nice thread.but i have good aluminium foil containers,chaffing dish all at cheap prices.

davidylan: Working on a baked chicken recipe i found tonite.

Anyone with a detailed description for how to bake cake the nigerian way? I will be trying the carrot cake though as i love it!

Easy step on how to bake Nigerian cake
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

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
Spatulas
Cake Pan: 10 inches in diameter and 2.5 inches deep

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.
Please follow the instructions in the user manual of your mixer when creaming. For my mixer, the instruction says that I should not run the appliance for more than 10 minutes at a time. So, I cream for 10 minutes, stop to let the mixer rest and cool down, I run it again for ten minutes etc. And it took me a total of 1 hour creaming time (stoppage time NOT included) to completely cream the butter and the sugar. Your own time may be more or less depending on the type of mixer you have and the size of the grains of your sugar.
A well-creamed sugar/butter mix should look much whiter than the butter you started with, softer (it should be able to drop from a spoon, see video) and you can barely feel the granulated sugar when you taste the creamed butter and sugar. Some granulated sugar may be stubborn and you can still feel the grains but it's OK so long as the butter/sugar mixture is as white and soft as possible.

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.
The greasing and flouring of the insides of your cake pan will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan thereby making it easy for you to bring out the cake from the pan when done, without denting the cake.

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.

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
Now, add the baking powder to the plain flour.
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.
Stir very well with the wooden spatula. Add another small quantity of the flour with baking powder. Stir.
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

. Pour the cake mix into the greased cake pan
Once every ingredient is well incorporated, it's time to pour the mix into the greased cake pan.
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.
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!
Transfer the cake to the preheated oven, placing the rack halfway between the top and the bottom of the oven.
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
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.

Check the Cake
After 2 hours, when I'm sure that the cake is no longer rising, I check it by driving a knife into the center of the cake. If the knife comes out with smears of the cake mix, then the cake is not done. If it comes out clean and dry, with only a smear of butter (oily look) then the cake is done. If the cake passes the knife test, I go on to do the other tests.

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.
You can also cut it up in desirable sizes and store in the freezer.
That's how the Nigerian Cake is made. You can serve it up as a snack with a chilled drink or eat it as a dessert. When decorated, use for birthdays and weddings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YHzBPlgno94#!

@y me, please help me out with pastillage, gum paste and sugar craft recipes. Thanks

PrettyCindy: @y me, please help me out with pastillage, gum paste and sugar craft recipes. Thanks

RECIPE FOR PASTILLAGE
Depending on the mix, pastillage can be formed and sanded to remove any rough spots after it has completely dried.

Used for:sculptures, showpieces, three-dimensional shapes, ribbons and bows

Recipe:
1 tablespoon gelatin scant
1/3 cup water
4 cups (lightly spooned into cup) powdered sugar
1/2 cup (lightly spooned into cup) cornstarch
optional: pinch cream of tarter

Sprinkle gelatin over water in a 2-cup heatproof glass measure and let stand for 5 minutes. Set into a small pan of simmering water and stir until gelatin is dissolved. (This can be done in a microwave on high for a few seconds).

Combine the sugar, cornstarch and optional cream of tartar in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the gelatin mixture and stir with a lightly greased wooden spoon until blended. Mix lightly with greased hand and knead vigorously in the bowl until most of the sugar is incorporated. Turn onto a smooth, lightly greased surface (such as Formica or marble) and knead until smooth and satiny. If the Pastillage seems dry, add several drops of water and knead well. If it seems too sticky, knead in more powdered sugar. The Pastillage will resemble a smooth, well-shaped stone. When dropped, it should not spread.

Rolled Pastillage may be used at once but seems to work more easily when allowed to rest for several hours. It is important to keep Pastillage covered to prevent it from drying. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. It will firm slightly upon standing.

When ready to roll out, spray the work surface and rolling pin with nonstick vegetable spray.

GUM PASTE RECIPE

Ingredients:

4 cups Confectioners' Sugar, sifted (reserve 1 cup for later)
1 Tablespoon Gum Tragacanth (or Gum Tex)
1 Tablespoon Liquid Glucose
1 Packet Knox Gelatin
4 Tablespoons Warm Water (or 3 Tbs warm water + 1 Tbs lemon juice)
Steps (how to make gum paste):

Pour the water (or water and lemon juice) in a large bowl and add gelatin slowly. Stir until gelatin is dissolved in the water.
Stir in glucose slowly. You may need to microwave 20-30 seconds or heat on the stove with a double-boiler to get glucose to melt.
Add 3 cups of confectioners' sugar (also known as powdered suger) and gum tragacanth.
Mix well. I use a mixer with dough hook.
You'll end up with a soft, sticky dough. Store dough in a well-sealed plastic bag at room temperature overnight (if possible) for it to set.
Knead in the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar and it will become soft and pliable - no longer sticky. Add more powdered sugar if it continues to feel sticky.
Gum Paste Tips:

Store your gum paste recipe mixture in a large ziplock bag while working with smaller pieces of it (or keep in bowl and cover gum paste surface with a wet towel.) This will help keep it from forming a crust. If you DO get a crust, don't worry, knead in a little confectioners' sugar.

PrettyCindy: @y me, please help me out with pastillage, gum paste and sugar craft recipes. Thanks

I'm not really familiar with the sugarcraft recipe
will pass any info I get on it across, for the meantime enjoy the pastillage and gum paste recipe and share with us the outcome

@y me




where in naija can i get the ingredients

kunlekunle:

@y me




where in naija can i get the ingredients

I don't live in Nigeria at the moment but I'm guessing you can get it from baking shops?
If you live in lagos there are lot of baking shops around where u can get baking/pastries ingredients from
use Google

@y me, a big "muah" to you. Thank you so much.

Please is corn starch same thing as corn flour?

PrettyCindy: Please is corn starch same thing as corn flour?

To my knowledge its been argued that they are not same is one is thicker than the other
In the UK, the term "cornflour" does indeed often refer to what others know as cornstarch.

However, cornflour can also refer to flour made from corn, or corn meal (as opposed to cornstarch, which is only part of the corn flour). While they will both thicken a broth or juice, the corn flour will leave a strong taste. The cornstarch will not leave an aftertaste, which is why it is used as a thickener.

Thanks lady. You have been very helpful.

kunlekunle:

@y me




where in naija can i get the ingredients

You can get them at the flour and sugar section of any big market in Nigeria.

Microwave cake

Ingredients

4 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons sugar (u can use more or less depending on your taste buds)
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil or melted butter
1 large mug or bowl
vanilla essence (optional)
Preparation method

Prep: 5 minutes | Cook: 3 minutes
1. Add dry ingredients to the mug, and mix well.
2. Crack an egg and add it to your mug. Be sure to mix it well to avoid any pockets of flour in the corners. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the vanilla essence if u want.
3. Put your mug or bowl into the microwave for 3 minutes on maximum power. Wait until the cake stops rising, and sets in the mug.
4. If necessary, run a knife around the sides of the mug or bowl, and tip the still warm cake unto a saucer

The cake would harden as it gets colder. so if u want soft fluffy cake, u eat it warm, u can microwave it again if it get's cold and hard.
I actually prefer the hard one

Blue moon: Microwave cake

Ingredients

4 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons sugar (u can use more or less depending on your taste buds)
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil or melted butter
1 large mug or bowl
vanilla essence (optional)
Preparation method

Prep: 5 minutes | Cook: 3 minutes
1. Add dry ingredients to the mug, and mix well.
2. Crack an egg and add it to your mug. Be sure to mix it well to avoid any pockets of flour in the corners. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the vanilla essence if u want.
3. Put your mug or bowl into the microwave for 3 minutes on maximum power. Wait until the cake stops rising, and sets in the mug.
4. If necessary, run a knife around the sides of the mug or bowl, and tip the still warm cake unto a saucer

The cake would harden as it gets colder. so if u want soft fluffy cake, u eat it warm, u can microwave it again if it get's cold and hard.
I actually prefer the hard one

wow this is nice, I will give it a try when I am less busy
Thanks for this easy recipe/method
I also have an easy recipe similar to this one but the oven is used instead of the microwave

Y me, teach me about royal and butter icing.

Pls i need simple method on hw to decorate a birthday cake,pls help me,
well done for d gud job u ar great!!!

Kindly mail me d information olopadeyemi@gmail.com

Nice***x Following thread.

Thanks for dis thread. I'm a cake addict.
I will definitely post recipes later.

Pls check out my cake decorating blog. www.frostedbakeshopng..com. Pls bear with me concerning the general layout, I really don't know jack about blog design...yet. I intend to get better at it as I blog on.

On my blog, I intend to share some of the recipes I use, some tutorials, and my cakes. You can find details of cake decorating classes I offer. You can also place an order for a particular cake you might see on it. I also accept challenges. If there's a cake you would like me to make, I just might accept the challenge to make it.

As time goes on, I also intend to conduct giveaways, and other loyalty gifts. Thank you for visiting www.frostedbakeshopng..com

thank u Chidinma. I will try out d van. cake and give u feedback.

New post up at www.frostedbakeshopng..com

New post up on www.frostedbakeshopng..com

New blog post up on www.frostedbakeshopng..com. Enjoy!

Follow me on Twitter @Frostedng for info on sweet deals, freebies, and giveaways! www.frostedbakeshopng..com

New cookie recipe up on www.frostedbakeshopng..com

I want to learn how to make good tasty bread with minimal cost.
Thanks

New blog posts, cake, bread and cookie recipes up on www.frostedbakeshopng..com. Cake decorating tutorial coming up later today. Also, check out our full order menu.