CHOCOLATE CAKE FOR THE SEASON.

Compliments of the season.

I have been basking in the glory of Christmas and the New Year celebration. However, all the meat and food did not do enough to distract me from my craving - Cake!

I do not know how to bake. So, I get whatever baked goods I want outside - especially sweets! This time however, I wasn’t financially buoyant enough to get it.

Fortunately, I have a neighbor who bakes for a living and after she told me that my money wasn’t enough to get me a cake, she offered to teach me using her own ingredients. Words are not good enough to express how I felt in the moment (eternally grateful).

I wanted chocolate cake. For this we used:

INGREDIENTS

• 250g of Cooking butter

• 300g 0f Sugar

• 1000ml Flour

• 2 teaspoons of Baking powder

• 2 teaspoons of Baking soda

• 2 teaspoons of Bromate

• 1/2 a teaspoon of Salt

• 250ml of Cocoa powder (read method to know how to use)

• Four large eggs

• 2 teaspoons of Vanilla essence

• 2 teaspoons of Strawberry essence

• 1/2 250ml of (Powdered) Milk

• 1/2 250ml of Soya oil

Method

Mix 250g of cooking butter and 300g of sugar until smooth (till it turns white). Set aside the mix and turn on your oven (set to the lowest) - P.S we used the gas heat oven.

_{P.S I had to pound away the lumps in the sugar caused by the harmattan cold}

Then separately sieve 1000ml of flour. Add two teaspoons of baking powder into the smooth flour, two teaspoons of baking soda, two teaspoons of bromate and a pinch of salt. Add in 1/2 of 250ml of cocoa powder and thoroughly mix the ingredients.

Back to our butter, add four large eggs, one teaspoon of vanilla essence, two teaspoons of strawberry essence…Dissolve your powdered milk in warm water and add into the wet mix.

Stir until smooth.

Then, separately dissolve 1/2 250ml of cocoa into warm water and add to the mixture and mix thoroughly - a gentle reminder that cocoa products and brands vary. This cocoa brand is Nigerian made and so, we had to use that much of it.

Divide your flour into three equal portions and add in respectively - while stirring.

Then add 1/2 250ml of soya oil…mix!

Now that we are done with the dough, grease the baking pan with butter. Then, add the dough and even it out.

Leave it in the oven for 40 minutes

Being my first time, I burnt it a bit but the cake was still delicious. The cocoa flavor was very strong and gave it a bitter tinge which made it all the more delightful.

I ate mine with warm milk and it was everything!!! ❤️

Next, I will make pure vanilla cake. Wish me luck!

All images captured with my iPhone XR