Nkate Cake; a simple, sweet, savoury treat from West Africa offering addictive nutty crunch in every bite.
Ghana. One of Africa’s most populous countries and home to some world-famous West African dishes.
Like many countries around the African continent, Ghana is hugely diverse and made up of different people, religions, traditions, and more. However, one thing that does seem to unite people is their love of street food, and good street food at that!
Today’s recipe appears to be a typical sweet street food snack or dessert seen across the country that consists of just TWO delicious ingredients. Peanuts and sugar.
Catch up with the Desserts of the World series on the Maverick Baking YouTube channel!
We’re talking about Nkate Cake! Nkate Cake is a very popular treat made by cooking together melted and caramelised sugar with finely chopped peanuts. It’s a chewy, crunchy, sweet, and salty snack that keeps you coming back for more and more and more. Or at least, it did to me!
While this cake is apparently more often bought than homemade in most households, it’s something that Ghanaian people seem to love.
Not only is it simple, it’s fast. Which might explain some of its appeal compared to the much more intricate, skilled, and time-consuming traditional sweet and savoury street foods seen across the country.
I whipped up a small batch of Nkate Cake for today’s episode, and just for my own curiosity, and it was even better than expected.
Crunching through a mouthful of this dessert is like eating honey-roasted salted peanuts AND toffee popcorn at the same time. Despite the obvious heaviness of its humble ingredients, it also makes for a light sweet mouthful on-the-go.
Even if you don’t have a lot of experience in the kitchen, this recipe is easy to throw together. I’d advise some caution when transferring the hot mixture from pan to baking tray, especially if you have little ones helping out. Otherwise though, this recipe is great for beginners. Try it out and bring it to your next gathering to switch up the usual snacks.
I hope you find today’s Desserts of the World recipe as speedy, simple, and sumptuous as I did!
Want to save this Nkate Cake for later? You can pin the image below:
To make this Nkate Cake, simply follow the recipe below:
Ingredients
- 200g (1 ⅓ cup) roasted unsalted peanuts (without shells)
- 150g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
Instructions
- Using a large knife or a food processor, chop the peanuts into small chunks. Set aside
- Pour the sugar into a medium/large steel pan and place over a low heat.
- Allow the sugar to melt, stirring occasionally. This may take a few minutes.
- Once the sugar has turned golden brown and has no more lumps, pour the chopped peanuts into the pan.
- Stir quickly to coat the peanuts with the caramel as the mixture will begin to stiffen.
- Carefully pour the sticky mixture onto a baking tray covered with a sheet of greaseproof paper.
- Working quickly again, lay an extra sheet of greaseproof paper on top and use a rolling pin or sturdy object to flatten the mixture into a flat layer. Watch your fingers as the mixture will still be VERY hot!
- Once flattened and still hot, slice the slab of Nkate Cake into smaller squares, rectangles, or triangles.
- Allow to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
BE A MAVERICK: you can double this recipe’s quantities for a bigger batch!
This Nkate Cake will keep well in an airtight container for up to 1 week but is best enjoyed fresh.
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