Cakes are unleavened pasties made mainly from
wheat flour, shortening, sugar, egg, milk and little or no
baking power (a mixture of cereal flour, sodium carbonate
and sodium bicarbonate). Cakes are enjoyed globally by
both adults and children. The presence of gluten protein
only in wheat makes wheat a unique ingredient for pastry
products (Rhona, 1983). Gluten protein forms elastic dough
with air sacks. Unfortunately wheat is expensive and is not
produced in Nigeria due to the country's unfavourable
climate of the crop. Wheat flour is also deficient in some
essential amino acids needed by human.
Nigeria is endowed with root crops particularly
cassava which is cheap and used as staple food many
Nigerians. Cassava is however a starchy food crop. Soybean
is exclusively high in protein (40%) and is the most
nutritious of all the beans (Adedoya, 2001; Nwamarah
2005). Soybean protein has amino acid profile superior to
other plant protein. About half of the carbohydrate content
(20%) in soybean is crude fibre which suppresses many
degenerative diseases in human.
Attempts have been made by many researchers to
complement wheat flour with non-wheat flour, particularly legume flours for pastry product (Okaka and Isieh, 1990,
Onweluzo et al., 1995). The amount of soybean consumed
globally is currently relatively low; and there is increasing
public interest for more utilization of the product because of
its high dietary protein and many disease preventive
properties. This work was poised to produce high nutrient
and acceptable cakes made from complementary blends of
wheat, cassava and soybean flours