Traditional Portuguese Honey Cake with Sweet Egg Jam

I wasn’t craving anything too fancy, just a good, portuguese rustic cake, and this honey cake hit the spot perfectly. Since the cake only uses egg whites, I took advantage of the leftover yolks to make a sweet egg jam…. Okay, I’ll admit it got a little too decadent in the end, hehehe! This delicious traditional Portuguese honey cake is a classic sweet and soft cake with just a nice hint of honey.

The cake itself is a classic honey and egg white cake that’s simple to make, light, and creamy. However, since it’s got a good structure, it’s also a great base if you want to make a layered cake, just repeat the recipe for multiple layers. Just add a frosting that will complement well the honey flavour, or else it’s best to go with a more basic pound or chiffon cake.

I really enjoyed this combination, the traditional recipe is just for the honey cake, it’s not normally with the custardy sweet egg jam (doce de ovos), but I think that it not only is a great use of the eggs, but I think it complements the cake very well, both in flavour and texture, so let’s check the recipe!

Traditional Portuguese Honey Cake with Sweet Egg Jam

Servings: 12
Time: 1hr 30mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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Try out this classic portuguese egg white cake with honey, this is a deliciously fluffy cake that is not that sweet, so putting the sweet egg yolk jam on top just gives it that delicious contrast of sweetness ;D Also a couple of notes before we begin: I removed some of the sugar from the cake because I knew I was going to add a super sweet frosting on top, so if you want to make just the cake, add another 20 grams of sugar. I also had half of the egg jam left over, and finally, the honey I used is my favorite eucalyptus honey, which is perhaps too strong for the cake (it has a strong aftertaste), so it might be better to use a milder honey, such as rosemary honey or a more common honey blend.

Ingredients

Honey – 200g
Egg whites – 4
Flour – 250g
Baking Powder – 1 Heaped Teaspoon
Sugar – 120g
Butter – 120g
Milk – 160ml
Vanilla – 1 teaspoon (Extract)
Salt – A pinch
Sugar – 250g
Water – 150ml
Egg Yolks – 4
Eggs – 2

Directions

Let’s get started with the recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and prepare a springform pan with a removable bottom, lined with parchment paper and greased with butter and sprinkled with flour.
Now take a bowl and sift the flour and baking powder, followed by a pinch of salt.

In a deep bowl, add the butter at room temperature, honey, and vanilla, and whisk everything until you get a smooth mixture.
Add the flour, whisking continuously until everything is well mixed.

Finally, add the milk and egg whites, continuing to whisk until you have a creamy batter, then pour it into the pan.
Bake for about 30 minutes until well baked and golden brown. When the time is up, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out dry, the cake is done.
Remove the cake from the oven and let cool slightly before unmolding, as it is a very soft cake when it’s warm and may break if you try to remove it while hot.

While the cake is in the oven, you can make the sweet egg jam. Put a pan on the stove with the 150ml water and 250g of sugar to create a sugar syrup. Let it boil until it reaches the pearl stage (about 3 to 4 minutes boiling), then remove from the heat.
Whisk the 4 egg yolks and 2 eggs very well, then gradually pour them into the pan with the sugar syrup, stirring constantly with a wire whisk.
Once well mixed, return to a low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and is to your liking.

Finally, let it cool (in the refrigerator if necessary) before spreading it over the cake (once it and the cake have also cooled).
And that’s it! I hope you enjoy this delicious cake at home! 🙂

Notes: I can’t stress this enough – the type of honey you choose will make or break this cake! I learned this the hard way when I used my beloved eucalyptus honey, which gave the cake such an intense, almost medicinal flavour that it overpowered everything else. Stick with something gentle like clover, wildflower, or if you can find it, rosemary honey. Trust me on this one!

Make sure your egg whites are at room temperature, they’ll incorporate much more easily into the batter. Also, don’t be tempted to whip them separately; this recipe works by gently folding them in as is, which keeps the cake tender and moist.

Here’s the beauty of this recipe, you’re getting two desserts from one set of ingredients! The egg jam (doce de ovos) is basically Portuguese pastry cream, and it’s absolutely divine. If you’ve never made sugar syrup before, don’t panic. The “pearl stage” just means when you lift the spoon, the syrup falls in a steady stream and feels slightly thick between your fingers.

If your egg jam gets lumpy (it happens to the best of us!), just strain it through a fine-mesh sieve while it’s still warm. And if the cake seems too delicate when you’re unmolding, pop it back in the fridge for 20 minutes – it’ll firm up just enough to handle.

This cake actually gets better overnight! The honey keeps it incredibly moist, and the flavors meld beautifully. Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week (though the egg jam topping means fridge is probably safer).

This recipe for Traditional Portuguese Honey Cake with Sweet Egg Jam was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Bolo de Mel com Doce de Ovo foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.