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Bolo polana
Cashew and potato cake
Mozambican cashew and potato cake, rich and moist
Bolo polana takes its name from the old Polana district of Maputo and is a celebration cake in Mozambique, made for birthdays and Christmas, built on two of the country's great crops: cashew nuts and potatoes. Ground cashews and mashed potato make it dense, fragrant and very moist, with orange zest to lift it. It shows the Portuguese baking tradition meeting local ingredients. Chef's tip: grind the cashews in short pulses with a spoon of the sugar; ground alone, they turn to cashew butter.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz potatoesfloury, such as Maris Piper; boiled, mashed and cooled
- 9 oz unsalted cashew nuts
- 7 oz soft butter
- 9 oz caster sugar
- 5 eggsseparated
- 1 orange zestfinely grated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp icing sugar (optional)for dusting
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan). Butter and line a 23 cm round cake tin.
Step 2: Pulse 9 oz unsalted cashew nuts with 2 tbsp of ⅞ oz caster sugar in a food processor in short bursts until finely ground, like coarse flour.
Step 3: Beat 7 oz soft butter with the rest of 8 oz caster sugar for 4–5 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks from 5 eggs one at a time, then 1 orange zest and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
6 minStep 4: Fold in 10 ½ oz potatoes until smooth, then the ground cashews.
Step 5: Whisk the egg whites with 1 pinch salt to soft peaks. Stir a spoonful into the batter to loosen it, then fold in the rest gently.
Step 6: Pour into the tin and bake for 55–65 minutes, until golden, firm on top and a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs. Common mistake: expecting a light sponge — bolo polana is meant to be dense and fudgy.
60 minStep 7: Cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then on a rack. Dust with 1 tbsp icing sugar.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bolo polana take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of unsalted cashew nuts?
- Almonds or peanuts, same amount.
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