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| Gateau |
This is crazy! I was making something else and I else and I ended up with Cameroonian Gateau. Well, they say some of the best recipes are results of accidents and that is what happened here.
So after watching a pressure test on the TV show, “Master Chef” in which the contestants had to make Cinnamon Rolls in 45 minutes, I was inspired to make mine. I spent my night dreaming of how I will make the perfect Cinnamon Rolls for my family the next day.
After making my dough the next day, I realised that my preheated oven was not anywhere near hot. I put it off and on several times but there was no heat. My oven was bad! I was so dissapointed. So I abandoned my covered dough in the kitchen where it rose and rose and rose for four hours! (Fear not! You do not have to leave it that long).
I kept it in the refrigerator and the next morning, I decided to shape it into balls and fry. After deep frying it, I realised I had made the purrfect gateaus.
Gateau is a popular Cameroonian snack that is an advanced and better lasting version of puff puff. I had once attempted to make this but it turned out hard and not the way I wanted. These ones were nothing short of perfect.
They are hard on the outside, soft and stretchy on the inside with an irresistible buttery flavour. I now have my go-to Gateau recipe. Yay!
Prep: 25 mins
Inactive: 1hr 30 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Yield: 25-30 Gateaus
Ingredients
3 and a half – 4 cups of flour
5 tablespoons butter
2 and a quarter teaspoons of yeast
Half a cup of whole milk
Half a cup of warm water
Three quarter cup of sugar (I used brown)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 litre of vegetable oil for deep frying
Directions
-Mix yeast and warm water in a small bowl and keep aside.
-In another bowl, mix together milk, egg, melted butter, sugar and salt.
-Add half of the flour to the above mixture and mix well
-Add in warm water and yeast and mix
-Add in remaining flour and mix until it forms a stretchy dough
-Put dough on a floured board and knead for 5 minutes
-Put dough in a bowl and cover. Let it rise for one hour
-Punch down dough and knead again
-Shape into small balls like these:
-Let them sit for 20-30 minutes. They’ll rise again
-Heat oil and deep fry on medium heat until pale brown.
-Remove from oil and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Imagine these with a glass of orange juice:
NOTES
Be careful not to fry your Gateaus in very hot oil. This will result in a burnt exterior and an under-cooked interior. Your oil should be on medium heat so the balls can cook slowly and thoroughly.
For measurements in grams/kilograms, go here.
Happy Gateau making/eating!
Linda Achu says
October 14, 2015 at 3:00 pmI just made my best gateaux ever , thanks to you my sissy darling
Precious Nkeih says
October 14, 2015 at 3:02 pmAwww thanks for the feedback, darling!
Anonymous says
March 18, 2016 at 10:11 pmThanks for the recipe.I got some wanderful gateaux
Precious Nkeih says
March 18, 2016 at 10:14 pmYou're most welcome. Thanks for the feedback.
Julio Delascas says
April 1, 2016 at 1:13 pmWow..will try mine tomorrow..cant wait!
Unknown says
April 1, 2016 at 1:13 pmWow..going to do mine tomorrow..cant wait!
Precious Nkeih says
April 2, 2016 at 3:21 amYes yes yes! Please let us know how it goes.
Angele marie says
May 16, 2016 at 1:13 pmMy dearest, na the best gateaux recipe this I don see am. I am making this weekend. We have African food tasting Day. Will give you feedback. Be rest assured I will not take all the credit. I will refer anyone who asks on this blog to see for themselves. They will learn more than I can ever explain to them. U are loved
Precious Nkeih says
May 16, 2016 at 2:00 pmLol trust you to tell the world about this blog. Thanks darling. And yes, this recipe is fool-proof. Tried and proven many times.
Yvonne says
December 23, 2016 at 10:25 amJust made some perfect gateau. Thanks for the recipe.
Precious says
January 14, 2017 at 10:47 amYou’re most welcome, Yvonne. Sorry for the late response.
Lina says
January 3, 2017 at 1:21 amthanks for this recipe and wishing you + your family a happy new year
Precious says
January 14, 2017 at 10:48 amThanks Lina! Happy new year to you, dear.
Mama says
January 13, 2017 at 8:34 amHi precious, I am a big fan of yours always trying out ur delicious recipes and having a wonderful results. I have a question when u always used cups measurements how many is it in ml can be a cup e.g 1 cup of flour is what quantity? I always get confused. I want to try this gateaux recipe . Thanks
Precious says
January 14, 2017 at 10:45 amHi Mama,
Thanks for the great feedback! I can tell you the measurement in kilograms (kg). In this recipe, you need about 1/2 (half) kg. 2 cups of flour make 1/4 (one quarter) kg while 4 cups make 1/2 (half) kg. Hope this helps.
julia says
March 22, 2017 at 1:57 amhmm. mine was a complete failure. i used 10 g of instant yeast with 600 g of flour. please can you give me the measurements in kg.
Precious says
March 22, 2017 at 11:13 amHi dear, please follow the directions in this recipe: https://www.preciouscore.com/cameroonian-gateau-video-recipe/
Emmanuella says
October 7, 2017 at 9:24 pmThank you so much for your recipe. It was such a hit and so delicious
Precious says
October 8, 2017 at 10:07 pmOh so glad to hear that, Emmanuella! Thanks for the feedback.
Bibi says
June 11, 2018 at 1:36 pmHello, am about using your method but plz,wat quantity of yeast wil I use for a kilo of flour
Belinda says
October 29, 2018 at 8:59 amHi Precious. Please I wish to know which milk here in Cameroon can be classified as whole?
Precious says
October 29, 2018 at 9:50 amHi Belinda, whole milk is milk that has its full fat as opposed to low-fat milk. Nido is whole. Mix with water (check the milk packaging for instructions on the right ratio of milk to water) to make the half a cup of milk needed in this recipe. Note that, the milk you need here is liquid milk. Hope this helps, dear.