The quantities of ingredients listed below are what can be used for a cake that I baked with a 10 inch diameter and 2.5 inch deep cake pan.
Ingredients
500g/1.1 lbs. Plain Flour
12 Medium Eggs
500g/1.1 lbs. Butter (NOT Margarine)
400g/0.88 lbs. Granulated Sugar
3 teaspoons of Baking Powder
3 tablespoons of Vanilla Extract
Half cup of Brandy / preservative
Tools You'll Need to Bake a Cake
The following are the minimal tools you'll need to bake a Nigerian Cake:
An oven with top & down heating capability.
Cake mixer.
Kitchen scale:
Sieve or Sifter
Egg Whisk.
Bowls.
The following are the minimal tools you'll need to bake a Nigerian Cake:
An oven with top & down heating capability.
Cake mixer.
Kitchen scale:
Sieve or Sifter
Egg Whisk.
Bowls.
Before you make the Nigerian Cake
1. Make sure that all the utensils and
appliances you will use for the cake are clean and dry.
2. Check, check and check that you have all the needed equipments.
4. Everything ready? Let's go!
1. Make sure that all the utensils and
appliances you will use for the cake are clean and dry.
2. Check, check and check that you have all the needed equipments.
4. Everything ready? Let's go!
Making the Nigerian Cake: Step by Step
1. Cream the butter and the sugar
Put the soft butter and the granulated sugar into the mixer and start creaming .
You should used the highest setting on my mixer which is a 300 Watts appliance and the creaming took me a total of 1 hour.
2. Prepare your baking pan
When you are almost done with the creaming, prepare your cake pan by rubbing the insides with soft butter. Then put some flour into the greased pan, making sure the flour touches every part, then pour out the flour.
3. Beat the Eggs
Break all the eggs into a big bowl and whisk them to a smooth blend.
4. Add the eggs and mix
Before you do this step, you should make sure that your butter and sugar are well creamed.
If your mixer is big enough to accommodate the creamed butter and sugar with the whisked eggs, add the whisked egg into the mixer. Mix till you have a smooth fluffy blend of the creamed butter/sugar and the eggs . If your mixer is not big enough, transfer the creamed butter and sugar to a bigger bowl. Add the eggs and use a hand mixer to mix the two till you get a fluffy smooth blend.
5. Turn on your oven to preheat
It's now time to turn on your oven to 150°C or 302°F so that it can start heating up while you finish mixing the cake. You should also switch it to the up & down heat setting.
6. Add the ornamental ingredients
Add the vanilla extract or any other flavours of your choice, add the brandy and pre-soaked dry fruits (if any) and stir with a wooden spatula till everything is well incorporated. Add some browning if you are baking a Nigerian wedding cake. This is what gives the cake the dark colour.
7. Add the plain flour with the baking powder
a. Now, add the baking powder to the plain flour.
b. Put the mix into a sieve or a flour sifter. Add small quantities of the flour through the sieve/sifter into the bowl where you already have other cake ingredients.
c. Stir very well with the wooden spatula. Add another small quantity of the flour with baking powder. Stir.
d. Repeat this process till all the flour is
incorporated. I warn you, this procedure can make your arm die a bit so be sure you are ready for the arm exercise before you start.
1. Cream the butter and the sugar
Put the soft butter and the granulated sugar into the mixer and start creaming .
You should used the highest setting on my mixer which is a 300 Watts appliance and the creaming took me a total of 1 hour.
2. Prepare your baking pan
When you are almost done with the creaming, prepare your cake pan by rubbing the insides with soft butter. Then put some flour into the greased pan, making sure the flour touches every part, then pour out the flour.
3. Beat the Eggs
Break all the eggs into a big bowl and whisk them to a smooth blend.
4. Add the eggs and mix
Before you do this step, you should make sure that your butter and sugar are well creamed.
If your mixer is big enough to accommodate the creamed butter and sugar with the whisked eggs, add the whisked egg into the mixer. Mix till you have a smooth fluffy blend of the creamed butter/sugar and the eggs . If your mixer is not big enough, transfer the creamed butter and sugar to a bigger bowl. Add the eggs and use a hand mixer to mix the two till you get a fluffy smooth blend.
5. Turn on your oven to preheat
It's now time to turn on your oven to 150°C or 302°F so that it can start heating up while you finish mixing the cake. You should also switch it to the up & down heat setting.
6. Add the ornamental ingredients
Add the vanilla extract or any other flavours of your choice, add the brandy and pre-soaked dry fruits (if any) and stir with a wooden spatula till everything is well incorporated. Add some browning if you are baking a Nigerian wedding cake. This is what gives the cake the dark colour.
7. Add the plain flour with the baking powder
a. Now, add the baking powder to the plain flour.
b. Put the mix into a sieve or a flour sifter. Add small quantities of the flour through the sieve/sifter into the bowl where you already have other cake ingredients.
c. Stir very well with the wooden spatula. Add another small quantity of the flour with baking powder. Stir.
d. Repeat this process till all the flour is
incorporated. I warn you, this procedure can make your arm die a bit so be sure you are ready for the arm exercise before you start.
Notes:
It is advisable to stir the cake mix in one direction, in a folding fashion, when adding the flour because most cake experts say that when you stir in the opposite direction, air bubbles will be trapped in your cake mix and your cake will have holes in it when done. It is important to pass the flour through a sieve or sifter so that you are sure that the flour that enters the cake mix in its finest powder form. You don't want to have small lumps of flour in your cake do you? This also ensures a very smooth cake mix.
8. Pour the cake mix into the greased cake pan
a. Once every ingredient is well incorporated, it's time to pour the mix into the greased cake pan.
b. If you want to make a multicolour layered cake then you should at this point divide the cake mix into the number of colours you want. Put these into separate clean dry bowls. Add the colours to each, stir well and pour into the cake pan one after the other. You should make sure you level out each coloured cake mix as much as possible before pouring another one.
c. Once you've poured in all the cake mix into the cake pan, gently lift and drop the cake pan several times to level out the cake mix as much as possible
9. Baking Time!
a. Transfer the cake to the preheated oven, placing the rack halfway between the top and the bottom of the oven.
b. Bake for at least 2 hours before attempting to open the oven door to check the cake. It took my cake 2 hours to rise to maximum and if
you open the oven door before the cake has fully risen, you have interrupted the baking process, the cake will stop rising, may not be evenly cooked when done and it will be harder than normal when done. There are endless things that can go wrong with your cake if you do not wait for it to rise fully before opening the oven door. That it smells like cake does not mean that it is done. :)
c. Even though mine took 2 hours, you should keep an eye on yours till you notice that it is no longer rising before attempting to open the oven door. All ovens are not the same so you should use my baking time as a guide only.
10. Check the Cake
a. After 2 hours, when I'm sure that the cake is no longer rising.
b. The second way I check the cake is to take a look at the sides of the cake pan. The cake should be separated from the pan or at least not stuck to the pan.
c. The third way to check that the cake is done is to dip a wooden skewer (stick) into the middle of the cake. Wooden skewers are a bit rougher than knives so they tend to pick up smears more. So if the wooden skewer comes out clean, the cake should be done.
d. Even when if cake passes all of the above checks, you still carry out the fourth test so that you can be doubly sure that it is done before bringing it out of the oven. Nobody wants to end up with an undone cake.
11. Cool and Decorate/Refrigerate
Once you are sure that the cake is done, bring it out of the oven and leave it alone for only 5 minutes then take out the sides of the pan. Then leave to cool down completely before decorating
the cake.
It is advisable to stir the cake mix in one direction, in a folding fashion, when adding the flour because most cake experts say that when you stir in the opposite direction, air bubbles will be trapped in your cake mix and your cake will have holes in it when done. It is important to pass the flour through a sieve or sifter so that you are sure that the flour that enters the cake mix in its finest powder form. You don't want to have small lumps of flour in your cake do you? This also ensures a very smooth cake mix.
8. Pour the cake mix into the greased cake pan
a. Once every ingredient is well incorporated, it's time to pour the mix into the greased cake pan.
b. If you want to make a multicolour layered cake then you should at this point divide the cake mix into the number of colours you want. Put these into separate clean dry bowls. Add the colours to each, stir well and pour into the cake pan one after the other. You should make sure you level out each coloured cake mix as much as possible before pouring another one.
c. Once you've poured in all the cake mix into the cake pan, gently lift and drop the cake pan several times to level out the cake mix as much as possible
9. Baking Time!
a. Transfer the cake to the preheated oven, placing the rack halfway between the top and the bottom of the oven.
b. Bake for at least 2 hours before attempting to open the oven door to check the cake. It took my cake 2 hours to rise to maximum and if
you open the oven door before the cake has fully risen, you have interrupted the baking process, the cake will stop rising, may not be evenly cooked when done and it will be harder than normal when done. There are endless things that can go wrong with your cake if you do not wait for it to rise fully before opening the oven door. That it smells like cake does not mean that it is done. :)
c. Even though mine took 2 hours, you should keep an eye on yours till you notice that it is no longer rising before attempting to open the oven door. All ovens are not the same so you should use my baking time as a guide only.
10. Check the Cake
a. After 2 hours, when I'm sure that the cake is no longer rising.
b. The second way I check the cake is to take a look at the sides of the cake pan. The cake should be separated from the pan or at least not stuck to the pan.
c. The third way to check that the cake is done is to dip a wooden skewer (stick) into the middle of the cake. Wooden skewers are a bit rougher than knives so they tend to pick up smears more. So if the wooden skewer comes out clean, the cake should be done.
d. Even when if cake passes all of the above checks, you still carry out the fourth test so that you can be doubly sure that it is done before bringing it out of the oven. Nobody wants to end up with an undone cake.
11. Cool and Decorate/Refrigerate
Once you are sure that the cake is done, bring it out of the oven and leave it alone for only 5 minutes then take out the sides of the pan. Then leave to cool down completely before decorating
the cake.
