The Art of Cake Making: A Journey Through Grenada

While sipping club tea and contemplating the art of cake making, I stumbled upon an idea that had been on my bucket list for so long – creating a groundnut sugar cake. This type of cake was one of my mother's specialties when I was a kid, and I wanted to recreate it in my own kitchen. With the help of my mom, we embarked on a culinary journey to Grenada, where we discovered the magic of this traditional dessert.

As we began making the groundnut sugar cake, I realized that I had forgotten about an essential ingredient – groundnut sugar itself. This type of sugar is made from peanuts and was one of my mother's favorite ingredients when I was growing up. We decided to make a batch of groundnut sugar cake by boiling brown sugar water with fresh grated ginger and then adding roasted peanuts. The mixture would harden and become sugary, creating a unique flavor profile.

As we worked on the cake, my mom shared some of her superstitions with me. She warned me about the dangers of eating from the bottom of a pot, as it could bring bad luck, including not getting married. I was intrigued by these superstitions and decided to learn more about them. We even discussed the legend of Nigarooh, also known as Ligaroo, who is said to suck the blood of vampires.

Once the cake was complete, we moved on to making a ganache to pour on top. This involved chopping chocolate finely and weighing out an exact measurement of whipping cream. We then poured the cream into a pot and brought it to almost a boil, creating bubbles on the surface. Next, we added the chopped chocolate and covered the bowl for about five minutes before removing the cover and stirring the ganache until it came together.

With our ganache ready, we began assembling the cake by adding groundnut sugar cake clusters around the bottom, where there might be any imperfections in the buttercream. Finally, we placed the cake on a beautifully decorated cake stand and admired our handiwork. The combination of flavors and textures in this cake was truly unique, and I couldn't wait to taste it.

The Experience of Making Cake Together

As I reflected on my experience making cake with my mom, I realized that it's not just about following a recipe; it's also about the bond you share with your loved ones. We laughed, joked, and even got a little messy in the kitchen. My mom's enthusiasm was contagious, and I found myself having just as much fun as she did.

The Power of Superstition

My mom's superstitions had an unexpected impact on our baking experience. At first, they seemed silly or irrelevant, but as we discussed them, I began to appreciate the cultural significance behind these traditions. The legend of Nigarooh and the warning about eating from the bottom of a pot reminded me that there is more to baking than just following a recipe.

Conclusion

As I finished writing this article, I couldn't help but think about how much I've learned about Grenada and its rich culinary heritage. From making groundnut sugar cake to learning about superstitions, our journey together was truly unforgettable. Whether you're an experienced baker or just starting out, I hope that my story will inspire you to get into the kitchen and start creating your own delicious cakes.

Tips for Making Groundnut Sugar Cake

If you want to make this cake at home, here are a few tips:

* Make sure to use high-quality ingredients, especially when it comes to groundnut sugar.

* Don't overmix the batter, as this can result in a dense cake.

* Add a unique flavor profile by using fresh grated ginger and roasted peanuts.

* Experiment with different types of milk and chocolate for a different twist on the ganache.

How to Make Ganache

To make a smooth and creamy ganache, follow these steps:

* Chop your chocolate finely and weigh out an exact measurement of whipping cream.

* Pour the cream into a pot and bring it to almost a boil, creating bubbles on the surface.

* Add the chopped chocolate and cover the bowl for about five minutes before removing the cover and stirring until combined.

The Benefits of Baking Together

Baking with loved ones can be a wonderful way to spend time together and create memories. Not only do you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor, but you also have the opportunity to bond over a shared activity. Whether it's making cake or trying out a new recipe, baking together is a great way to connect with others and have fun in the kitchen.

The Importance of Tradition

Traditions like my mom's superstitions remind us that there is more to baking than just following a recipe. It's about respecting our cultural heritage and passing down knowledge from one generation to the next. By embracing these traditions, we can create a deeper connection with our food and the people around us.

The Joy of Cake Making

Cake making is not just about following a recipe; it's also about the joy and satisfaction that comes from creating something delicious. Whether you're an experienced baker or just starting out, I hope that my story will inspire you to get into the kitchen and start baking. Remember to have fun, experiment with new ingredients, and most importantly, enjoy the process!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi guys welcome back to how to cake it i'm yolanda and this week i am making a grenada mega cake dedicated to the country where my mom is born if you don't know where grenada is you are about to find out through cake so i just thought of all the flavors from grenada that i love and i'm gonna put them all in a cake so the first thing i wanted to make were some dried slices of pineapple i cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple i cut away all the skin what i need to do next slice the pineapple really thin and i cut thin thin pineapple slices that i laid onto a baking tray on a silicone mat i pressed some of them into a muffin tin and some into a mini muffin tin and then i baked them very low like and i baked them for about an hour so how did they turn out they look beautiful not only do they look beautiful they smell beautiful you seem to be really excited about me i'm super excited this has like legit been on my list for so long the second thing i prepared for this cake are these coconut patties all i did was mix together dried shredded coconut and condensed milk and then i lined this tray on the bottom and the sides with parchment and i pressed my coconut mixture into two pans now i feel like i need a disclaimer for any grenadians who are watching of course i'd rather use fresh coconut but remember i'm in canada i'm sure it's gonna taste as delicious i hope so after i pressed it in i put these in the fridge to set and to firm up so now that they're a bit firm i'm going to remove them and i'm going to coat them in dark chocolate this is going to be a difficult episode to get through i know i know i want to eat every part of it but we're gonna make it i've wanted to make this cake for a long time it's been on my bucket list and it's only fair because i did make the frankfurter cake in honor of my father's heritage but today this is about my mom so once my coconut patties have chilled for about 10 minutes i'm gonna cover the other side this is a thing of beauty and now i'm just gonna do the second patty okay and here's the instant replay i'm gonna place these coconut layers in the fridge so that they can get nice and firm and then i'm gonna fill this cake i also made three 7-inch round banana cakes banana cake is my favorite and i'm going to level those now and cut the caramelization off the bottom i may have baked a little extra batter in each pan you can thank me later or hon and cody it's time to simple syrup these cakes i'm just gonna do a light little syruping and then i have something special from grenada that i'm gonna add to this cake oh i just thought of something simple syrup is made of sugar and water and grenada grows sugarcane and is surrounded by water see how i thought that through okay i'm gonna give grenada all i've got okay so i feel like i'd be cheating if i didn't put rum in this cake you don't have to put rum in your cake if you don't want to but today i'm not doing that no oh god it smells so good so what i'm going to do with this rum is i'm going to use a brush and i'm going to lightly tap it onto my layers yo-yo day 2019 is almost here so mark your calendars because on june 6 we're celebrating all of you all the loyal how to kick it viewers on june 6 head to a participating bakery near you wherever you are in the world and proclaim happy yo-yo day i don't think i've ever proclaimed anything the first 50 people who show up to each location will receive a free sweet treat but that's not all share your experience on instagram using the hashtag yo-yo day for the chance to win an awesome prize pack not only is there vanilla already in this italian buttercream but i'm gonna add some vanilla bean so to get the beautiful seeds out of this bean i'm just gonna cut the bean lengthwise be careful you just want to use like the back of your knife and scrape out the little seeds they're very tiny even calling them seeds seems weird it's like tiny specks vanilla buttercream check i'm done with the vanilla buttercream but i'm gonna make my spice island buttercream grenada's gonna love it i am gonna flavor some of my italian meringue buttercream with some of my favorite flavors so i'm going to add fresh grated nutmeg i just grated it some ground cinnamon and i'm going to add some rum to this buttercream if you don't want to add the rum you don't have to are we ready okay i'm sorry they're like children cheers cheers no that's not that was i'm sorry but that was excellent that was very smart or hon that was really good actually okay here you go i am in my cake heaven and right now i'm about to assemble this cake so i have a banana layer down on my board i'm gonna spread on chocolate buttercream i'm just gonna do it and you can watch it unfold beautifully start with the banana cake what is what's happening or huh are you playing the grenadian national anthem this is amazing okay ready you're so good will we get dinged for that or no one will know i feel like it's helping me spread the buttercream better yeah look at how smooth it is it's incredible i'm very proud of myself okay time to add one of my coconut patties as much as i want to just take a bunch of one so now vanilla bean buttercream on top of the coconut patty yes okay coconut patty number two now we definitely just can't eat it on are you ready for this vanilla bean buttercream dollop cody i believe i am are you zoned in oh i'm at the final layer remember when i used to sing it's the final layer i forgot about that i forgot about that entirely it's time to crumb coat this cake in my spice island buttercream i have it labeled right here with the grenada flag in case you missed it my crumb coat is now chilled so it's time to ice this cake with more spice island buttercream okay here we are look at how well it goes with the flag see that i will only ice this cake with a bench scraper that matches this there's something when i ice a cake and i'm done i feel like so powerful you know what i mean i'm like go ahead you cake noticed my shirt says that that was smooth was it not so this tea is this month's cake tea club tea and if you see people are already calling for it this tea is this month's cake tea club tea and when you join our cake tea club we send you a new freshly baked tea every month so if that sounds good to you just click here come on cake let's chill so while i was making this cake i don't know why i didn't even think of this because the grenada making cake has been on my bucket list for so long and like during the icing process i thought to myself i know what i need to put on this cake i need to put groundnut sugar cake on this cake i can't even believe i forgot about that this is the number one thing that my mom made when i was a kid and i want to make some but i think i need my mom's help so i'm gonna bring her to the how to kick your kitchen we are making ground nut sugar cake um which is so that was amazing grown chicken ground nut sugar cake it's brown sugar water and i put in some fresh grated ginger and we're going to let this boil then we're going to pour in roasted peanuts and then it's going to like harden and get sugary and then you can just drop it do you think we're ready i feel like we should add the nuts i don't want it to dry out but i don't want it to be too soft so grenada is like one of the most superstitious places in the world from you my mother has all these superstitions that i believe like you have never heard so what happens if you eat my mother has a superstition if you eat from the bottom of a pot like directly from a pot what happens you're not gonna get married you're not gonna get married stop eating out of a pot yeah what is a ligaroo oh niggaroo is uh the guy that sucks a vampire yeah i think he might oh this is good should i take the heat off yeah just in case because it's so hot okay can you stir and all pour nuts don't burn yourself okay go ahead oh it's getting there oh wow oh wow it's working i don't know why i'm surprised it's honestly sad okay let's go let's go so let's i'm just gonna basically oh come on i want these nice clumps okay nice that's a nice big one that's a big one okay so i'm gonna put this aside too cool okay thank you mommy you're welcome here's your flag walk out waving it here you go bye mommy now i'm gonna make some ganache to pour on top of this cake the first thing you need to do is chop your chocolate as finely as possible and place it in a bowl and then weigh out the exact same measurement of whipping cream now pour your whipping cream into a pot and you'll want to bring it to an almost boil so you definitely want to see bubbles on top of your whipping cream at this point you can pour your cream right onto your chopped chocolate and cover the bowl i like to cover the bowl for about five minutes after five minutes remove the cover and with a wooden spoon stir your ganache until it all comes together if i was rich i'd have like a ganache waterfall in my home come in and dip something so you want nice drippage and then now quickly before it's fully set we're gonna pour some on and then we're gonna start to spread it out to meet the drip so before i make it a mega cake by adding my groundnut sugar cake my dried pineapple slices and some dried mango i'm going to do my favorite thing and pick up this beautiful cake and put it on my cake stand i love doing that it's so relaxing no i need you to focus don't ever become a surgeon did i do it okay i sounded like i was boy i was a kettle boiling okay so now i'm going to well make this a mega cake so i also want to put some groundnut sugar cake clusters down around the bottom especially where you might have you know messed up the buttercream a little if today is the first day you learned about grenada subscribe if you already knew about grenada subscribe so you just want that to subscribe i just want everyone to subscribe if you exist subscribe are you breathing subscribe are you awake right now subscribe are you not reading you accepted subscribe you should just like leave how to cake it and we'll open like a ground that sugar cake cart down by like the acc and sell this are you with me no okay guys so we're going i hope you've enjoyed our trip to grenada on how to cake it guys make this cake because it looks so good i cannot wait to taste it and don't forget to check out our new cake compilation over on how to kick it step by step wait a minute i forgot something very important thank you to my mommy for collaborating with me on this video please come back next week i'll be here with a sore stomach good nighthi guys welcome back to how to cake it i'm yolanda and this week i am making a grenada mega cake dedicated to the country where my mom is born if you don't know where grenada is you are about to find out through cake so i just thought of all the flavors from grenada that i love and i'm gonna put them all in a cake so the first thing i wanted to make were some dried slices of pineapple i cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple i cut away all the skin what i need to do next slice the pineapple really thin and i cut thin thin pineapple slices that i laid onto a baking tray on a silicone mat i pressed some of them into a muffin tin and some into a mini muffin tin and then i baked them very low like and i baked them for about an hour so how did they turn out they look beautiful not only do they look beautiful they smell beautiful you seem to be really excited about me i'm super excited this has like legit been on my list for so long the second thing i prepared for this cake are these coconut patties all i did was mix together dried shredded coconut and condensed milk and then i lined this tray on the bottom and the sides with parchment and i pressed my coconut mixture into two pans now i feel like i need a disclaimer for any grenadians who are watching of course i'd rather use fresh coconut but remember i'm in canada i'm sure it's gonna taste as delicious i hope so after i pressed it in i put these in the fridge to set and to firm up so now that they're a bit firm i'm going to remove them and i'm going to coat them in dark chocolate this is going to be a difficult episode to get through i know i know i want to eat every part of it but we're gonna make it i've wanted to make this cake for a long time it's been on my bucket list and it's only fair because i did make the frankfurter cake in honor of my father's heritage but today this is about my mom so once my coconut patties have chilled for about 10 minutes i'm gonna cover the other side this is a thing of beauty and now i'm just gonna do the second patty okay and here's the instant replay i'm gonna place these coconut layers in the fridge so that they can get nice and firm and then i'm gonna fill this cake i also made three 7-inch round banana cakes banana cake is my favorite and i'm going to level those now and cut the caramelization off the bottom i may have baked a little extra batter in each pan you can thank me later or hon and cody it's time to simple syrup these cakes i'm just gonna do a light little syruping and then i have something special from grenada that i'm gonna add to this cake oh i just thought of something simple syrup is made of sugar and water and grenada grows sugarcane and is surrounded by water see how i thought that through okay i'm gonna give grenada all i've got okay so i feel like i'd be cheating if i didn't put rum in this cake you don't have to put rum in your cake if you don't want to but today i'm not doing that no oh god it smells so good so what i'm going to do with this rum is i'm going to use a brush and i'm going to lightly tap it onto my layers yo-yo day 2019 is almost here so mark your calendars because on june 6 we're celebrating all of you all the loyal how to kick it viewers on june 6 head to a participating bakery near you wherever you are in the world and proclaim happy yo-yo day i don't think i've ever proclaimed anything the first 50 people who show up to each location will receive a free sweet treat but that's not all share your experience on instagram using the hashtag yo-yo day for the chance to win an awesome prize pack not only is there vanilla already in this italian buttercream but i'm gonna add some vanilla bean so to get the beautiful seeds out of this bean i'm just gonna cut the bean lengthwise be careful you just want to use like the back of your knife and scrape out the little seeds they're very tiny even calling them seeds seems weird it's like tiny specks vanilla buttercream check i'm done with the vanilla buttercream but i'm gonna make my spice island buttercream grenada's gonna love it i am gonna flavor some of my italian meringue buttercream with some of my favorite flavors so i'm going to add fresh grated nutmeg i just grated it some ground cinnamon and i'm going to add some rum to this buttercream if you don't want to add the rum you don't have to are we ready okay i'm sorry they're like children cheers cheers no that's not that was i'm sorry but that was excellent that was very smart or hon that was really good actually okay here you go i am in my cake heaven and right now i'm about to assemble this cake so i have a banana layer down on my board i'm gonna spread on chocolate buttercream i'm just gonna do it and you can watch it unfold beautifully start with the banana cake what is what's happening or huh are you playing the grenadian national anthem this is amazing okay ready you're so good will we get dinged for that or no one will know i feel like it's helping me spread the buttercream better yeah look at how smooth it is it's incredible i'm very proud of myself okay time to add one of my coconut patties as much as i want to just take a bunch of one so now vanilla bean buttercream on top of the coconut patty yes okay coconut patty number two now we definitely just can't eat it on are you ready for this vanilla bean buttercream dollop cody i believe i am are you zoned in oh i'm at the final layer remember when i used to sing it's the final layer i forgot about that i forgot about that entirely it's time to crumb coat this cake in my spice island buttercream i have it labeled right here with the grenada flag in case you missed it my crumb coat is now chilled so it's time to ice this cake with more spice island buttercream okay here we are look at how well it goes with the flag see that i will only ice this cake with a bench scraper that matches this there's something when i ice a cake and i'm done i feel like so powerful you know what i mean i'm like go ahead you cake noticed my shirt says that that was smooth was it not so this tea is this month's cake tea club tea and if you see people are already calling for it this tea is this month's cake tea club tea and when you join our cake tea club we send you a new freshly baked tea every month so if that sounds good to you just click here come on cake let's chill so while i was making this cake i don't know why i didn't even think of this because the grenada making cake has been on my bucket list for so long and like during the icing process i thought to myself i know what i need to put on this cake i need to put groundnut sugar cake on this cake i can't even believe i forgot about that this is the number one thing that my mom made when i was a kid and i want to make some but i think i need my mom's help so i'm gonna bring her to the how to kick your kitchen we are making ground nut sugar cake um which is so that was amazing grown chicken ground nut sugar cake it's brown sugar water and i put in some fresh grated ginger and we're going to let this boil then we're going to pour in roasted peanuts and then it's going to like harden and get sugary and then you can just drop it do you think we're ready i feel like we should add the nuts i don't want it to dry out but i don't want it to be too soft so grenada is like one of the most superstitious places in the world from you my mother has all these superstitions that i believe like you have never heard so what happens if you eat my mother has a superstition if you eat from the bottom of a pot like directly from a pot what happens you're not gonna get married you're not gonna get married stop eating out of a pot yeah what is a ligaroo oh niggaroo is uh the guy that sucks a vampire yeah i think he might oh this is good should i take the heat off yeah just in case because it's so hot okay can you stir and all pour nuts don't burn yourself okay go ahead oh it's getting there oh wow oh wow it's working i don't know why i'm surprised it's honestly sad okay let's go let's go so let's i'm just gonna basically oh come on i want these nice clumps okay nice that's a nice big one that's a big one okay so i'm gonna put this aside too cool okay thank you mommy you're welcome here's your flag walk out waving it here you go bye mommy now i'm gonna make some ganache to pour on top of this cake the first thing you need to do is chop your chocolate as finely as possible and place it in a bowl and then weigh out the exact same measurement of whipping cream now pour your whipping cream into a pot and you'll want to bring it to an almost boil so you definitely want to see bubbles on top of your whipping cream at this point you can pour your cream right onto your chopped chocolate and cover the bowl i like to cover the bowl for about five minutes after five minutes remove the cover and with a wooden spoon stir your ganache until it all comes together if i was rich i'd have like a ganache waterfall in my home come in and dip something so you want nice drippage and then now quickly before it's fully set we're gonna pour some on and then we're gonna start to spread it out to meet the drip so before i make it a mega cake by adding my groundnut sugar cake my dried pineapple slices and some dried mango i'm going to do my favorite thing and pick up this beautiful cake and put it on my cake stand i love doing that it's so relaxing no i need you to focus don't ever become a surgeon did i do it okay i sounded like i was boy i was a kettle boiling okay so now i'm going to well make this a mega cake so i also want to put some groundnut sugar cake clusters down around the bottom especially where you might have you know messed up the buttercream a little if today is the first day you learned about grenada subscribe if you already knew about grenada subscribe so you just want that to subscribe i just want everyone to subscribe if you exist subscribe are you breathing subscribe are you awake right now subscribe are you not reading you accepted subscribe you should just like leave how to cake it and we'll open like a ground that sugar cake cart down by like the acc and sell this are you with me no okay guys so we're going i hope you've enjoyed our trip to grenada on how to cake it guys make this cake because it looks so good i cannot wait to taste it and don't forget to check out our new cake compilation over on how to kick it step by step wait a minute i forgot something very important thank you to my mommy for collaborating with me on this video please come back next week i'll be here with a sore stomach good night\n"