Margaride Cavacas
Also known as: Margaride Cavacas · Margaride Yolk Cakes
Small round yolk cakes, light as sponge and hand-swirled with white icing.
- Origin
- Margaride · Felgueiras · Porto district
- Region
- Margaride · Felgueiras
- Season
- Year-round; especially traditional at Easter
Cavacas de Margaride are small round cakes made from a highly aerated batter of whole eggs, extra yolks, sugar and flour. Lemon and a pinch of cinnamon perfume their pale, tender crumb, closely related to the sponge cake that made Margaride famous.
Once baked as individual portions, they are covered with white icing made from egg white, icing sugar and lemon. Traditionally, the coating is spread by hand in circles, leaving visible spirals that dry into a thin, brittle shell.
- whole eggs
- egg yolks
- sugar
- wheat flour
- lemon zest
- cinnamon
- egg white and icing sugar for the glaze
A light yolk-rich crumb, lemon and cinnamon aroma, and a sweet white coating that dries delicately crisp.
Family proportions vary, but the sponge-like batter, round shape and hand-swirled white icing remain defining features.
At traditional confectioners and producers in Margaride and Felgueiras, especially houses also known for the local pão de ló.
Coffee, tea or a small glass of Port.
Margaride tradition connects these cavacas with Easter: families made them as devotional offerings to Our Lady and kept any that remained to serve visitors. Production is no longer purely seasonal and now continues throughout the year.
Felgueiras Municipality presents Cavacas de Margaride as one of the municipality's three signature sweets alongside Pão de Ló de Margaride and lérias. In 2019 they became district finalists in the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Sweets, in the biscuits and dry cakes category.
Sources: festivaldopaodelo.pt · cm-felgueiras.pt · cm-felgueiras.pt · noponto.pt
Pastries from here — The North
Portuguese icon A Bella Queijadinha de Barcelos
A white star of almond, preserved fruit and family memory.
The North
Portuguese icon Sweet Vermicelli
Fine wheat threads simmered in milk and yolk, scored with cinnamon.
The North
Portuguese icon Alféloa
Sugar and molasses pulled by hand until they lighten.
The North
Portuguese icon Amarantinos
Small egg, lemon and cinnamon cakes from Amarante's convent table.
The North