. How ingredients are combined is as important as using quality ingredients and accurate measurements. All ingredients should be at room temperature for proper blending and incorporation of air.

2. Choose cake pans in a size specified by the recipe. If glass pans are used, remember to lower the oven temperature 25 degrees.

3. Student lab day: Read the recipe carefully. Position oven racks for three cake pans, and preheat the oven. Prepare cake pans by greasing the bottoms only and lightly dusting with flour, or cut waxed paper to fit the bottom. Follow recipe instructions carefully. Arrange pans to allow heat to circulate freely around them. Never place cake pans directly above or below each other or have pans touching.

4. To test for doneness, lightly touch center of cake with fingertip or use cake tester. If center springs back, cake is done. The top should be evenly browned, with sides starting to pull away from the pan. Overbaking causes a dry, toughened cake.

5. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes; turn out and cool on rack. Frost as desired and serve.