Sponge cake (or yellow cake) is a soft, spongy, and delicious cake with a brownish outer surface and a whitish inner surface. This is made with lots of eggs, sugar, and flour, and I’ll be walking you through the sponge cake recipe.
1 cup of flour 3 tablespoons of milk (optional) 3 tablespoons of oil 4 eggs ¼ cup of sugar ¼ cup of butter ½ tablespoon of vanilla essence
Procedures for Preparation of Sponge Cake
STEP 1: Crack your eggs and separate the yolks from the whites in different bowls.
STEP 2: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F.
STEP 3: In your bowl of yolks, give this a whisk and add milk, oil, and vanilla essence.
STEP 4: Gradually sift the flour into the bowl and give it a stir. Mix until well incorporated and set this aside.
STEP 5: In the bowl of whites, using a hand mixer, beat for 20 minutes from medium to high until it begins to foam.
STEP 6: Add in sugar and continue beating till stiff peaks. Here, you see the egg whites looking thick, creamy, and white.
STEP 7: Now add this to the bowl of yolks. Fold it in and mix.
STEP 8: Get the clean baking pan. It’s time to bake this sponge cake recipe.
STEP 9: Grease the pan with butter and add parchment paper to the sides and bottom of the pan. You may also dust with flour after greasing.
STEP 10: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Do not fill to the brim to avoid pouring while baking.
STEP 11: Bake for 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the pan. Do not open the oven while baking.
STEP 12: Remove from the oven using a hand glove or mittens.
STEP 13: Allow it to cool for 5–10 minutes or place it on a rack for easy air ventilation.
STEP 14: Enjoy!
Recipes that Best Goes with It
Sponge cake goes with ice cream, milkshakes, and, of course, soft drinks like Coca-Cola, etc.
How to Serve Sponge Cakes
Sponge cake should be served to friends, loved ones, and family immediately as it cools off. You can also enjoy sponge cakes with these 3 different ways of making chocolate sauce.
Occasion to Serve Sponge Cakes Best
This delicious sponge cake recipe can be served any day, anytime, and anywhere. It could serve as a lunch box for kids, birthday parties, or after-party snacks.
Nutritional Value of Sponge Cakes
This snack is packed with benefits such as low calories when eaten, a good source of energy, and, of course, the unique flavors in your kitchen.
How to Store Sponge Cake
Store in the freezer for 2–3 days. I suggest you wrap before storing and also consume within a day. Enjoy!
Conclusion
Are you in the kitchen already? Whisk up this recipe and tell us how you made this soft, fluffy, spongy, and delicious sponge cake recipe. Be sure to let us know when you do in the comment section.
FAQs
Can I use butter or margarine for my sponge cake?
With margarine, you get a softer and more fluffy texture in cakes than with butter. Butter has a great taste and smell but it makes cake dense and dries out the moisture. Margarine should be your go-to when making this sponge cake.
What is the difference between regular cake and sponge cake?
A very good difference between regular cake and sponge cake is that the latter is made with lots of eggs, while the former contains baking powder or baking soda.
What is the difference between butter cake and sponge cake?
Butter cake relies on butter or margarine and some leavening agents such as baking powder and baking soda, whereas sponge cake relies on the beaten eggs and air that gets into it.
What are the four types of sponge cakes?
These are Swiss roll sponge, Devil’s Food Cake, Forrest sponge cake, Angel Food Cake, and many other types of sponge cakes.
What is the secret to sponge cake?
The secret to sponge cake is in its texture, the eggs, and the absence of leavening agents like baking soda and baking powder. In sponge cake, the leavening agents are in the eggs and the air is gotten from beating them using the mixer. Sponge cakes are soft, light, fluffy, and airy, and this is a result of beating egg whites.
What are the best foods that boost your memory? Will these foods reduce the length of time you spend learning? Will these foods make you smarter? Also, will it be better or more efficient than taking brain supplements to improve your memory? You are not the only one asking these questions. Researchers believe that eating a healthier selection of foods rich in phytonutrients will make you smart.
The founder of Kwik brain, Jim Kwik stated that a brainpower smoothie in the morning will boost your brain function throughout the day. When preparing meals, always make sure your meals are rich in vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Healthier fats and oils, herbs, nuts or seeds, or fruits are the foods that improve your memory. Let’s look at some in detail.
Foods That Will Help Boost Your Memory
1. Fatty Fish or Oily Fish
Oily fish contains Omega-3 fats in the form of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA). Essential fatty acids are from foods and they are important as they promote healthy brain function as well as hearts and joints. Foods containing fatty acids reduce the risk of developing dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and memory loss.
They help in lowering blood levels of the proteins forming damaging clumps in Alzheimer’s disease. To boost your memory, try eating fish that are not high in mercury at least twice a week to boost your brain function, or improve the structure of brain cells, have better-thinking abilities, and be smarter.
We have some fishing festivals in Northern Nigeria like the Argungu Fishing Festival. You should try it out.
2. Blueberries
Blueberries improve short-term memory loss as they contain anthocyanins. Anthocyanins reverse age-related deficits that affect neural and behavioural actions like memory functions. It aids in protecting memory and enhances brain performance.
It also contains flavonoids antioxidants that help in reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. These antioxidants present in blueberries help in improving communication between brain cells, reducing inflammation throughout the body. Increasing plasticity helps brain cells in forming memory, boosting learning, and forming new connections and it also helps in reducing age-related neurodegenerative diseases and brain function decline. Make sure you add a handful of blueberries to your daily meals or eat it as snacks or even add it into your cereals or desserts to improve your brain function.
3. Broccoli
Broccoli is high in glucosinolates and a good source of vitamin K. it enhances brain function and improves brainpower. It is Broccoli is high in glucosinolates and a good source of vitamin K. it enhances brain function and improves brainpower. It is also able to slow down the neurotransmitters hence, keeping your memory sharp. This food reduces oxidative stress and lowers the risk of neurodegenerative diseases since it contains isothiocyanates a degraded version of glucosinolates. It is also known to boost the health of the brain as it contains vitamin C and flavonoids antioxidants.
Try to incorporate broccoli in your meals at least twice a week to enjoy it.
4. Nuts
Nuts are considered foods that boost your memory because they contain Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants vitamin E which protect cells from radicals that cause oxidative stress. When you take enough nuts, it might help prevent cognitive decline since it is rich in vitamin E.
You should consider adding nuts to your meals or eating them alone or mixing in your vegetable soups like Miyan Taushe or in your salads.
5. Avocados
Avocados are beneficial to the brain because it contains monounsaturated fats that help in reducing blood pressure and improve blood flow to the brain thereby brain function. They are good sources of carotenoids and vitamins that may help boost memory. It is also one of the healthiest ingredients for breakfast. It may also lower the risk of cognitive decline.
Eggs are essential to brain food as they are sources of vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, and Folic Acid. Vitamins prevent brain shrinkage and delay cognitive decline. The yolks are also rich in choline that helps in nerve cell transmissions.
Also, it helps in maintaining the structural integrity of the cells of the brain. It helps in increasing one’s attention and maintaining focus. You can add eggs to your Danwake and enjoy it.
7. Whole Grains
To concentrate and focus either doing some tasks that need brain function or reading, you need energy and the energy is from the food we eat. We need to eat whole grains to get the energy to power our brains. This will solve the problem of losing focus or concentration.
Furthermore, whole grains are good for the brain because they release the energy in the form of glucose in the brain that goes to the brain and hence keeping you mentally alert for that day. Also, whole grains are a good source of foods that improve your memory as they are a good source of vitamin E. You can eat brown rice instead of normal white rice.
Take oatmeal as breakfast or even make a sandwich with whole-grain bread instead of the normal break you consume daily.
8. Soy Products
Soybeans are also known as Waken Soya in the North and it is a rich source of polyphenols antioxidants. These antioxidants are good in reducing the risk of dementia and they help in improving cognitive abilities in aging processes. You can make drink soy milk or you can make Tofu or “Awara” as a quick breakfast to enjoy the health benefit of this foods.
There are certain foods that improve your brain’s health and help in giving you stronger memory. Foods that boost your memory are foods that improve your cognitive functions. The brain requires nutrients to stay healthy. These foods will not only help in fueling to maintain focus but also reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. There are also drinks and certain brain tips that can improve mental alertness and make you smarter.
What are the foods that improve your memory or cognitive function? Kindly leave your comments below or share them with your loved ones to let us know what your brainpower foods are.
Danwake (literarily translated as ‘son of beans’), is a delicacy well known in the northern part of Nigeria, mostly among the Hausa people. It dates back to time immemorial. It is quite fast and easy to make. Some may choose to take it as a basic meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner), and some as a dessert or casual meal. When well prepared, it’s delicious however you serve it. In this article, I will be teaching you how to make this delicious Northern Nigerian cuisine.
Let’s go straight into it!
How to Make Danwake
Equipment
A medium cooking pot
Bowl
Sieve
Colander
Frying pan
kitchen knife
Ingredients for Making Danwake
You will be needing the following ingredients to make Danwake depending on the quantity you have in mind:
1 cup of guinea corn
½ tin of white b
1 cup of guinea corn
½ tin of white beans
3 cups of dried cassava
2 – 4 spoons of baobab powder (kuka)
A small piece of potash (kanwa)
Procedures for Preparation
STEP 1: Grind the mixture of Guinea corn, cassava, and white beans to powder and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
STEP 2: Sieve the powder to remove shafts and grains. Then;
STEP 3: Add your baobab powder and a little soaked potash.
STEP 4: Pour little water and stir till the powder turns into a paste. Ensure not to make it too watery or too thick for dumplings.
STEP 5: Keep your water boiling at 1000C, then pinch and dump the dough into the boiling water in the desired sizes. (Boiling water should be at least the same volume or more as the volume of dumplings you want to make).
STEP 6: Stir boiling dumplings with a scoop and allow them to boil for 10 – 15 minutes.
STEP 7: Sieve your dumplings using a colander and put them in clean cold water. Then, rinse twice and your Danwake is ready.
Furthermore, get your frying pan on fire and pour vegetable oil into it. Slice your onions and add them to the frying pan. Allow frying for 2 to 3 minutes.
How to Serve Danwake
Traditionally, Danwake is normally dished with vegetable oil, fried onion, maggi, salt, and ground pepper. But nowadays, it is well garnished with boiled egg, cabbage, tomato, and even boiled or fried meat. Ways to serve are numerous depending on one’s interest and financial capability.
Occasions to Serve Best
Danwake is best served as breakfast or as lunch. However, it’s not advisable to serve on occasions like Eid, Naming Ceremonies, Marriages, or the like.
How to Store Danwake
This delicacy cannot be stored for more than 24 hours. So, I advise you to make just the quantity you need at the moment.
Nutritional Value of Danwake
When served, this delicacy has rich nutritional value, depending on how you choose to serve it. Primarily, it contains carbohydrates (cassava and guinea corn), vitamins (onion and pepper), and protein (white beans) in the dough alone. In addition, if you choose to add meat and cabbage to it, that’s an additional protein and vitamins respectively.
Conclusion
As you have seen, how to make danwake (yadda ake danwake) – the northern delicacy a lot of people like is as easy as breathing in and out of the air by a healthy individual. So, when will you try preparing this at home? Tell me in the comments section below.
If you find this article helpful, please leave a comment in the comments section as well. Thank you.
Humans eat. We one way or another depend on foods to increase our metabolism, get the required nutritional requirements, and get the energy we need for our day-to-day activities.
What Is Metabolism?
Our bodies undergo chemical reactions that change the food we eat into the energy we use to get through our activities, from moving to thinking to working to feeling to growing, and that is metabolism.
Having a high metabolism in the body can give you energy and make you feel better. In this article, you’ll discover foods that increase metabolism in the body and that are mostly found in protein.
12 Foods That Increase Metabolism
1. Avocado
Avocado provides the body with necessary nutritional benefits as it contains fat and mono-saturated fats—these are the good fats that lower bad cholesterol. It also contains nine essential amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids.
Eating avocado has been proven to be a food that increases metabolism and keeps us healthy.
2. Milk
Whole milk does the body good as it is a good source of protein. More so, it is a bone-building food that increases our metabolism as it has calcium in it. Add this to your diet or drink it as a whole. You will still get the same benefits.
3. Beans
In addition, there are varieties of beans based on their color – black, white, red, and brown beans. Research suggests all varieties do good to the body but black bean does the most.
This food increases metabolism in the body as it is a complete protein meal.
4. Leafy vegetables
This is also one of the foods that increase metabolism. Leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, asparagus, green peas, and broccoli help increase metabolism as they have a high content in protein, iron, and magnesium. Iron is required to accelerate the metabolic rate in the body. It also helps in the growth and development of the body.
5. Soy-bean
This is a versatile protein food that increases metabolism, as it could be consumed either as tofu or soy-bean milk. Make sure to make tofu with a healthy oil such as sesame seed oil, coconut oil, grapefruit oil, or hempseed oil.
6. Eggs
Eggs are low in carbohydrates, an excellent source of protein, and contain vitamin B. Eat your eggs in any way you desire—cooked or fried—but make sure you use a good source of healthy oil.
7. Spicy Foods
Chilli pepper! Studies show that spicy foods have natural chemicals that boost metabolism in the body. Add chilli pepper or chilli flakes to enjoy that pasta as it is guaranteed to increase metabolism in the body.
8. Ginger
This root spice is also versatile as you could grate/mince them to your meal or use them in their dried form. Add this to a meal or the dried form to your tea as breakfast to get that energy and boost you require.
9. Fish
This is also one of the foods that increase our metabolism. Our bodies burn calories when we eat protein; replace those carbohydrates with protein to boost metabolism in our body. In addition, fish is a great source of protein, be it salmon or tuna.
10. Seeds
Good foods that increase metabolism in the body are found in these seeds: hemp seed, flaxseed, and lentils. Another is chickpea, as it has a high protein content. Chickpeas are cooked, eaten, and sometimes topped with these varieties of seeds.
11. Green Tea
Furthermore, green tea is one of the foods that increase our body’s metabolism. Studies show that drinking 2–4 cups of green tea a day pushes the body to burn 17% of its calories. They are also anti-inflammatory.
12. Coffee
Coffee increases body metabolism due to its high caffeine content.
Other Ways of Increasing Metabolism in the Body
1. Water: Drink enough water before and after every meal, as this keeps you hydrated and fills you up.
2. Adequate Sleep: Have a good night’s rest for at least 8 hours. This helps keep you sane, active, and well-rested.
3. Exercise: Sitting too much is bad for you, and even doing nothing, in particular, makes your body burn calories. So, walk, run, and stand more often if you can. Have a routine you do at home to activate those core, glutes, and muscles.
Protein is the most effective for increasing metabolism because the body needs to use more energy to digest it than it does carbohydrates.
Eat a balanced diet if you can, stay hydrated, get adequate sleep, and exercise too; you’re on your way to increasing the metabolic rate in your body. I hope this article helped you by telling you about foods that increase metabolism in the body. Add them to your meal when you can, thank you!
