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Cuca
Cuca: German-Brazilian yeasted cake topped with banana and a buttery cinnamon crumble
BrazilianGerman settlers in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina brought the Streuselkuchen, and their descendants call it cuca: a soft, enriched yeast dough baked under a layer of fruit and a thick, buttery crumble called farofa. In Blumenau, Pomerode and the serra gaúcha it is sold in colonial bakeries and roadside cafés and served at the long afternoon café colonial with coffee, jams and cheeses. Banana with cinnamon is the classic, but grape, apple and guava versions are common. The usual misstep is letting the dough rise in a cold kitchen and then baking it anyway: it stays heavy and dense, so wait until it really has doubled. Chef's tip: rub the crumble together and chill it in the freezer while the dough rises, so it stays in big, crunchy clusters in the oven.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
For the topping
For the crumble
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (5)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Stir ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast and a spoonful of the 3 ½ oz sugar into ¾ cup whole milk and leave for 5 minutes, until foamy.
5 minStep 2: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ½ tsp salt and the rest of the sugar in a large bowl. Add the milk mixture, 2 eggs and 2 ⅛ oz unsalted butter and knead for 8–10 minutes, until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic; it will be slightly sticky.
10 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
Step 4: Rub together 5 ½ oz plain flour, 4 oz sugar, 3 ½ oz cold unsalted butter and 1 tsp ground cinnamon with your fingertips until it forms clumpy crumbs. Chill in the freezer.
Step 5: Butter a 25 x 35 cm baking tin. Press the risen dough evenly into it, cover and leave for 20 minutes, until puffy. Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan).
20 minStep 6: Lay 4 ripe bananas over the dough, sprinkle with 1 tsp ground cinnamon and scatter the cold crumble thickly over the top.
Step 7: Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the crumble is golden and a skewer pushed into the dough comes out clean.
38 minStep 8: Cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature with coffee.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 64 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cuca take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 80 minutes to prepare and 40 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.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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