Bolo de laranja

Portugal's golden orange cake: moist with olive oil and whole orange pulp, scented with zest, glazed with orange syrup until it shines: the most loved cake in every Portuguese pastelaria, humble and luminous

Origin: Portugal

From the journey of Orange.

Bolo de laranja is arguably the most beloved everyday cake in Portugal; present in every pastelaria (pastry café), every home kitchen, and every family table. Its genius lies in its simplicity: it uses the whole orange; juice and zest; and olive oil rather than butter, producing a cake of extraordinary moistness, with a crumb that is open and fragrant rather than dense or dry. The use of olive oil (azeite) in baking is characteristically Portuguese and marks the cake as distinctly Mediterranean rather than Northern European. Portugal's relationship with the orange is ancient and personal: the Portuguese were the first Europeans to bring the sweet orange back from trading voyages to India and China in the 15th century, and the word for orange in Greek (portokáli), Romanian (portocală), and Albanian (portokall) still reflects this Portuguese origin. The bolo de laranja in its Azorean, Algarve, and Lisbon variants is the fruit of this five-century relationship: a preparation that honours the orange without complicating it.

Ingredients

Batter

3 large eggs
200 g caster sugar
120 ml extra virgin olive oil (light-flavoured, or neutral oil for a milder cake)
120 ml fresh orange juice (from 2 medium oranges)
2 tsp orange zest, finely grated (from the same oranges)
200 g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp salt

Glaze

100 ml fresh orange juice (for the glaze)
80 g icing sugar, sifted (for the glaze)

Method

Preheat the oven to 175°C (fan 155°C / 350°F). Grease and flour a 22cm round cake tin (or a Bundt/fluted ring tin for the traditional Portuguese presentation).
Beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric whisk for 3–4 minutes until pale, thick, and ribbon-like. This step introduces air that gives the cake its light texture.
With the whisk running on low, slowly pour in the olive oil, then the orange juice. Mix until just combined. Add the orange zest.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined; do not overmix.
Pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 35–40 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean and the top is golden. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
Make the glaze: whisk the orange juice and icing sugar together until smooth. While the cake is still warm, poke it all over with a skewer and pour the glaze slowly over the top, allowing it to soak in. The cake should shine.

Notes

The Azorean variant of bolo de laranja is made with laranjas do Pico or laranjas de São Miguel: the extraordinary oranges grown in the volcanic soil of the Azores islands, which are among the world's finest oranges: smaller than mainland varieties, with an intensely perfumed peel and a complex, slightly floral juice. If Azorean oranges are unavailable (which they usually are outside Portugal), use the most fragrant, thin-skinned oranges you can find; the flavour of the finished cake is entirely dependent on the quality and fragrance of the orange.

The Gastrographer

Name: Bolo de laranja
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Portugal
Ingredients: 3 large eggs; 200 g caster sugar; 120 ml extra virgin olive oil (light-flavoured, or neutral oil for a milder cake); 120 ml fresh orange juice (from 2 medium oranges); 2 tsp orange zest, finely grated (from the same oranges); 200 g plain flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 0.5 tsp salt; 100 ml fresh orange juice (for the glaze); 80 g icing sugar, sifted (for the glaze)

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control