You can find all sorts of cake in Brazil and they are eaten at all times of day – even for breakfast. Usually they are baked in ring or tube cake moulds and this gives them a distinctive appearance. Interestingly they are nearly always made in a blender or food processor, making it very quick and easy to create a delicious cake for the family. This recipe for Bolo Baeta or milk cake is a typical Brazilian recipe and is simple to make with just a few ingredients. The recipe uses a tin of condensed milk as its base which gives it a lovely creamy flavour. This is a simple cake with an interesting moist, dense texture quite unlike our own sponge cakes, and is really delicious and moreish. You can easily jazz it up by adding all sorts of flavours – orange, lemon, chocolate chips, nuts etc. This one has lime zest added to the basic mixture and just a dusting of icing sugar to finish.
Ingredients
- 397g can condensed milk
- 397ml milk
- 2 eggs
- 30g unsalted butter, softened
- 150g caster sugar
- 250g plain flour
- 1tbsp baking powder
- Pinch salt
- Grated zest of 1 lime
- Icing sugar to dust
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Fan 160°C/Gas Mark 4. Grease a 23cm ring mould.
Put the condensed milk, milk, eggs, butter and sugar into a food processor.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and add to the bowl.
Process together until you have a smooth batter. Add the lime zest and pulse to mix in.
Pour the batter into the ring mould.
Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until well risen and golden brown. A skewer inserted into the cake should come out clean.
Leave the cake to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.
Dust with icing sugar to finish.
Top tip for making Bolo Baeta
You can use the empty condensed milk can as a measure for the milk, mixing in any remaining residues. The cake keeps very well and is even more delicious after a few days when the lime flavour has time to develop.
