Portuguese Sweet Potato Cakes • Broas Castelares

What we have for today is a beautiful recipe for sweet potato “broas”, these are some golden brown creamy cakes with a caramelized bottom. Broas castelares or sweet potato “broas” are a delicious Portuguese specialty, traditionally associated with the Christmas season and All Saints’ Day, largely because it’s the time of year that coincides with the sweet potato harvest. These little golden cakes, made from sweet potato, corn flour, almonds and flavored with honey and sometimes fennel, have a soft texture and a rich taste that hark back to ancient confectionery traditions in Portugal.

The origin of broas castelares dates back to the central and northern regions of the country, where they are lovingly prepared, especially during the fall and winter months. The name “castelar” suggests a possible connection with Castile or maybe castles? But these are typical Portuguese sweets with Portuguese ingredients and aromas hehehe.

These cookie/cakes are creamy, soft and fragrant with the natural sweetness of the sweet potato. They also last a long time (easily a week), so you can usually make them well in advance, so let’s get to the recipe!

Portuguese Sweet Potato Cakes • Broas Castelares

• Servings: 16
• Time: 45mins
• Difficulty: Normal
• Rating: ★★★★★
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Broas Castelares are traditional Portuguese sweet cornmeal/sweet potato little chewy cakes, known for their delightful texture and rich flavor. Often enjoyed during festive occasions, like São Martinho or Christmas.

Ingredients

• Sweet Potato – 400gr
• Sugar – 250gr
• Honey – 2 Tablespoons (Rosemary)
• Corn Flour – 225gr
• Flour – 50gr
• Almonds – 60gr (powdered)
• Eggs – 2
• Lemon – Zest of 1 lemon
• Egg Yolk – 1 (for brushing)
• Salt – Pinch

Directions

1. Boil the sweet potatoes in a saucepan with plenty of water, cut a slit in each potato and cook until they are very tender, then peel and reduce to a smooth puree.
2. Add the sugar to the sweet potato pulp and bring to the boil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly so that the sugar dissolves in the sweet potato pulp, remove from the heat and leave to cool.
3. Once cooled, add the honey, cornflour, flour, grated almonds, eggs, lemon zest and a pinch of salt, mix everything together and bring back to the boil, cook until you have a very stiff dough, then remove from the heat and leave to cool completely again.
4. When it’s time to shape the little cakes/broas, preheat the oven to 240ºC, then shape the broas (if they stick to your hand, sprinkle with a little flour) into a longish, oval shapes as in the photos (about the length of a egg), place them on a tray lined with non-stick paper, repeat until you have no more dough.
5. Finally, whisk a little a egg yolk and brush each one with it. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the buns are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool before eating. Enjoy and Happy Festivities!

Notes: You can add a pinch of fennel to the dough if you like that slight medicinal taste of fennel.

This recipe for Portuguese Sweet Potato Cakes • Broas Castelares was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Broas de Batata Doce foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.

Nutrition

2986 calories; 54 g fat; 592 g carbohydrates; 51 g protein.

Did you try this recipe?

Let me know how it turned out for you! What are your favorite sweets for this time of the year? Leave a comment below ;D