If a piece of soft yellow paper burns golden brown in five minutes the oven is moderately hot; if it takes four minutes the oven is hot, if seven minutes is required the oven is fit for slow baking.

Sponge cakes require a slow oven; layer cakes a hot oven, and loaf cakes with butter a moderate oven.

Never look after your cake until it has been in the oven ten minutes.

If cake is put in too cool an oven it will rise too much and be of very coarse texture.  If too hot, it browns and crusts over the top before it has sufficiently risen.  If, after the cake is put in, it seems to bake too fast, put a brown paper loosely over the top of the pan, and do not open the oven door for five minutes at least; the cake should then be quickly examined and the door carefully shut, or the rush of cold air will cause it to fall.  Setting a small dish of hot water in the oven will also prevent the cake from scorching.

When you think your cake is baked, open the oven door carefully so as not to jar, take a straw and run it through the thickest part of the cake, and if the straw comes out perfectly clean and dry your cake is done.  When done, take it out and set it where no draft of air will strike it, and in ten minutes turn it out on a flat plate or board.

Do not put it in the cake box until perfectly cold.  Scald out the tin cake box each time before putting a fresh cake in it.  Make sure it is air-tight.  Keep in a cool place, but not in a damp cellar or a refrigerator.

TIME-TABLE FOR BAKING CAKES

Sponge cake, three-quarters of an hour. 
Pound cake, one hour. 
Fruit cake, three and four hours, depending upon size. 
Cookies, from ten to fifteen minutes.  Watch carefully. 
Cup cakes, a full half hour. 
Layer cakes, twenty minutes.

ONE EGG CAKE

Cream one-fourth cup of butter with one-half cup of sugar, add sugar gradually, and one egg, well-beaten.  Mix and sift one and one-half cups of flour and two and one-half teaspoons of baking-powder, add the sifted flour alternately with one-half cup of milk to the first mixture; flavor with vanilla or lemon.  Bake thirty minutes in a shallow pan.  Spread with chocolate frosting.

LITTLE FRENCH CAKES

Beat one-fourth cup of butter to a cream with one-fourth cup of sugar and add one cup of flour.  Stir well and then add one egg which has been beaten into half a pint of milk, a little at a time.  Fill buttered saucers with the mixture, bake and when done, place the cakes one on top of another with jam spread between.

GRAFTON CAKE.  LAYERS AND SMALL CAKES

Cream four tablespoons of butter with one and one-half cups of sugar, beat in separately two whole eggs, add one cup of milk alternately with two cups of flour in which has been sifted two teaspoons of baking-powder, beat all thoroughly.