Bolo de Mel da Madeira

Name: Bolo de Mel da Madeira
Cook time: 160 min
Total time: 160 min
Yield: 20 servings
Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients: 1 kg All-purpose Flour; 700g Mel de Cana, Madeira sugarcane honey/syrup; 300g Granulated Sugar; 500g Lard; 300ml Madeira Wine, medium-dry; 200g Walnuts, roughly chopped; 150g Almonds, blanched, chopped; 150g Raisins; 150g Candied Orange and Citron Peel, diced; 1 Orange, zest and juice; 1 Lemon, zest only; 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon; 1 tsp Ground Cloves; 1 tsp Anise Seeds, lightly crushed; or fennel seeds; 1/2 tsp Nutmeg, freshly grated; 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper; 1 tsp Baking Soda, dissolve in the orange juice; 1 tsp Salt, fine; 12 Bay Leaves, fresh; to line the tins; Some Lard, for greasing

Bolo de Mel da Madeira is a fragrant, old‑world honey cake from Madeira, rich with cane honey, warm spices, nuts and candied peel. Dense and moist, it develops deeper flavor if allowed to rest for a day or two — perfect with a cup of tea or a glass of Madeira wine.

Bolo de Mel da Madeira is a fragrant, old‑world honey cake from Madeira, rich with cane honey, warm spices, nuts and candied peel.... Show more

Traditional Portuguese Recipe

Health Grade

D- · Occasional

Time

2 hrs30 min

Price

0,89 €

Calories

741 kcal

comfort food

holiday/special occasion

portuguese

gourmet

Method

Prep the fruit

Wash the Orange and Lemon well. Zest them finely, then cut the orange in half and squeeze out its juice. If the Almonds still have their skins, blanch them in boiling water for 1 minute, drain, rub off the skins, and roughly chop them with the Walnuts. Dice the Candied Orange and Citron Peel, lightly crush the Anise Seeds, and finely grate the Nutmeg. Measure the Ground Cinnamon, Ground Cloves, Ground Black Pepper, and Salt.

Prepare the tins

Use just a little of the Lard to grease two deep cake tins, then line the bases and sides with the Bay Leaf leaves, overlapping them slightly. Make sure the leaves cover the metal well so the cake releases cleanly.

Warm the syrup

Set a saucepan over low heat and combine the Mel de Cana, Granulated Sugar, and the remaining lard. Stir in the Madeira Wine, the orange and lemon zest, and the cinnamon, cloves, crushed anise seeds, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt. Warm everything gently for 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup looks glossy and smooth.

Add the soda

Take the pan off the heat and stir the Baking Soda into the reserved orange juice. It will fizz up at once; pour it straight into the warm syrup mixture and stir until evenly combined.

Mix the batter

Put the All-purpose Flour in a very large bowl. Pour in the warm syrup mixture a little at a time, stirring hard until a thick, sticky dough forms, then fold in the Raisins and the chopped walnuts, almonds, and candied peel. It should be heavy and glossy, more like a rich paste than a pourable batter.

Rest overnight

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest in a cool place for 12 hours, or overnight, so the flour fully hydrates and the flavors mellow.

Preheat the oven

About 30 minutes before baking, heat the oven to 160° C and position a rack in the center.

Bake the cakes

Give the rested dough a quick stir, divide it between the prepared tins, and press it down firmly. Bake for 60 minutes, then check the centers and keep baking until the tops are deeply browned and a skewer comes out with only a few sticky crumbs, up to 75 minutes total. If the tops darken too fast, tent them loosely with foil.

Cool and mature

Leave the cakes in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn them out carefully, peel away the bay leaves, and cool completely on a rack. Once cool, wrap them well and let them mature for at least a day before slicing.