Vegan Orange Cake with Orange Buttercream | Bake With Me

A few weeks ago, I saw a post on Twitter that joked about pulling out a can of sliced pineapples from under the bed to surprise someone on their birthday during the coronavirus crisis. Rather post-apocalyptic. I had a little chuckle because I thought it was so over the top. If I'm being honest, the severity of the crisis hadn't hit hard yet. Fast forward to now, living through a lockdown, and this scenario doesn't seem so far-fetched.

It was my mum's birthday this past week and because your girl's got mad skills, there was not a tin of fruit in sight. Instead, I made this beaut of a cake: two layers of orange flavoured sponge cake with orange buttercream frosting.

The ingredient quantities make up enough for a two-layer, 8-inch round sandwich cake. Feel free to halve the quantity for a one-layer cake. The buttercream is just enough to spread in the middle and on the top. For a rustic 'naked cake' effect, you can smear small amounts around the outside.

If you'd like to have some virtual company and bake along with me, you can prep all your ingredients and check out my YouTube video. Let's bake together!

And if you do make this cake, share a picture of it online and tag me @vegannigerian so that I can repost :)


Ingredients
for the cakes
- 5 cups self-raising flour
- 2 and 1/2 cups caster sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups vegan milk (I used Alpro coconut)
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 cup sunflower or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- zest from 4 medium oranges
- juice from 1/2 medium orange (for syrup)

for the orange buttercream
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1/2 cup vegan margarine
- zest from 1 medium orange

for garnish
- 3 semi-dehydrated orange slices
- fresh mint

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

To make the cakes, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a very large bowl. Set aside.

In another bowl or large jug, combine the vegan milk, orange juice, oil, vanilla extract and vinegar. Whisk to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined. Add the orange zest and fold again to distribute. Be careful not to over mix.

Prepare 2 round 8-inch round cake tins, coating the insides with a dab of vegan margarine and dusting with a little flour to prevent sticking. Use a round of baking paper at the bottom of the tins if you have  any to spare.

Divide the cake batter evenly between the two cake tins. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and cooked all the way through (a toothpick stuck in the centre of the cake should come out clean).

Once the cakes are out of the oven, leave to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle the extra orange juice onto both cakes. This will soak into the cake and act as a syrup to keep them moist and enhance the orange flavour.

While the cakes are cooling, prepare the buttercream and garnish. To make the buttercream, combine the icing sugar, vegan margarine and orange zest in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy (I used an electric hand whisk to seed up the process).

Prepare the garnish orange slices by baking them at 120 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until they are semi-dehydrated. The idea is to draw out most of the moisture so that it doesn't make a mess of the buttercream.

Assemble the cake by spreading half of the buttercream between the cakes and the other half over the top. Decorate with orange slices and a sprig of fresh mint.

Aubergine Nuggets | Easy Vegan Recipe

How's everyone coping with the lockdown? Hope you're thriving and resting and enjoying delicious home-made grub. Here's another recipe to add to your list of things to try: aubergine 'nuggets'.

A snack idea that's simple to make, melt-in-the-mouth and totally delectable. They're dairy-free and egg-free (of course) and can be adapted to suit a gluten-free diet.

I made a batch of these nuggets for my family recently and they loved it, so do give it a try and share your attempts on social media, tagging @VeganNigerian so I can repost.

As you'll see in the ingredient list below, I used spices that may seem unusual and uncommon. That's simply because I happen to have them in my kitchen cupboard and felt like experimenting. Feel free to use whatever you have available at home.

Ingredients
(serves 4)
- 1 large aubergine
-  500ml water
- 1/2 cup plain flour or wholegrain flour or gluten-free flour
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek
- 1/2 tsp mace
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt
- sunflower oil

Peel and cut the aubergine into large nugget pieces. Submerge them in a simple brine mixture of water and salt (to taste).

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the seasonings/spices of your choice.

Heat some sunflower oil in a large frying pan - enough for shallow frying.

Shake off the excess water from each nugget and dip each piece in the flour mixture to coat completely. Place in the hot oil and fry on both sides on medium-high heat until golden brown. Depending on the size of your pan, you can fry multiple pieces at the same time. Drain on kitchen paper to remove any excess oil. Serve warm with a sauce of your choice.

 

Coffee and Walnut Cake Slices

Baking soothes the soul.

In this era of self-isolation and social distancing during the coronavirus crisis, a lot more of us will be cooking and baking. I recommend this as a way to stay busy, learn a new skill, manage anxiety and/or expand your recipe repertoire.

As much as we should be choosing healthy, immune-boosting meals where possible, there will no doubt be moments where we want a cheeky treat. I had such a craving this weekend and this vegan coffee and walnut cake absolutely hit the spot. It's easy to make, perfectly sweet, moist and balanced in flavour. It's the ideal sharing snack if you're in quarantine with family or housemates. If you're isolating solo, even more for you to enjoy over the course of a week or two.

If you do try this cake, be sure to take a pic and tag me on social media @VeganNigerian.

Stay safe, much love x

Ingredients
- 250g self-raising flour
- 150g soft brown sugar
- 200ml coconut milk (or other dairy-free milk)
- 3 tbsp instant coffee granules
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 100ml sunflower oil
- handful walnuts (roughly chopped)

In a large bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar. Set aside.

Heat up about 50ml of the dairy-free milk and dissolve the instant coffee granules in it. Combine with the rest of the milk in a large jug/bowl and whisk in the vanilla extract and sunflower oil.

Add the wet ingredients to the flour and sugar. Fold and combine gently to form a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into a lightly greased or lined baking tray (12" x 9") and sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the top. Bake for 25 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius. Leave to cool before slicing into squares.

How to Host a Live Cook-Along or Cooking Tutorial

If there's one thing that's emerging from this coronavirus crisis, it's the way we're being forced to think and work in more creative ways. On Sunday, I hosted an online cook-along, streaming live to an audience on YouTube. There were hiccups and connectivity issues, but ultimately it was a lot of fun and an extremely rewarding experience.

With most of my in-person events cancelled for the foreseeable future, I definitely see myself exploring and harnessing this form of engagement going forward.

Based on my experience so far, below are a few tips for any chefs and bloggers who are interested in hosting a live cooking tutorial:

You’ll need the following equipment:

- Mobile phone or camera
- Tripod or sturdy surface to lean phone/camera

Before Filming

1. Promote your event - decide what you will be cooking/teaching and communicate this to your audience via social media or your mailing list. Get them to sign up in advance.
2. Choose your platform - I used YouTube Live but you can also try Facebook Live, Instagram Live or Zoom.
3. Test the video and audio quality - fix any issues before you start filming
4. Check your WiFi connection - make sure that it is strong and reliable
5. Find the right shooting angle - figure out where to place your camera for optimum exposure. A tripod will make this easier but if you don’t have one, try resting your phone/camera on a shelf or get creative by making a tripod out of a stack of books etc. You should be visible and central within the frame, and include the work surface and stove top you will be using to prep the food
6. Prepare your space - tidy up any areas that will be visible on camera. Ensure that the space is well lit with natural lighting. Beautify with props or plants if possible
7. Prepare your ingredients - have your ingredients washed, ready and portioned out before the session begins
8. Prepare a rough script and place it somewhere off camera but visible to you (see below for example)

During Filming

1. Speak clearly and loudly, at a moderate pace
2. Look directly at the camera when speaking to the audience
3. Try to follow a roughly timed script, for example:

- Introduce yourself - 2 minutes
- Introduce the recipe, the ingredients and the story behind it - 5 minutes
- Showcase how to cook the recipe - 20-30 minutes
- While the food is cooking, interact and answer audience questions
- Plate up and present the final dish to the audience
- Thank the audience for watching, and encourage them to follow your work online.

Mother's Day Online Cook-Along | How to Make Perfect Jollof Rice

Hello everyone, First and foremost, I hope you are all keeping well and staying safe. As each day gets stranger with Covid-19 (coronavirus), it goes without saying that this is the time to really look out for each other. It is my hope that The Vegan Nigerian platform will be a safe haven for everyone - a place you can come to when you need a break from the unrelenting and downright soul-sapping news. You can still expect recipes (I'm hoping to develop some immune-friendly dishes so that we can all stay healthy during self-isolation) and I've got a few ideas for other online content down the line so that we can beat the boredom! As you may have already seen, all my planned events have been cancelled for the time being. Vegan Life Live is hoping to postpone to a later date and they will keep all exhibitors and ticket holders in the loop. Many small businesses, groups and individuals are going to be negatively affected over the coming months. In light of this, I'll be hosting an online cook-along fundraiser this Sunday (Mother's Day) at 4.30pm. The YouTube Live cook-along will be free for anyone to watch, but I am kindly requesting donations, all of which will be donated to Migrateful. Migrateful is a charity that empowers refugee and migrant chefs to teach their cuisines to the general public. Due to the coronavirus crisis, they have had to suspend their upcoming cooking classes. Many of the chefs rely on the classes as a source of income and/or donations. Asylum seeker chefs in particular, who are unable to work at all, will be hard hit. In this cook-along, I will teach you how to make the perfect jollof rice, providing tips and lessons learned from my own mum (no pressure!) Here is how it works. RSVP and/or donate on Eventbrite. There, you will find all the details of the cook-along, including which ingredients you’ll need if you want to cook along (you can also just watch as a cookery demo and take notes if you want!)  On Saturday evening, I will email everyone who has RSVP’d with a reminder link to the cook-along. On Sunday at 4.30pm, we’ll cook together, chat and hang out live on YouTube! Whether you’re self-isolating together or apart from loved ones, you can all participate virtually and bring some cooking joy into your day. I’ve never done a live show like this before so bear with me as I try to streamline the process.  Hope to see you live on Sunday. Until then, wishing you all good health. Tomi x

Lagos Vegan Meet-Up

Hey Nigerian fam, I’m going to be in Lagos and will be hosting my first pop-up there on Sunday 9th Feb! 😍 🇳🇬 Because I love a good ol’ collaboration, I’m teaming up with the wonderful @veganinnigeria Lagos Vegan Meet-Up group. There’ll be a meet and greet, dishes from my cookbook and a Q&A/group discussion. 

You’ll need to RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1WMK9CEeV9pkloAKX435PJtfvYh6gaUWh825S61fmfjg/viewform?edit_requested=true and pay to confirm your attendance/meal (see below for details).

Date: Sunday 9th February 2020

Time: 5pm - 7pm

Address: Carib Health, 17a Maduike Street, Off Raymond Njoku, Awolowo Rd, Ikoyi, Lagos

Cost: N6000 per person (Pay to Gist Media Resources, GT Bank, 0244894699)

Yam Toast with Sweet and Savoury Toppings | Gluten-Free Bread Substitute

Humour me for a second. Yam is such a neutral-tasting root vegetable that surely it's the perfect base for all manner of creative toast toppings. Right? Well, I was certainly curious enough to try.

The key things to remember: slice your yam as thinly as possible, put it through two rounds of toasting on the highest setting so that it cooks all the way through, and approach this with an open mind - ha!

And here are a few pictures to inspire your yam toast munching adventures...

Okra and Sweet Potato Salad

OG blog readers may recognise this recipe from 2014. It feels like yesterday but alas six years have indeed passed since this dish first graced my palate. I've been feeling the pull to revisit old recipes and breathe new life into them, perhaps modify certain aspects based on new cooking techniques and principles I've adopted. In the original recipe, for instance, I use olive oil to sauté the veg... In this version I replace that with a bit of low-sodium vegetable stock. Same delicious taste, but a notch healthier.

Expect to see more revamped recipes this year. There's so much past content to leverage on the blog but of course I'll share new creations as and when inspiration strikes.


If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Roasted Carrot, Fennel and Mint Salad
Stuffed Plantain Cups