Cavacas de Margaride — Chef Paulo Cruz Adaptation
This is chef Paulo Cruz's adaptation published by the Pão de Ló Festival: fifty small whole-egg and yolk cakes scented with lemon and cinnamon, coated in egg-white icing and traced with the fingers. Felgueiras Municipal Council independently confirms Cavacas de Margaride as a local signature sweet and Seven Wonders of Portuguese Sweets finalist. The page header displays one hour in the oven, while the method instructs about ten minutes per batch; that contradiction is preserved.
- Yields
- 50 pieces
- Prep
- 40 min published, plus overnight drying
- Cook
- About 10 min per batch in the method; the header publishes 1 hr
Ingredients
- 1 pinch Cinnamon for the batter
- 175 g / 6.2 oz Fine or extra-fine type 55 wheat flour
- 200 g / 7.1 oz Sugar for the batter
- 3 Whole eggs
- 4 Egg yolks
- Zest of 1/2 Lemon for the batter
- 1 Egg white for the icing
- 1 dessert spoon Lemon juice for the icing
- 150 g / 5.3 oz Icing sugar for the icing
- Quantity and type not stated Fat for greasing the tray
- Quantity not stated Flour for dusting the tray
Method
Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Grease a tray and dust it with flour; the source neither identifies the fat nor quantifies these ingredients.
Beat the three whole eggs, four yolks and 200 g sugar in a mixer for about 20 minutes, until very light and pale.
Add the zest of half a lemon, one pinch of cinnamon and the 175 g flour. Fold with a whisk until creamy and homogeneous.
Use a dessert spoon to place portions of batter on the tray, leaving space between them. The source publishes a yield of 50 but gives no portion diameter.
Bake at 180°C / 350°F for about 10 minutes according to the method. Lift the cavacas with a spatula and cool them on a rack.
For the icing, beat the 150 g icing sugar with one egg white and one dessert spoon lemon juice, using low speed if working with a mixer, until white, light and glossy.
Cover each cooled cavaca with a thin layer of icing and trace circles over the surface with your fingers.
Leave the icing to dry overnight before storing or serving.
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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