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Pão de ló de Ovar
Molten-centred sponge cake
The half-baked, molten-centred sponge of Ovar, baked in its paper
PortuguesePão de ló is Portugal's oldest sponge cake, made with nothing but eggs, sugar and a little flour, and every region claims its own. In Ovar, a town on the lagoon coast south of Porto, it is baked only briefly, so a thin golden crust hides a centre of barely set, glossy egg cream that oozes when cut. It is the cake for Easter, when godparents give it to their godchildren, and it is sold all year at the town's bakeries wrapped in the paper it was baked in. Eat it at room temperature with a spoon, on its own or with a glass of port. Chef's tip: whisk the eggs and sugar for a full 12–15 minutes until the mixture is very thick and white; that air is the only thing that lifts the cake.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 4 eggsat room temperature
- 8 egg yolksat room temperature
- 7 oz caster sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 ½ oz plain floursifted twice
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Line a 22–24 cm round tin (a shallow clay dish is traditional) with one large sheet of baking paper, crumpling it first so it sits in the folds; let it stand above the rim.
Step 2: Put 4 eggs, 8 egg yolks, 7 oz caster sugar and 1 pinch salt in a large bowl and whisk on high speed until very pale, tripled in volume and thick enough that a ribbon dropped from the whisk sits on the surface for several seconds.
14 minStep 3: Sift 2 ½ oz plain flour over in three goes, folding each in gently with a large spatula, cutting down through the middle and turning the bowl. Stop as soon as no flour shows; knocking out the air is the common mistake and the cake will sink to a dense pad.
3 minStep 4: Pour into the lined tin. Don't smooth or tap it.
Step 5: Bake until the top is deep golden and firm at the edges, and the centre wobbles like a loose jelly when you shake the tin. Start checking at 18 minutes; for a fully set pão de ló (as in the Alentejo) bake 30–35 minutes instead.
22 minStep 6: Lift out in its paper and cool completely on a rack; the centre will settle and set to a thick cream. Serve in wedges, peeling back the paper at the table.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pão de ló de Ovar take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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 eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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