Bolo de Pé de Torresmo — a Published Azorean Formula
The Azorean author of Food With A Meaning publishes this contemporary formula to preserve a cake that has fallen out of use: wheat and maize flours, eggs, sugar, lard, chopped cracklings and the sediment called pé de torresmo form low cakes baked at 200°C until golden and dry. This version documents the tradition but does not literally reproduce the older preparation, which reused scraps of maize-bread dough on baking day.
- Yields
- Yield and piece weight not stated
- Prep
- Not stated
- Cook
- At 200°C / 390°F until golden and dry; duration not stated
Ingredients
- 1 cup Wheat flour
- 1 cup Maize flour
- 2/3 cup Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 cup Chopped pork cracklings
- 2 tbsp Pé de torresmo, the sediment from the rendering pan
- 1 heaped tsp Baking powder
- 2 tbsp Lard, melted
- 1 pinch, optional Ground cinnamon
- As needed Water for wetting the hands
- As needed Oil for greasing the trays
Method
Put the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a whisk or by hand.
Add the pinch of salt and mix. Pour in the melted lard and mix again.
Add the wheat and maize flours, baking powder and cinnamon if using. Mix by hand to a homogeneous dough.
Add the chopped cracklings and two tablespoons of pé de torresmo and mix thoroughly again by hand.
Wet your hands with water, shape the dough into balls and place them on oil-greased trays. The source gives no weight or diameter.
Flatten each ball into a low cake. Alternatively, spread the dough in a rectangular tray and cut squares or triangles before baking.
Bake in a preheated 200°C / 390°F oven until the cakes are golden and dry. The source publishes neither duration nor an internal doneness test.
Sources for this recipe
The quantities and method were checked against the references below. Family recipes may vary; where no single official formula exists, we present a representative practical version and say so plainly.
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