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  When it comes to covering your cake in buttercream, getting the right hacks can make it fun and also leave a good and lasting impression on your client(s).  Below are hacks and procedures I used when covering my cake in buttercream. 1. Is it secured? Ready? Apron and cap? Yes... Okay, good!  Secured? Okay... I'm the type that use just a board all through after stacking my cake except I'll be covering the cake in fondant later. Hence, I make sure I secure the first layer of my cake firmly to the cake board prior to stacking, I make use of either royal icing or buttercream to secure my cake stacks to the cake board. This would prevent the cake from slipping/moving away from the base while decorating and during delivery, this would also save you the stress of using your hand to put the cake in place. 2. Use shortening and/or reduce butter used when making buttercream to prevent buttercream from melting The use of shortening and/or less butter is a must for my buttercream. ...

Hey guys, thanks for stopping by to read this post, do search through my blog for other fondant related posts and more...    Fondant can be very tricky to work with during Harmattan as the air is dry and absorbs moisture quickly from fondant and hence there is a resulting cracks on your fondant, if not worked upon on time. Fondant could also develop a dent(Elephant skin) and this reduce the aesthetics of a fondant covered cake      To avoid these, one must put every other thing aside when working with fondant to avoid it from cracking as it would have dried up at the time of attending to other things...     Aside the time factor that requires close attention, you might need to adjust your fondant recipe as thus; • Edible Glycerine: Use enough edible glycerine on your fondant during harmattan as it would help retain it's  moisture unlike during rainy season when you could toss it away from your recipe as it could cause sweating • CMC/T...

This recipe is amazing for making a deliciously tasty chocolate cake, the recipe is easy to o make and there's certainty for desired result as long as the recipe is carefully followed.  The butter and oil based chocolate cake is a mildly moist chocolate cake and not as moist compared to the oil based recipe... it's fluffy and simply amazing! Ingredients • 180g Flour • 20g Corn flour • 50g Cocoa powder • ½ Cup water • ½ cup sugar • 250g egg •200g Butter • ½ tspSalt • 100ml Vegetable oil • 1 cup Buttermilk • 1 teaspoon Baking powder • ½ teaspoon Baking Soda • 1 teaspoon Vinegar Procedure • Sift your Flour, add corn flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa powder and mix properly • Preheat your oven • Grease your baking tin • Cream your butter and sugar as you would for a regular vanilla cake • Add the oil • Add some of your eggs and mix • Add Buttermilk while alternating it with your seasoned flour ( always fold in flour using a wooden spoo...

Edible glue are used for securing decorations(flower, bow, characters,etc) to fondant covered cakes. There are several glues that could perform this function ranging from water, melted chocolate, royal icing,etc. ... And for a neater work, our edible glue recipe is recommended because of it's transparent colour and it's adhesive strength. Ingredients •½ teaspoon tylose powder •5 tablespoon Warm Water • Container Procedure • Put your tylose powder in a container • Add warm water and mix with a fork to break the tylose lumps • Cover and refrigerate the mixture overnight, this would allow the mixture to set • Take the mixture out of the fridge ( by now the mixture should have the consistency of a syrup) • Add tylose powder, if the mixture is thin • Add  water (little at a time), if the mixture is thick This Edible glue is perfect for securing small decorations, royal Icing should be used for bigger decorations.    When making decorati...

Pastillage is a hard sugar dough when dry. Pastillage is perfect for sculpting hard sugar crafts like 3D heel and building characters. It is made using icing sugar, gum tragacanth or its chemical derivatives and egg whites.     When working on Pastillage, time is the main factor to be considered as Pastillage sets and dries out really quickly. Pastillage can be further smoothened after it has dried using sand paper.     The Pastillage recipe below is easy to make and can be made in a short period of time. Ingredients • 500g icing sugar • 2 egg whites • 3 teaspoon gum tragacanth/ CMC • Corn Flour(for kneading) Procedure • Put egg whites in a clean mixing bowl • Sift in icing sugar and gum tragacanth • Mix till it's well incorporated • Transfer it to a clean working surface and knead with corn flour • Wrap Pastillage with a cling film and store for 24hours before use or till when it is needed. This makes it more pliable and easy to ...

This Sponge cake recipe is a butter based sponge cake with a fluffy and firm texture... This Sponge cake is sooo yummy!    There are few twists used in this recipe and can be used for any other cake recipe to help retain its moisture. • Bake the cake over a hot water bath. • Line your baking pan with a parchment paper Ingredients • 300g All purpose flour • 3 tablespoon corn flour • ½ teaspoon salt • 1 cup Sugar • 8 tablespoon unsalted butter • 6 Eggs • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 10 tablespoon Milk • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar/ Vinegar/ Lemon juice Method • Mix your dry ingredients (Flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt) together • Grease and flour your baking pan • Preheat your oven • Separate egg whites and yolks • On a low heat, heat butter and milk for 2 minutes • Remove  butter and milk mix from heat, add ½ cup of sugar and egg yolk ( one at a time) and mix using a whisk • Fold in dry ingredients until it i...

Royal icing is a type of non-rolled icing made using confectioner sugar, meringue powder, egg whites, lemon extract and other ingredients.    Royal Icing has different types based on ingredients used, the traditional egg white Royal icing and the meringue poeder type. The meringue powder type has no egg whites in its recipe.    Royal icing is used in decorating cookies, gingerbread houses, cupcakes, for small cake decorations and to make drips on covered cakes. Royal icing is easy to make, requires few ingredients, sets quickly and dries hard. Its hard structure makes it resistant to easy cracking.    The recipes below is a guide to making the most amazing Royal icing... • Traditional Egg whites Royal Icing Recipe Ingredients 4 Egg whites 4 cups confectioner sugar 1 teaspoon lemon extract 1 teaspoon oil free flavouring Food colouring of choice(optional) Method Always make sure your mixing bowl is Grease free as this will affect the cons...

When baking, there are these ingredients we have in small and insufficient quantity or we just can't get them nearby, instead of halting our baking, we've put together few ingredient substitutes you could easily put your hands on when you can't get the real ingredient around or probably you just want the preservatives and chemical free ones since the substitute will work just fine.    The substitutes are those that could be used in most recipes that calls for the real ingredients except in few cases. These ingredient substitutes can be made using must haves ingredients in our kitchen, they are easy to make and can also be made in a lesser time.    This can help to prevent storing unfinished ingredients since the needed quantity can be easily made and used at once. • Buttermilk The real buttermilk is the luquid left behind after churning buter out of cultured cream. Buttermilk are used in dessert cakes (e.g chocolate cake, red velvet cake,etc) due to its aci...

Cake baking gives joy to the baker when a baked cake has a perfect finish, enough volume, super delicious and Irresistible taste.    This is achieved by using the best available ingredients, procedure and recipe. Choosing the best baking ingredients will be easier for a pro that have tried different recipes and has adjusted to the best of this recipes. Ranging from the best mixing time, ingredients and their temperature.   When making cake, it is best to make sure baking ingredients are at room temperature, cold or warm ingredients will give  different results compared to ingredients at room temperature. Below are details of how your ingredients works as this might help in choosing the best one for you depending on what you want  your resulting cake to be like. • FLOUR There are different types of flour and all these types have their base from wheat flour. Wheat flour contains proteins that react with each other when mixed with water to form GLUTEN. T...

Fondant is a common type of icing with matte appearance, it is mostly used for covering wedding cakes along  other cakes.    Fondant can look kinda dull especially when worked upon with excess cornflour, there are few techniques that could be used to give a  fondant covered cake and its details (flowers, bows, characters) a glossy appearance.    The best technique to be used depend on the amount of fondant to be worked on. ✓ Corn syrup and Alcohol (preferably vodka) Mixing an equal volume of corn syrup and vodka or any clear drinking alcohol and applying it on fondant surface using a paint brush gives fondant a permanent and high gloss appearance. When using this technique, fats(e.g shortening) should not be used on fondant to be painted because fats separate the glaze leaving it with a bubbled and uneven appearance. It is best to knead fondant with corn flour when using this technique. ✓ Alcohol Using a spray bottle or airbrush placed 10 cm...

Cakes are best enjoyed when light and fluffy and this can be achieved when the right ingredients are used for making the cake.    A cake made with good ingredients may not be as light as preferred due to some little baking mistakes.   When your cake raise higher more air bubbles are in the cake and the resulting cake is hence light and fluffy as desired    Below are few things to try to make your cake raise higher and makes the resulting cake light and fluffy. This is applicable to cake mix and batter made from scratch... • Proper Creaming When Creaming your butter and sugar, make sure enough air are incorporated into your mix as this will determine the rate of your cake's fluffiness but do not over do this as it excess can also affect the cake adversely. The time for Creaming your butter and sugar may vary depending on the quantity of cake to be made, mixer speed, shape and size of mixing bowl (when mixing with bowl and wooden spoon), a deep bowl is ...

Red Velvet Cake can be a perfect and delicious dessert for any occasion. Red Velvet Cake are also perfect for Christmas.    The recipe below is the perfect one to produce a moist and fluffy red velvet cake which has the perfect balance from acidity(produced by the buttermilk and white vinegar) and chocolate(from the cocoa powder).    Red velvet cake can be frosted with any frosting of choice ranging from cream cheeses frosting, buttercream,etc. INGREDIENTS •2cups All purpose flour • 4tbsp corn flour • 5tbsp cocoa powder • 1tsp salt • 1tsp baking soda • 110g butter • 1tsp baking powder • 1cup sugar • 2 large eggs • ¾ cup warm water • ½ cup vegetable oil • 1tsp white vinegar • 1cup buttermilk • 2tsp vanilla extract • 2tbsp red food colouring ✓ Just in case you do not have buttermilk, you can easily make a useable substitute at home by adding 1tablespoon of raw and fresh lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cup of milk. Procedure • Preh...

Fondant icing has different recipe which gelatin fondant is one of these types.   Gelatin fondant is affordable and easy. Gelatin fondant can be used without any problem except in a case of wrong and or outdated ingredients and procedure.    Below are the things you will need when making gelatin fondant. Hints: tbsp means tablespoon tsp means teaspoon Ingredients • 1.5kg Icing sugar • 2tbsp Gelatin • 2tbsp Liquid glucose (Heaped) • 2tsp CMC • 1 tbsp Edible Glycerine •  12tbsp Water • Corn Flour • Shortening (preferably during dry season) Tools • Bowl • Stirrer • Mixing bowl • Clean Surface( Tile, Board) • Cling film Procedure For Preparing Your Fondant 1. Sieve your icing sugar in a bowl. 2. Add CMC and mix. 3. Create a hole at the middle. 4. In a double boiler ( this is achieved by putting a bowl in a hot water when there is another water in the bowl, this is usually done to avoid gelatin mixture to boil over), sprinkle your gelatin on...

Fondant is an edible icing used for covering cakes, it is made using confectioner Sugar and other ingredients. These ingredients differ based on the type of fondant that works for individual cake artist.    Fondant types include marshmallow fondant, gelatin fondant and egg white fondant.      The egg white fondant is different from sugar paste because there is no tylose powder in an egg white fondant recipe.    During rainy season, it's very likely for fondant to sweat( melt) and hence become sticky because the amount of water vapour in the air is high and fondant traps water from the atmosphere which in return melts the fondant and during dry season, fondant loses its moisture to the atmosphere and hence easily cracks... To cut the long story short!    During a normal season, when there is  normal humidity the fondant is expected to harden perfectly but seasonal temperature and humidity works against fondant during rainy seas...

Cake pop is a kind of cake made and decorated like a lollipop. It is made using cake crumbs, frosting (e.g. buttercream)/ganache, melted chocolate, sprinkles, etc. This is one of the ways to use cake leftovers and crumbs.    Cake balls mixed with frosting/ganache are molded, coated and decorated using a gloved hand or cake Ball maker and silicone mold/cookie cutter for more complex shapes. Cake balls when displayed on sticks are called cake Ball Pops. It can be found in bakeries and grocery stores. Ingredients • Baked Cake/Cake Crumbs • Frosting (e.g. buttercream) or Ganache • Melted Chocolate • Spinkles Tools • Bowl • Cup • Cake Pop Stick • Glove • Processor • Cake Ball Maker Procedure • If you are using a whole cake, mash your cake into fine crumbs using a Processor or hands. • Add some frosting/ganache to the fine crumbs and mix until a moist and soft texture is attained. • Using your cake Ball maker or an ice cream scoop, scoop out some of the m...

A perfectly baked cake is not expected to sunk except in cakes such as chocolate brownies where it doesn't matter if the mixture has sunk A BIT when it comes out of the oven since this makes the cake more gooey. Reasons Why Your Cake Sinks 1.Oven Temperature  And  Undercooked Cake     Cakes can be Undercooked since cake got cooked at the edges first then to the inside of the cake. A cake may appear burnt at the edges and not well cooked inside.    The uncooked cake batter will be to dense to hold the air pocket and hence the cake sinks.    Incorrect oven temperature, too much heat and placing the oven rack too high or too low inside the oven can results to inadequate heat supply to the cake from the top and or below. Cooking for slightly longer time at a lower temperature can help to give a more uniform result and prevent the cake from falling(sinking) which occurred when the cake is not well cooked inside.   Always confi...

Chocolate cake is a cake flavoured using cocoa powder and other cocoa products.    The recipe below is an easy guide to making a moist and fluffy chocolate cake that melts in the mouth (Yummy)...    The recipe is not only easy but quick as well. Ingredients • 2 Cups flour • 1½ Cup sugar • ½ Cup cocoa powder • 1 Cup hot coffee(dissolved) • ½ Cup Vegetable Oil • 1 Cup milk • 3 tsp Baking powder • 1½ tsp Baking soda • 2 Eggs • ½ teaspoon  salt • ½ teaspoon chocolate/rum flavour ( optional) ✓ The above measurements would give you twice the one in the image above Procedure ✓Put all your dry ingredients in a mixing bowl  ✓Dissolve your coffee in 1 cup of hot water ✓If you are using powdered milk, dissolve your milk in water before use ✓ Pour all liquid ingredients together( coffee, milk, vegetable oil and egg) and pour over the dry ingredients ✓Mix until it's well incorporated pour into your baking pan and bake your cake... Bon Appetit!...

Buttercream is a type of icing usually made using butter and confectioner sugar, although other fats such as lard and margarine can be used but the resulting taste is different compared to using butter. Butter gives your buttercream the fantastic taste you would like.    Buttercream can be used as filling cake layers, for crumb coating, for coating and as a whole icing for cake, as topping for cupcakes and desserts.       THINGS YOU WILL NEED Ingredients • 500g Icing Sugar • 250g Butter (at room temperature) • Flavour(of choice) • Milk Tools • Mixing Bowl • Spatula • Wooden Spoon ( if you're not using mixer) Procedure 1. Whip using the whisk attachment (if you are using a mixer)/mix with a wooden spoon your butter for 8-10 minutes ( your butter should be creamy now) 2. Sift in your icing sugar bit by bit making sure it is well incorporated before adding another. Scrape excess that sticks to the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula. 3....

The simple and concise recipe below can be easily used for making a moist, fluffy and delicious nigeria cake that melts in the mouth, if carefully followed. THINGS YOU WILL NEED Ingredients • 500g Flour ( preferably cake flour) • 500g Butter • 1 cup Sugar •  500g Egg ( without shell) • Spices (Cinnamon, Nutmeg) • Flavour (Vanilla extract) • 2½ tsp Baking Powder  • Milk (optional) Note : You may increase the quantity of your ingredients for a bigger cake • To make your own cake flour at home check my post on simple baking ingredients substitutes here Tools • Baking Pan • Mixing Bowl/Mixer • Wooden Spoon • Spatula • Oven • Sieve/Strainer • Egg whisk • Kitchen Scale BEFORE THE MIXING PROCESS ✓ Make sure all tools are clean and dry ✓ Make sure you have all the ingredients ready ✓Mix the dry ingredients together ( flour, baking powder, baking soda,spices) ✓Separate the egg yolk from the egg whites and whisk the egg whit...

Oven is a device used for cooking (baking and grilling) of foods. It can be powered using electricity, gas, charcoal and wood (in local bread bakery)    The Nigeria local oven is usually powered with cooking gas and/or charcoal and can be used for baking and grilling.    The common Nigeria oven is usually made up iron sheets and painted black(black is a good absorber and bad radiator of heat) and uses charcoal and cooking gas.    For perfect baking using the Nigeria local oven, below are few but genuine things to put into consideration;    ✓Preheat your oven for 10-15minutes before baking. ✓Use good quality and sufficient quantity of charcoal(for the charcoal type) ✓Ensure there is enough gas in your cylinder before baking. ✓Balance your oven by putting it on a levelled surface. ✓Balance your oven tray and rack. ✓Place your cake on the 2nd rack from below to avoid burnt cake. ✓Lag your oven (If needed) ✓ Let your cake bake for at ...