Miele DGC 6000 XL, Cookbook

Page: 39 / 460

38
Dried fruits (raisins, sultanas, apricots etc.) are
added once the cake mixture has been made.
Wash the fruit if necessary, dry it on kitchen
paper, dust it with a little fl our, and stir in. This
helps the fruit to remain evenly distributed
during baking and prevent it from sinking to
the bottom. If it does sink, the cake mixture was
probably beaten for too long or contained too
much liquid.
At the end of the specifi ed baking time, test
to see if the cake is done by inserting a skewer
into the middle. If it comes out clean, the cake is
ready.
Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes
before turning it out. Loosen the edges from the
tin with a knife, then turn it upside down onto a
cooling rack. Cover with a damp cloth and leave
for a few minutes, then remove the cloth and
the tin. The build up of steam will help loosen
the cake from the tin.
Tips on preparation
Sponge cake mixture
Sponge cakes rise particularly well with the
“Cake plus” function.
The mixture is produced by blending the individ-
ual ingredients and then beating them until the
mixture is smooth and creamy. If it is beaten too
long or too hard, the mixture will become foamy
and unstable and will collapse on baking.
All the ingredients (particularly the eggs and
butter or margarine) should be the same
temperature, ideally room temperature. If the
temperatures are too different, the mixture will
separate.
Sponge mix should be neither too runny nor too
thick. It should drop heavily from a spoon. If it is
too thick, add some liquid, e.g. milk, a spoonful
at a time.
The traditional method for preparing a sponge
mix is to beat the fat until creamy, then alter-
nately add quantities of egg and sugar, beating
well with each addition. Finally the fl our and
baking powder are sieved onto the mixture
and stirred in. If using a food processor, add the
ingredients as above, or place them all together
in the bowl and process until smooth. Any liquid
should be added with the fl our.