BEST BUTTER FOR BAKING IN NIGERIA

When we hear butter mentioned while baking Nigerian cake, sometimes what the baker is referring to is baking margarine sold in sachets and buckets like simas baking margarine and others. Butter is hardly used by commercial bakers and maybe that’s what makes that local Nigerian cake that we want to taste at events. It’s actually pound cake also known as Madeira cake, turns out really really dense and not too sweet. We love it, especially Nigerians that can’t stand very sweet pastries and foods. When I got a mail from a blog reader asking which is the best margarine to use when. I didn’t quite understand if she meant different brands of margarine that are good for baking Nigerian cakes or real butter. Real butter is actually the best for baking cakes but I’m unsure if it will give that Nigerian cake density and flavor. Here is the mail below and my reply:

Hello Aunty Eya. I am an ardent reader of your blog who used to comment as Amaka but took a break when you did and then got a very demanding job that doesn’t give me time to be online as much as I wanted.

Missed my favorite Nigerian blog and wish you can help me list names of best butter to use in baking my Nigerian cake. We used simas the last time and my cake turned out very oily. Please help me or post and ask other blog readers for me, please.

My reply to her below:

First, Here is a video of a cake I baked on a stovetop using a pot and normal Nigerian baking margarine. You can watch it below and see if you like it. You can also watch on my new Youtube channel to enable you to subscribe to notifications of new posts like this.

 

 

 

LIST OF GOOD BUTTER BRANDS FOR BAKING NIGERIAN CAKE:

Hello Amaka.

I sent you a short mail asking if you meant butter as in butter or Nigerian baking margarine but I’m yet to get a reply so here is the list of some. For the oily cake you got, I’ll advise you bake with less butter/margarine next time. Check the recipe… the butter is much for that quantity, the reason you got a cake full of oil. Please adjust before you use that cake recipe again. If you are going to use those baking margarine, we were told by a baker that simas isn’t the best if you want good results with cakes, that it’s best for other pastries not cakes but that may be true.

I am not a professional baker and some cakes I bake and post on this blog contain simas . Many of our Nigerian cake recipes, even birthday cake recipes include simas sha even though that’s not butter. We had to ask some bakers and got these answers.

In no particular order.

1. Topper
2. Rhoda
3. Napa
4. Valido
5. Moore
6. Haano
7. Kings
8. STK
9. Amanda
10. Rose
11. Habibi

The list above comprises some good butter brands in Nigeria. That’s not all, but they are the ones the bakers shared with us. There are so many other good butter brands that give good dense Nigerian cakes.

While some bakers recommend simas too, even though a few others don’t. Someone says her only problem with the margarine is that it makes her cakes light in weight compared to when she bakes with other types of butter.

Rose too can make your cake light in weight so that means it’s good for sponge cake baking.

BEST BUTTER FOR CAKE BÀKING

Which is the best butter for cakes? The best butter when I want to bake cakes is unsalted butter.  I don’t want my cake tasting salty after baking. Use unsalted butter for cakes.  That way you are not worried about the cake tasting a little bit salty.

For Bakers in Nigeria.  The Nigerian cake is already great with our popular baking margarine.  Just get a good brand and use but if you want a professional or world-class taste, then get unsalted butter for that  Nigerian wedding cake.

So, yes. Unsalted butter is the best butter for baking cakes anywhere else not only in Nigeria.

BEST BUTTER FOR BREAD

Which is the best butter for baking bread?

You know there is whole wheat bread, white bread, and many other types of bread on sale. If you are making homemade bread, use unsalted butter and the correct quantity of salt listed in the bread recipe.

Do you know it’s very easy to make your own homemade butter the way you want it? Yes, Learn how to easily make homemade butter and use for your baking  Bigger Bolder baking has this simple recipe to try and make butter using a food processor, stand mixer, or hand mixer.

Happy Baking.

CONCLUSION:

If you bake and know of any butter good for baking in Nigeria, please leave a comment below and share with us. If you like this post, please consider Sharing so that other people can find and learn too.