Pão de Ló

Name: Pão de Ló
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients: 8 large Eggs; 250g Granulated Sugar; 160g All-purpose Flour, sifted; 1 Lemon, zest only, optional but traditional; 1 pinch of Salt, fine

Pão de Ló is a classic, cloud-like Portuguese sponge cake with a tender crumb and a bright kiss of citrus. Lightly sweet and impossibly airy, it makes a lovely simple dessert to enjoy with coffee or fresh fruit. This version relies on whipped eggs and minimal ingredients to deliver a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Pão de Ló is a classic, cloud-like Portuguese sponge cake with a tender crumb and a bright kiss of citrus. Lightly sweet and impos... Show more

Traditional Portuguese Recipe

Health Grade

E+ · Indulgent

Time

1 hr20 min

Price

0,12 €

Calories

282 kcal

vegetarian

easy

kid friendly

comfort food

Method

Prep the pan

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 180° C. Line a deep round cake pan with parchment paper, letting the paper come up the sides so the cake lifts out cleanly.

Whisk the eggs

In a large bowl, beat the Eggs with the Granulated Sugar, the finely grated zest of the Lemon if you're using it, and the Salt until the mixture is very pale, thick, and falls from the whisk in a ribbon, about 8-10 minutes.

Fold in flour

Sift the All-purpose Flour over the whipped eggs in 2 or 3 additions, and fold gently with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain. Work from the bottom of the bowl and turn the batter over rather than stirring in circles, so you keep the foam light.

Bake the cake

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top without pressing it down. Bake for 25 minutes at 180° C, until the cake is golden, set at the edges, and just springs back in the center; a skewer near the edge should come out clean.

Cool the cake

Set the pan on a rack and let the cake rest for 10 minutes. Use the parchment to lift it out, then let it cool on the rack for 20 minutes more, or until just barely warm and fully set.